Countries to gather in France over ‘global emergency’ in oceans
United Nations: The world’s nations are gathering in France next month to tackle what the UN calls a global emergency facing the world’s oceans as they confront rising temperatures, plastic pollution choking marine life, and relentless overexploitation of fish and other resources.
The third UN Ocean Conference aims to unite governments, scientists, businesses and civil
society to take action and raise money to address these and other crises facing the oceans and the people who rely on them for their survival.
Conference Secretary-General Li Junhua told reporters on Tuesday he hopes it will not be another routine meeting but “the pivotal opportunity” to accelerate action and mobilise people in all sectors and across the world.
The conference, co-sponsored by France and Costa Rica, takes place in Nice on the French Riviera from June 7 to June 13.
It is expected to bring together over 60 world leaders, dozens of ministers, about 4,000
government officials and 6,000 members of civil society, Li told The Associated Press.
Costa Rica’s UN Ambassador Maritza Chan Valverde said accelerating action to conserve and use the
ocean sustainably “means cutting decision-making time from years to months” and engaging all 193 UN member nations, more
than 1,000 cities and over 500 corporations simultaneously. “What is different this time around?” she said.
“Zero rhetoric. Maximum results.” Valverde said she expects participants to make commitments totalling $100 billion in new funding to address crisis facing oceans.
France’s UN Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont said his country’s priorities for the conference include obtaining 60 ratifications for the treaty to protect biodiversity in the high seas adopted in March 2023, so it goes into effect.
The treaty’s mission is to ensure sustainable fishing, mobilise support to protect and conserve at least 30% of oceans’ waters, fight plastic pollution, “accelerate decarbonisation” of maritime transportation and mobilise financing.
