From 9 to 13 June, the third UN Ocean Conference took place in Nice, France. The German Maritime Centre was accredited as an observer for the first time, and I attended on behalf of my institution.
There was a plethora of events and activities as part of the official program and side events organized by countries and NGOs. Broadly speaking, the conference dealt with achieving Goal 14 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.
A lot of discussion was around the ratification and implementation of the landmark BBNJ agreement (Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction), which regulates the protection of marine biodiversity in the high seas. Several countries ratified it during the conference, and it is now only nine signatures short of the threshold of 60 countries for it to come into force.
Other topics were the fight against plastic pollution and regulation and a moratorium on seabed mining.
I found it remarkable that in so many sessions the focus was on a sustainable blue economy, that is, the need to balance sustainability and protecting biodiversity with a legitimate interest in using the oceans to generate income and sustain people’s livelihood.