From June 9 to 13, 2025, the city of Nice will host the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), co-organized with Costa Rica. A decade after the Paris Agreement on climate change, this event comes at a critical moment. While the oceans, our planet's true lungs alongside forests, sustain life on Earth, they have never been more under threat. The oceans are bearing the full weight of human activity: overfishing, plastic pollution, rising sea levels, deep-sea exploitation, and more. According to the 2022 IPCC report, maritime transport, responsible for 70% of global trade, is also accountable for 16% of the greenhouse gas emissions linked to goods transportation. This sector poses a particular challenge to the food sovereignty of many nations, especially in the Mediterranean. The ecological emergency must now rise to the top of the global agenda. In this effort, France can count on the support of a long-standing partner: Morocco. Both countries, with coastlines on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, share a common vision, an ocean that is protected, better understood, and a catalyst for sustainable development. For several months, Paris and Rabat have been working together to prepare for the conference. International discussions will focus on three key areas: the protection of marine biodiversity, the financing of a more responsible blue economy, and the strengthening of scientific knowledge of the ocean floor. This last point will be embodied by the creation of an «Ocean IPCC», bringing together heads of state, researchers, and philanthropic leaders to monitor the health of the oceans. More than 2,000 scientists are expected to take part in the One Ocean Science Congress, where they will establish precise indicators, according to an official statement. Morocco also intends to amplify the voice of the African continent. On the sidelines of the conference, King Mohammed VI will convene a summit of African leaders, underscoring that Africa, often the first to suffer the consequences of environmental disruption, must be included in shaping solutions. The Kingdom will showcase its ecological initiatives, such as the upcoming Dakhla Atlantic port, designed to reduce carbon emissions. One of the conference's key goals is to expand protected marine areas from 3% in 2023 to 10% by 2030. The conference also pursues two concrete objectives: the implementation of the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty, adopted in 2023, and the creation of a €100 billion fund to support sustainable maritime projects. A Blue Finance Forum will bring together governments, private sector players, and investors to help turn these goals into reality.
