Pacific island leaders listed three priorities they hope to achieve at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference next month – the ratification of the pact on sustainable use of marine resources, the adoption of the plastics treaty and more funding to meet the region’s goals.
Ahead of the ocean conference set to take place in Nice, France from 09 – 13 June, global ocean leaders gathered for a virtual press briefing to preview major expectations, urgent priorities and what meaningful progress might look like at the summit.
Dr Filimon Manoni, Pacific Ocean commissioner, highlighted the Pacific’s outsized leadership in ocean governance despite limited resources.
He emphasised the critical need for attention to Sustainable Development Goal 14, which he said “continues to be the lowest funded development goal,” and for timely ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement.
“We take this opportunity at UNOC very seriously. Although it rolls around every three years, we prepare earnestly to make the most of this opportunity,” Manoni said during the press briefing moderated by Jenelle Eli from the National Geographic Pristine Seas team.
Manoni outlined several goals for the Pacific delegation, including advancing a global plastics treaty, securing stronger partnerships and investment for marine conservation and advocating for ratification of the BBNJ agreement.
He also cited examples of regional leadership, pointing to the Cook Islands’ Marae Moana and the Marshall Islands’ recently established sanctuary in Bikar and Bokak.
“Pacific solutions are not only Pacific solutions,” he said. “These solutions are indeed global solutions.”
Dr Enric Sala, National Geographic explorer-in-residence and founder of Pristine Seas, followed with a sobering assessment of the ocean’s current state.
He underscored the urgency of reaching the 30 by 30 target: protecting 30 percent of the world’s ocean by 2030.
“Today, we have only eight percent of the ocean in protected areas,” Sala said. “But only three percent is in areas that ban extractive and damaging activities. Most are just paper parks.”
Sala emphasised the need to prioritise quality over quantity, saying the world must protect areas that can regenerate marine life and replenish global fisheries. He expressed hope that France, as host of the conference, would set an example through strong commitments.
He also pushed for a global ban on bottom trawling in marine protected areas.
“We have the science. We have the economics. Now, for the first time, people can see what bottom trawling does underwater,” he said, referring to the new documentary film “Ocean,” narrated by David Attenborough.
Sala noted that Europe’s marine protected areas often experience more bottom trawling than unprotected regions. “It completely violates the principle of protection,” he said.
Rita El Zaghloul, director of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, brought the discussion back to a broader context.
“The ocean provides food for 3.2 billion people. It contributes US$2.6 trillion to the global economy,” she said.
“If considered a country, the ocean economy would be the fifth largest in the world.”
El Zaghloul pointed to recent progress in global ocean governance, including the 2022 biodiversity framework and the adoption of the BBNJ treaty. But she warned that ratification of the treaty remains slow, with only 21 countries onboard so far. Sixty are needed for it to enter into force.
She highlighted several examples of effective marine protection, including the Eastern Tropical Pacific Corridor and new sanctuaries in the Marshall Islands and Australia.
“Progress is feasible. It has been happening. But much more is needed,” she said.
El Zaghloul also stressed the need for more direct funding to coastal communities and the importance of political leadership. She said the French government has played a key role in pushing for increased marine protection and treaty ratification.
Kristin Rechberger, founder of Revive Our Ocean and CEO of Dynamic Planet, focused on the financial realities of marine conservation.
“Typically, these conferences attract governments and NGOs, and the conservation side is a muted side event,” Rechberger said. “Business and finance is often nowhere to be found.”
She described the current ocean economy as extractive and misaligned. “We need a regenerative blue economy where protection is at the heart of long-term profit,” she said. “We must make marine conservation a business opportunity.”
Rechberger previewed new research showing that to meet the 30 by 30 goal in territorial waters, the world will need to create 190,000 new small marine protected areas in the next five years. That will require smarter financing tools, more accessible grants and better alignment between community needs and national policies.
She also announced the launch of Revive Our Ocean, a project that brings together proven marine protection partners to scale community-based solutions. “Effective marine protection is good for tourism, fisheries and carbon sequestration,” she said.
The discussion also turned to what France is expected to contribute as the host of UNOC.
“Leadership,” El Zaghloul replied. She praised France’s diplomatic efforts, support for treaty ratification and engagement with science and finance.
Sala echoed her point. “France has to be a leader in actions, not just in words,” he said, calling on President Macron to commit to real no-take marine protected areas and to phase out bottom trawling.
Asked about aligning finance, Rechberger explained that the global transition to a regenerative ocean economy requires US$20 billion in annual investment–the same amount that currently supports harmful fisheries through subsidies.
“If that money was thoughtfully reallocated,” she said, “we have what we need.”
Panelists agreed that public awareness also plays a vital role. Sala said the new documentary “Ocean” aims to build an emotional connection by showing what happens beneath the surface. “We have the science. Now, we have the visuals,” he said.
Rechberger envisioned a surge in support for local marine reserves.
El Zaghloul hoped to see a holistic approach that included coastal communities and Indigenous knowledge. “This has to go beyond the political level,” she said.
