WASHINGTON, DC (June 6, 2025)–World leaders will gather in Nice, France, from June 9 to 13, for the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC)–the most significant political moment on ocean protection since the adoption of the Global Ocean Treaty in 2023.
With dozens of Heads of State expected to attend, the conference—co-hosted by France and Costa Rica—offers a crucial opportunity for governments to raise the level of global ambition on a suite of urgent ocean issues, including marine biodiversity, deep sea mining, and plastic pollution that will face key decisions in the coming months.
John Hocevar, Greenpeace USA’s Oceans Campaign Director, who will be attending the meeting, said: “This conference couldn’t come at a more critical time. The ocean is reeling from the combined impacts of industrial fishing, plastic pollution, and climate change. And just when bold leadership is most needed, the US has walked away from the global stage, opening the floodgates to destruction through a barrage of Trump Administration Executive Orders that threaten both domestic and international waters.
“We can’t afford any more delay. The decisions made in Nice will set the tone for key global efforts to stem the ocean crisis in the coming months, including the Plastics Treaty, the Global Ocean Treaty, and deep sea mining talks at the International Seabed Authority. Whether this conference marks a turning point or takes our oceans further down the road to ruin will depend on the strength and ambition of the commitments made by the international community to stand up for science, uphold international law, and advance environmental justice.”
French President Macron has made ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty a top priority for the conference. Scientists have stated that at least 30% of the world’s oceans must be protected by 2030 to allow marine ecosystems to recover and biodiversity to thrive. The Treaty—the only legal tool that can establish marine protected areas in international waters beyond areas of national jurisdiction—is essential to achieving this goal and must be ratified this year to meet the 2030 deadline. While the number of ratifications continues to climb in the days leading up to the conference, with just over half of the 60 required ratifications secured, time is running out.
Another major priority of the conference for President Macron is growing international support for a moratorium on deep sea mining. This follows the controversial push by President Trump and The Metals Company, a leading industry proponent, to launch commercial deep sea mining operations in the Pacific Ocean outside of international law and UN processes.
Plastic pollution is also high on the conference agenda as the Nice gathering is also the final major diplomatic gathering before the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations resume in August. Greenpeace and other advocates are calling for a strong ministerial declaration that commits to reducing plastic production and phasing out single-use plastics.
Megan Randles, Greenpeace International’s head of delegation to UNOC, said: “We are concerned that geopolitical dynamics that have continued to plague global cooperation will play out in Nice. This risks turning the conference into little more than a talking shop, as shown by the state of the draft political declaration. Governments have been negotiating this declaration for many months now, but the latest draft lacks the necessary action across all issues, from deep sea mining to stopping plastic pollution.”
Despite France’s stated commitment to advancing global ocean protection, its recent actions in the lead-up to the conference are raising some concerns. In a troubling move, the French government has imposed what appear to be retaliatory measures against some entities in the Greenpeace network. The country’s authorities have denied entry to the port of Nice to Greenpeace International’s ship, the Arctic Sunrise, where both the “One Ocean Science Congress” and the UN conference will take place. The ship has also been denied participation in the maritime parade scheduled for June 8.
These restrictions follow last month’s Greenpeace France expedition aboard the Arctic Sunrise, which highlighted weaknesses in France’s network of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean Sea.
Greenpeace International has submitted a formal letter of complaint to the United Nations, condemning the French government’s actions, as civil society participation is a core element of the UN Ocean Conference.
Media contact
Media contacts in Nice
Journalists can join Greenpeace’s UNOC3 WhatsApp channel for live updates from the delegation on the ground
Notes
The conference is structured around 10 “action panels”- covering various ocean topics, from marine pollution to mobilizing finance, supporting small-scale fishers and coastal communities, and conserving marine ecosystems. Governments have made submissions to each of these panels, with the United Nations drawing up concept papers to set the framework for discussions on each topic.
In Nice, Greenpeace is calling on governments to:
- Ensure the Global Ocean Treaty enters into force in 2025 by securing additional ratifications by countries.
- Restate or announce publicly their support for a moratorium on deep-sea mining
- Support a strong and ambitious Global Plastics Treaty that cuts plastic production by at least 75% by 2040
- Ensure fair, just and sustainable fisheries by ensuring the human rights, environmental protections and ethical business practices extend to the entire seafood supply chains to end unsustainable and destructive industrial fishing
The third, and supposedly final, draft declaration fails to include the key measures needed to ensure the ocean recovers from decades of abuse and can withstand the impacts of global climate change.
