Stakeholder inputs invited for 2025 UN Ocean Conference Declaration

The high-level 2025 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development (the 2025 UN Ocean Conference) will be held in Nice, France, from 9 – 13 June 2025, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica.
The overarching theme of the Conference is “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean”. The Conference, comprising an opening segment, ten plenary sessions, ten Ocean Action Panels and a closing segment, aims to support further and urgent action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development and identify further ways and means to support the implementation of SDG 14.

The programme of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference will include 10 plenary sessions and 10 Ocean Action Panels which will be collaborative and multi-stakeholder in nature and will focus on recommendations to support the implementation of SDG 14, including through strengthened cooperation, building on existing successful partnerships and stimulating innovative and concrete new ones, taking into account the theme of the Conference.

The Ocean Action Panels will discuss the following themes:

• Conserving, sustainably managing, and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems, including deep-sea ecosystems.
• Increasing ocean-related scientific cooperation, knowledge, capacity building, marine technology, and education to strengthen the science-policy interface for ocean health.
• Mobilizing finance for ocean actions in support of SDG 14.
• Preventing and significantly reducing marine pollution from all sources, particularly land-based activities.
• Fostering sustainable fisheries management, including support for small-scale fishers.
• Advancing sustainable ocean-based economies, sustainable maritime transport, and coastal community resilience, leaving no one behind.
• Leveraging interlinkages between ocean, climate, and biodiversity.
• Promoting and supporting all forms of cooperation, especially at regional and subregional levels.
• Promoting the role of sustainable food from the ocean for poverty eradication and food security.
• Enhancing the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in the UNCLOS.

The Conference shall adopt, by consensus, a brief, concise, action oriented and intergovernmentally agreed declaration, which along with a list of voluntary commitments, will be referred to as the “Nice Ocean Action Plan”.

The Permanent Representatives of Cabo Verde, H.E. Ms. Tania Romualdo, and Australia, H.E. Mr. James Larsen have been appointed by President of the United Nations General Assembly (PGA) as co-facilitators to conduct the intergovernmental consultations on the declaration to be concluded by 1 May 2025.

Preparatory Meeting and Stakeholder Consultations

As mandated in the General Assembly resolution 78/128, the President of the General Assembly convened a preparatory meeting, on 2 July 2024 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The morning session co-chaired by the two host countries of the Conference, Costa Rica and France, considered the themes for the Ocean Action panels, and the afternoon session addressed the elements for the declaration cochaired by co-facilitators Permanent Representatives of Australia and Cabo Verde. Member States, Intergovernmental Organizations, UN Entities and accredited stakeholders contributed inputs.

Additionally, DESA conducted a global online stakeholder consultation to compile inputs for the concept papers of the UN 2025 Ocean Conference Ocean Action Panels. Contributions addressed main challenges, transformative actions, opportunities, and potential areas for new partnerships to advance the implementation of SDG 14. More than 400 inputs were received from stakeholders based in 90 countries. A Summary report with key messages from the global online stakeholder consultation is available here.

2025 UN Ocean Conference Declaration: Stakeholder Inputs

Non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, philanthropic organizations, Indigenous Peoples and local communities and other actors are now invited to contribute substantive inputs to the 2025 UN Ocean Conference Declaration. The deadline is 29 November 2024.