UN Ocean Conference 2025—Developments at the International Level Towards the Sustainable Use of the Oceans
Client Alert | June 25, 2025
As discussed below, the Conference concluded with a political declaration in which more than 170 States have called for urgent action to protect the ocean.
The 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) took place in Nice, France, between 9 and 13 June, bringing together over 15,000 participants, including more than 60 Heads of State and Government,[1] and generating considerable publicity. The overarching theme of UNOC3—the third conference of its kind—was “[a]ccelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean”, supporting the delivery of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14).[2] SDG 14, “Life below water”, comprises 10 global targets focused on the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.[3]
As detailed in this alert, UNOC3 concluded with a political declaration in which more than 170 States have called for urgent action to protect the ocean—including the expansion of marine protected areas (MPAs) and the decarbonization of maritime transport.[4] Other key developments included progress towards the entry into force of the “Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction” (BBNJ Agreement), as several State Parties ratified the BBNJ Agreement during UNOC3. States also committed to progress negotiations (which began in 2022) of an internationally binding global plastics treaty, as well as joined calls for an outright ban, moratorium or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining.
Several of the international law matters discussed in this alert may impact global commerce and trade. If you would like to learn more about these developments—i.e., how they may relate to doing business and how to prepare—please contact Charline Yim and Stephanie Collins.
1. Background
The UN Ocean Conferences were established to advance SDG 14—part of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—as well as to enhance the implementation of international law as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The UN Ocean Conferences bring together governments, civil society, the scientific community, and the private sector—similar to the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) in the climate change context, which are held pursuant to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Previous Ocean Conferences have taken place in 2017 (New York) and 2022 (Lisbon).
UNOC3 had three main priorities: (i) work towards the successful completion of ocean-related multilateral processes to raise the level of ambition for ocean protection; (ii) mobilize funding for SDG 14 and support the development of a blue economy; and (iii) strengthen and better disseminate marine science knowledge for better policymaking.
Notably, one week prior to UNOC3, the European Commission (Commission) published the “European Ocean Pact” (Ocean Pact),[5] which was presented at the UNOC3 by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The Ocean Pact brings together the EU’s policies and actions related to the ocean and creates a coordinated plan for ocean management. It is built around six priorities: (i) protecting and restoring ocean health; (ii) boosting the competitiveness of the EU sustainable blue economy; (iii) supporting coastal and island communities, and outermost regions; (iv) advancing ocean research, knowledge, skills and innovation; (v) enhancing maritime security and defence; and (vi) strengthening EU ocean diplomacy and international ocean governance.
To achieve the Ocean Pact’s targets, by 2027, the Commission expects to present the “Ocean Act”, building on a revised Maritime Spatial Planning Directive. According to the Commission, the Ocean Act will establish a single framework to facilitate the implementation of the Ocean Pact’s key objectives. To aid implementation, the Commission will also set up a high-level Ocean Board, bringing together representatives from various ocean-related sectors.
2. Nice Ocean Action Plan
UNOC3 culminated in a political declaration, titled “Our ocean, our future: united for urgent action” (Nice Ocean Action Plan or Declaration).[6] Describing the importance of conserving the ocean and its ecosystems, the Declaration recalled the 2024 advisory opinion of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on the request for an advisory opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (previously reported on here). The tribunal concluded in that advisory opinion that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions constitute “pollution of the marine environment” as defined under UNCLOS, triggering certain positive obligations on States under UNCLOS. The Declaration also refers to the UNFCCC and the temperature goals of the Paris Agreement,[7] as well as to the importance of implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols, amongst other international agreements.
Amongst other issues, under the Declaration, States commit to the expansion of MPAs. The Declaration also reiterates the importance of increasing scientific knowledge on deep-sea ecosystems and recognises the work of the International Seabed Authority, created under UNCLOS, to progress rules and regulations in relation to deep-sea mining activities in the “Area” (i.e., the seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction).
In addition, the Declaration calls for decisive action to ensure sustainable fisheries—and encourages member states of the World Trade Organization to deposit instruments of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies 2022, which was designed to curb subsidies contributing to overfishing.
The Declaration also addresses the role of the private sector, referring to the importance of attracting investment to support a sustainable ocean-based economy, including through blue bonds and blue loans. The Declaration encourages the active and meaningful involvement of banks, insurers, and investors.
