4 Issues to Watch at the UN Ocean Conference

The briefing outlines key objectives for the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France, emphasizing the need to scale up funding for SDG 14, integrate ocean-based solutions into national climate plans (NDCs), accelerate the ratification of the High Seas Treaty, and implement 100% sustainable ocean management through Sustainable Ocean Plans.

• Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, Life Below Water, is the most underfunded of all SDGs, receiving less than 0.01% of all sustainable development funding, despite the ocean economy's annual value of $2.5 trillion and asset value of $24 trillion.
• Ocean-based climate solutions, such as offshore renewable energy, sustainable shipping, and the restoration of blue carbon ecosystems (mangroves and seagrasses), could provide up to 35% of the emissions reductions required by 2050 to maintain global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees C.
• The High Seas Treaty, which provides a legal framework for biodiversity protection in the two-thirds of the ocean beyond national jurisdiction, requires ratification by 60 countries to take effect; however, fewer than 30 countries have ratified it to date.
• WRI advocates for 100% sustainable ocean management, which involves protecting 30% of the ocean and sustainably managing the remaining 70%, including the approximately 40% of the ocean that constitutes national waters.
• Several nations, specifically Norway, Fiji, and Indonesia, are currently developing or have developed Sustainable Ocean Plans (SOPs) to create a unifying policy framework for holistic and sustainable ocean use.

APA

Pickerell, T. (2025). 4 Issues to Watch at the UN Ocean Conference. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/un-ocean-conference-key-issues

Chicago

Pickerell, Tom. 4 Issues to Watch at the UN Ocean Conference. World Resources Institute, 2025. https://www.wri.org/insights/un-ocean-conference-key-issues.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pickerell |first1=Tom |title=4 Issues to Watch at the UN Ocean Conference |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=3 June 2025 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/un-ocean-conference-key-issues |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pickerell2025issues, author = {Pickerell, Tom}, title = {{4 Issues to Watch at the UN Ocean Conference}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2025}, month = jun, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/un-ocean-conference-key-issues}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }