Major Win for Our Ocean: Third UN Ocean Conference closes with wave of commitments

After marathon meetings on all aspects of ocean conservation, the High Seas Treaty received a major boost, and governments adopted the Nice Ocean Action Plan in France on Friday. This Action Plan includes a political declaration and more than 800 voluntary commitments by governments, scientists, UN agencies and civil society, including BirdLife International. Let’s bring these commitments to life for seabirds and all marine life through our local-to-global Partnership! 

For the third time since 2017, governments, NGOs, academia and the global ocean community came together for the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice. The event seeks to advance Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, which aims to conserve and sustainably manage our ocean. An incredibly important goal but the least financed of the 17 SDGs. This is where the Nice conference came in, the largest UNOC ever with 175 countries, 64 Heads of State, 115 Ministers, 28 Heads of UN agencies and 12,000 delegates in total. Key outcomes include €8.7 billion in investments for accelerating ocean conservation in the next 5 years by philanthropists, private investors and public banks, a boost to the High Seas Treaty and an acceleration of global Marine Protected Area (MPA) coverage from 8% to more than 10%. 

“One of the most inspiring parts of UNOC was the designation of new Marine Protected Areas at a scale that will make a tremendous difference. We know first-hand from examples such as the North Atlantic Current and Evlanov Sea basin (NACES) MPA, which our Marine Science team identified from seabird tracking data, how challenging it can be to designate protected areas in the ocean. Right now, we see true ocean leadership to make such success stories happen by France, Costa Rica, Cabo Verde and many more. I am proud to see so many of our Partners directly contributing and pushing for the ocean action we need to see, not least here in Nice. This fills me with great hope for the future!” – Nina Mikander, Global Director of Policy and Business at BirdLife International.

France (co-host alongside Costa Rica) made considerable pledges to accelerate marine ecosystems and species conservation, such as designating the world’s largest Marine Protected Area and largest no-take area within the French Polynesian waters. Allain Bougrain Dubourg, President of LPO/BirdLife France, states, “France’s engagement has been decisive to make UNOC a success; at the national level, LPO will follow closely the implementation of these announcements, so we ensure promises are turned into concrete actions.”

The BirdLife flock was out in force at UNOC, including staff from our Global Team and our Partners LPO (France), RSPB, (UK), Biosfera (Cape Verde), and BirdLife South Africa.

As part of the Nice Ocean Action Plan, we made a big pledge during the conference, committing to identify the most important places for birds and all marine life across 100% of marine flyways by 2030. Our Marine Programme recently discovered and mapped six major migration routes for seabirds – so identifying critical sites within them that would benefit from protection is an important next step. This is how our marine flyways directly contribute to the global target of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030. 

“Seabird migration routes create invisible bridges between ecosystems. They remind us that biodiversity protection cannot be limited to fixed boundaries: it requires a global, cooperative vision rooted in science and fieldwork. It was incredible to see one of these bridges in action between Chile and New Zealand at the BirdLife side event on marine flyways. The Antipodean Albatross connects both countries and their action in reducing bycatch in fisheries is an inspiration to us all! “- Maud Lelièvre, LPO board member/President of the French IUCN Committee/International Councillor of IUCN

Seabirds are an ideal compass to guide conservation action in the High Seas. Thanks to advances in tracking technology, our understanding of seabird movements and key sites across the High Seas has drastically increased in recent years. Through the collaborative platform of the Seabird Tracking Database we have pioneered large-scale conservation analyses, identifying sites such as the NACES MPA from seabird tracking data, which was subsequently found to be a biodiversity hotspot, harbouring whales, sharks, turtles, fish and delicate deep-water habitats. Designated by the OSPAR Commission in 2021, it is the largest High Seas MPA outside Antarctica – the size of France. 

The need for marine flyways could not be greater, given that we are now so close to having a new High Seas Treaty, with only 10 additional countries needed to reach the necessary 60 for it to enter into force. The Treaty will provide the framework to accelerate action to protect 30% of the ocean outside of national jurisdiction by 2030, which would make a major difference for all marine species as the High Seas constitute 64% of our ocean’s surface and 95% of its volume. With a mere 1.5% currently protected, the new treaty is a game-changer for the health of our oceans. 

“At UNOC we saw the total number of countries that have ratified the High Seas Treaty jump up from 32 to 50*. I am confident that we will exceed the magic 60 by the High-level week of the UN General Assembly in September 2025. This would mean that the Treaty enters into force by January 2026 and the first Conference of the Parties takes place in the same year. The key now is to keep up the momentum. The commitments made here in Nice are exceptional – but the real challenge is to put these words into action. We will be keeping a close watch.” Prof Dr Aline Kühl-Stenzel, Senior Policy Manager, Marine at BirdLife International

Despite the celebration of commitments, UNOC was not without tensions. At the very start of the conference, the Blue March organised by Seas at Risk was heavily restricted and ultimately held far away from the main conference venue, but despite this, the march was a success and a beautiful union moment for the ocean. Throughout the conference the Russian delegation made negative interventions towards the new High Seas Treaty and there was no US delegation. 

These negative voices could not harm the united power of multilateralism seen at UNOC. The strong ocean leadership shown by France, Costa Rica, the EU and many more was clear: oceans are the life-support system of humanity and require united action across the globe.

*Please note that there are 50 ratifications by states and that only these count towards the 60 ratifications required for the High Seas treaty to enter into force. The EU has also ratified the treaty and therefore overall, the total number of ratifications is 51.