The Declaration further sets out over 800 voluntary commitments by governments, scientists, UN agencies, and civil society,[8] including the Commission’s announcement of an EUR 1 billion investment to support ocean conservation, science, and sustainable fishing.[9]
3. BBNJ Agreement
One of the principal objectives of UNOC3 was to accelerate progress of the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement.[10] The BBNJ Agreement was adopted in 2023, with the aim of ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas “beyond national jurisdiction”, for the present and in the long term, through effective implementation of the relevant provisions of UNCLOS, as well as international cooperation and coordination.[11] It includes provisions addressing marine genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits, and measures such as area-based management tools (including MPAs). It also includes an obligation to conduct Environmental Impact Assessments for planned activities before they are authorised, in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
60 States must ratify the BBNJ Agreement for it to enter into force. Over the course of UNOC3, 19 additional States ratified the BBNJ Agreement, bringing the total number to 50 as at Friday, 13 June 2025.[12]
4. Global Plastics Treaty
At UNOC3, there was also progress on the negotiation of a global plastics treaty (which we have previously reported on here). By way of context, the negotiation process for the treaty was launched in 2022, at the request of the UN Environment Assembly, which called for urgent action to end plastic pollution globally. Since then, several negotiation rounds have taken place—with the most recent round in South Korea in December 2024, concluding without a final agreement. The draft treaty[13] includes measures that would target the entire life cycle of plastic—from upstream production to downstream waste—and includes both mandatory and voluntary provisions. Private actors have contributed to the negotiation process.
At UNOC3, representatives from over 95 States[14] signed a declaration reaffirming their common ambition to end plastic pollution. Titled the “Nice call for an ambitious treaty on plastics”, the declaration is structured around five points which the signatories consider “key to reach an agreement”: (i) adoption of a global target to reduce production and consumption of primary plastic polymers; (ii) establishment of a legally binding obligation to phase-out the most problematic plastic products and chemicals of concern, by supporting the development of a global list of these products and substances; (iii) improvement, through a binding obligation, of the design of plastic products and ensure they cause minimal impact to the environment and human health; (iv) inclusion of a financial mechanism that supports its effective implementation; and (v) commitment to an effective and ambitious treaty that can evolve over time.[15]
Commitment towards the achievement of an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution is also referenced in the Nice Ocean Action Plan, discussed in Section 2 above.[16]
The next round of negotiations for a global plastics treaty will take place in Geneva in August 2025.
5. Deep-Sea Mining
Deep-sea mining was another focus of UNOC3. In addition to the commitments in the Declaration, a number of States at UNOC3 joined calls for an outright ban, moratorium or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining during, bringing the total to 37. The States include Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom.[17] In parallel, a number of major financial institutions announced that they would not fund deep-sea mining projects.[18]
This development comes just six weeks after President Trump issued an executive order granting concessions for seabed mining titled “Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources”.[19] The executive order states that the US has a “core national security and economic interest” in developing and extracting mineral resources.[20] The US sent non-participating observers to UNOC3 from the President’s Environmental Advisory Task Force.[21]
6. Observations
UNOC3 addressed a wide range of ocean-related issues, including the sustainable blue economy, the environment, climate change, social development and the use of ocean resources. The discussions and resolutions at UNOC3, as reported on above, may evolve into binding international instruments on ocean governance and management in the near future. Further, UNOC3 generated a significant degree of international media attention, which may signal the start of a more high-profile positioning of ocean-related issues on the international political stage. We will continue to monitor and report on developments in this space.
