From 9 to 13 June 2025, France will be hosting the third United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the Ocean, seas and marine resources for sustainable development (UNOC, or United Nations Ocean Conference). For this crucial event, some 100 Heads of State and Government will converge, as well as tens of thousands of researchers, scientists, economic actors, activists and citizens from around the world. On this occasion, France’s aim will be clear: protecting the Ocean through tangible action.
The Ocean belongs to all of us. It feeds and protects our peoples. It inspires dreams and enables travel. It offers sustainable energy, means to trade, resources and infinite scientific knowledge.
One in three people relies on the Ocean for their livelihood, yet the Ocean is in danger. It remains little-known, with neither global governance nor the financing needed for its preservation. The numbers are worrying: more than eight million tons of plastic end up in the Ocean every year, according to a study publish in the journal Science. Moreover, more than a third of fish stocks suffer overfishing, while ocean acidification, rising sea levels and the destruction of marine ecosystems gain pace, as direct consequences of climate change.
We must act now. More than ever before, we must make sure that multilateral action is equal to the challenges of protecting the Ocean.
Ten years after COP21 and the Paris Agreement, which established a binding global framework to limit climate change, the third United Nations Ocean Conference is a historic opportunity. The “Nice Ocean Agreements” will form a genuine international compact for conservation and sustainable use of the Ocean, fully in line with the sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
To this end, the talks in Nice need to be very operational and action-focused, aiming for better governance, more financing and greater knowledge of the seas.
When it comes to governance, the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) is essential. The high seas represent more than 60% of the Ocean. Now they are currently the only space not governed by international law. The lack of oversight and common rules is causing a real social and environmental disaster, with massive hydrocarbon and plastic pollution, illegal and unregulated fishing techniques, and the taking of protected mammals. To end this legal vacuum, we need the BBNJ Agreement to be ratified by 60 countries, so as to come into force. Botswana, which has signed the agreement, can play its part.
In the negotiations, countries such as Botswana have rightly called for the special needs of “landlocked developing countries” to be addressed. And BBNJ does. Its entry into force will allow Botswana to benefit from knowledge sharing; capacity building; fair and equitable sharing of benefits from marine genetic resources…
Beyond taking into account their special needs, landlocked countries such as Botswana have the same rights and freedoms as all other States for sea is a shared space: right to a flag; right of innocent passage through the territorial sea; rights and freedoms of the high seas.
Finally, landlocked states such as Botswana have a vested interest in the rapid entry into force of the BBNJ treaty because of the nexus – i.e. all the links between systems – ocean-climate-biodiversity. In the context of ever faster climate change and overexploitation of marine resources, the Ocean is not just one more issue: it is everyone’s business. We have a shared responsibility in the context of challenges to multilateralism. To continue enjoying the incredible economic opportunities offered by the Ocean, we need to make sure marine resources can regenerate. In Nice, several commitments will be announced for global trade, shipping, tourism and investment.
Together, we can make the third United Nations Ocean Conference a turning point for our peoples, for future generations and for our planet. Botswana is recognized for its management of its exceptional biodiversity. Moreover, its current government rightly calls for relations respectful of international rules and the right of every state to take part in the global governance based on UN charter and conventions. Therefore, France is delighted to be able to rely on its commitment to achieving its ratification process before June 9th. President Macron would be delighted to welcome President Boko to celebrate together this great victory in Nice if it were compatible with his counterpart’s agenda. We all count on one another to make the world a greater place.
OLIVIER BROCHENIN is the French Ambassador to Botswana
