UNOC: Away from Trump, world leaders make progress on key ocean issues
The sound of foghorns and a simple file marked the end of five days of talks among 175 countries. In Nice's old port on Friday, June 13, boats sounded as Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, France's ambassador for the poles and maritime issues, presented one of the final documents of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), simply titled the "Nice Ocean Action Plan." In a year dominated by the predatory ambitions of Donald Trump, the document has been bolstered by a declaration in which countries reaffirmed their "strong commitment to conserve and sustainably use" the ocean, "adversely affected by climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution."
These broad principles do not capture the full scope of the event. Unlike some United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COP), UNOC was not intended to produce a new global target. Instead, the summit accelerated ongoing multilateral processes and solidified new alliances. Thanks to this spotlight, the high seas treaty is expected to reach 60 ratifications in the coming months, 37 countries have lined up behind a moratorium on deep-sea mining, and many nations have pledged to increase both the number and size of their marine protected areas.
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