The ocean community at large convened in Nice this summer for UNOC3 (9-13 June 2025). See and be seen! The GOBI Secretariat mission was predicated by three priorities:
- Support for the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI);
- Profile the new International Climate Initiative Living High Seas project in which GOBI is a core partner; and
- Engage with GOBI partners, ABMT players and all things BBNJ.
To that end, immediately before UNOC3 proper, a weekend SOI Global Dialogue workshop brought together representatives of many Regional Seas Organisations, Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and partner IFBs. This provided a strategic opportunity to exchange information, update partners and reflect on the new EBSA modalities, the Global Biodiversity Framework and associated monitoring, and state of play with the BBNJ Agreement.
Above: Participants at the SOI Global Dialogue workshop in Theoule-sur-Mer, ahead of UNOC3. Image courtesy S-CBD.
The newly-announced Living High Seas project benefited from high-profile publicity. Many States used UNOC3 as a platform to declare their ratification of the BBNJ Agreement, more than doubling the total number of ratifications and edging much closer to the 60 ratifications needed for the Agreement to come into force. Germany officially joined the so-called ‘Early Movers’ coalition, seeking to collaborate to secure sound proactive implementation of the Agreement. A dedicated Germany-GIZ-GOBI-IUCN side event titled “Protecting the High Seas: Ambitious Implementation of the BBJN Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction” aboard the German research vessel Meteor provided a refreshingly different and appropriate ‘stage’ to consider some of the BBNJ issues yet to be addressed.
Above left: Sebastian Unger (BMUKN) introduces the BBNJ side event on board RV Meteor, which featured panellists (above right, L-R) Patsy Contardo, Govt of Chile; Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner; Vera Agostini, FAO; Ilka Wagner, BMUKN (Panel chair); Angel Perez, UNIVALI Brazil, and Lisa Speer, NRDC. Images courtesy GIZ.
Networking opportunities abounded! The more formal Blue Zone and the information-rich Green Zone (located in separate venues) staged complex programmes of events. In the margins, taking advantage of nearby hotels and meeting facilities, non-governmental organisations and partnerships ran complementary sessions. Ad hoc meetings of like-minded ‘oceanistas’ took place where they could! A wonderful, informed melting pot of ideas and enthusiasm! All taking place in the sunshine and allure of the Cote d’Azur!
France, as joint hosts with Costa Rica, ensured that UNOC took place safely and securely. The venue was impressive – integrating tented speaking and delegate areas, accommodating impressive vessels alongside and genuine efforts to convey key messages to civil society. The latter included large billboards with catchy slogans such as “When you trawl, we lose it all” reflecting a realisation of the impacts of bottom trawling.
UNOC is different: uplifting, challenging, celebratory – but above all a rallying call to understand and sustainably manage the oceans.