[1] See ‘UN Ocean Summit in Nice closes with wave of commitments’, United Nations News, 13 June 2025, <https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164381>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[2] i.e., to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. See ‘2025 UN Ocean Conference’, United Nations, 9 June 2025, <https://sdgs.un.org/conferences/ocean2025>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[3] See ‘Life Below Water’, The Global Goals, undated, <https://www.globalgoals.org/goals/14-life-below-water/>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[4] See ‘UN Ocean Summit in Nice closes with wave of commitments’, United Nations News, 13 June 2025, <https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164381>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[5] See Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, The European Ocean Pact, COM(2025) 281 final, 5 June 2025, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=COM:2025:281:FIN, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[6] ‘Our ocean, our future: united for urgent action’, United Nations Ocean Conference 2025 Resolution, 13 June 2025, <https://docs.un.org/en/A/CONF.230/2025/L.1> last accessed 24 June 2025; ‘Nice Conference Adopts Declaration Underscoring Vital Importance of Ocean to Life on Our Planet, Essential Role in Mitigating Climate Change’, United Nations, 13 June 2025, here, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[7] Namely, to limit the temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. See ‘United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’, United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1771, No. 30822, 9 May 1992, <https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/unts/volume%202303/volume-2303-a-30822.pdf> last accessed 24 June 2025; see also ‘Report of the Conference of the Parties on its twenty-first session’, Paris Agreement, Article 2, p. 22 <https://docs.un.org/en/FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[8] See ‘UN Ocean Summit in Nice closes with wave of commitments’, United Nations News, 13 June 2025, <https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164381>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[9] See ‘Commission adopts Ocean Pact with €1 billion to protect marine life and strengthen blue economy’, European Commission, 11 June 2025, https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/commission-adopts-ocean-pact-eu1-billion-protect-marine-life-and-strengthen-blue-economy-2025-06-11_en, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[10]See ‘UN Ocean Summit in Nice closes with wave of commitments’, United Nations News, 13 June 2025, <https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164381>, last accessed 24 June 2025; see also ‘Beyond borders: Why new ‘high seas’ treaty is critical for the world’, United Nations News, 19 June 2023, <https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/06/1137857>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[11] See ‘Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction’, United Nations, 2023, <https://www.un.org/bbnjagreement/sites/default/files/2024-08/Text%20of%20the%20Agreement%20in%20English.pdf>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[12] See ‘UN Ocean Summit in Nice closes with wave of commitments’, United Nations News, 13 June 2025, <https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164381>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[13] See ‘Revised draft text of the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment’, United Nations, 28 December 2023, <https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/44526/RevisedZeroDraftText.pdf>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[14] Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Barbados, Benin, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eswatini, European Union whose Member States are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden; Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Iceland, Israel, Jamaica, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Moldova, Saint Kitts and Nevis, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Togo, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe.
[15] See ‘The Nice wake up call for an ambitious plastics treaty’, United Nations Ocean Conference, 10 June 2025, here, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[16] See ‘Our ocean, our future: united for urgent action’, United Nations Ocean Conference 2025 Resolution, 13 June 2025, <https://docs.un.org/en/A/CONF.230/2025/L.1> last accessed 24 June 2025, p. 4.
[17] See ‘UN Ocean Conference Shines a Light on the Deep Sea: Now, Time for Action’, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, 13 June 2025, <https://deep-sea-conservation.org/un-ocean-conference-shines-a-light-on-the-deep-sea-now-time-for-action/>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[18] BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole and Groupe Caisse des Dépôts announced their rejection of deep sea mining, which now means that 24 financial institutions exclude deep sea mining in some form. See ‘Three Major French Investors Reject Deep Sea Mining’, Deep Sea Mining Campaign, 17 June 2025, <https://dsm-campaign.org/french-investors-reject-dsm/> , last accessed 24 June 2025.
[19] ‘Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources’, The White House, 24 April 2025, <https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/unleashing-americas-offshore-critical-minerals-and-resources/>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[20] ‘Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources’, The White House, 24 April 2025, <https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/unleashing-americas-offshore-critical-minerals-and-resources/>, last accessed 24 June 2025.
[21] See ‘US Skips UN Ocean Conference after rejecting Development Goals’, Bloomberg, June 2025, here, last accessed 24 June 2025.
Gibson Dunn’s lawyers are available to assist in addressing any questions you may have regarding these issues. Please contact the Gibson Dunn lawyer with whom you usually work, the authors, or any leader or member of the firm’s Geopolitical Strategy & International Law and ESG: Risk, Litigation, & Reporting practice groups:
Charline O. Yim – New York (+1 212.351.2316, [email protected])
Stephanie Collins – London (+44 20 7071 4216, [email protected])
Robert Spano – Co-Chair, ESG and Geopolitical Strategy & International Law Groups,
London/Paris (+33 1 56 43 13 00, [email protected])
Rahim Moloo – Co-Chair, Geopolitical Strategy & International Law Group,
New York (+1 212.351.2413, [email protected])
Patrick W. Pearsall – Co-Chair, Geopolitical Strategy & International Law Group,
Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8516, [email protected])
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