An Independent Reflection by Revamp Rave Network
The 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), held in Nice, France, marked a pivotal moment in the fight to protect our oceans from degradation, exploitation, and underinvestment. Although we did not participate directly, Revamp Rave Network followed the proceedings closely to better understand how global commitments intersect with the lived realities of coastal communities, particularly those across Africa.
From the political flashpoints of deep-sea mining to the ratification of long-awaited ocean governance treaties, this reflection offers a civil society lens on the ambitions, gaps, and takeaways from one of the most consequential UNOC gatherings to date.
A Tense Backdrop: Sovereignty Versus Solidarity
UN Secretary-General António Guterres opened the conference with a piercing declaration: “The deep sea cannot become the Wild West.” His words came in the wake of an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump to fast-track deep-sea mining applications, sparking concern across multilateral institutions.
This unilateral move risks circumventing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and undermining hard-won agreements on shared marine governance. With deep-sea mining framed as a “core national security and economic interest” by Washington, the conference became a battleground over what counts as stewardship and what constitutes exploitation.
Deep-Sea Mining: Political Firestorm, Ecological Precipice
Over 30 countries at UNOC endorsed France’s call for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, urging exploration but pausing extraction. French President Emmanuel Macron warned against “predatory economic action” that would “disrupt biodiversity, destroy ecosystems, and repeat the worst mistakes of land-based extraction.”
Yet, the global north nations remain divided. While Norway has paused commercial licensing, the U.S., Russia, and China signal interest in pursuing seabed extraction. Critics warn of a “race to the bottom” as countries and corporations scramble to stake claims on the ocean floor minerals, with potentially irreversible ecological consequences.
Marine scientists, including Enric Sala and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, stressed that we lack sufficient knowledge about deep-sea ecosystems to justify mining. The sediment plumes, noise pollution, and habitat destruction could damage ecosystems that take centuries to recover.
High Seas Treaty: A New Era for Marine Governance
Among the few breakthroughs at the conference was the progress on the High Seas Treaty. Ratified by 55 countries as of June 2025, with another 15 commitments pending, this landmark agreement is set to take effect on January 1, 2026. It will allow for the creation of marine protected areas in international waters, which cover two-thirds of the global ocean.
U.N. agencies, led by the High Seas Alliance, hailed the treaty’s ratification as a “global climate justice milestone.” The treaty will be the first legally binding international mechanism to protect biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. However, without the U.S. on board, and with limited enforcement mechanisms, observers remain cautious about the gap between ratification and implementation.
Plastics Treaty: Reclaiming Momentum
Following the collapse of negotiations on a global plastics treaty in 2024, this year’s conference marked the emergence of the “Nice Wake-Up Call,” a declaration signed by over 95 countries that demands legally binding action across the entire plastic lifecycle. From phasing out harmful polymers to regulating production and banning single-use plastics, this was a pivotal recommitment to fighting ocean plastic pollution.
French Environment Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher warned that recycling rhetoric alone was insufficient. “Better waste management and recycling will not solve the problem. This is a lie,” she stated, urging nations to tackle production at the source.
Yet plastic-producing nations remain reluctant to adopt production caps. The next round of negotiations will resume in August 2025 in Geneva, with activists calling for a stronger alignment with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Ocean Finance: A Disconnected Promise
Although €8.7 billion in pledges were made in Monaco ahead of the summit to support a regenerative blue economy, real disbursement remains slow. Between 2015 and 2019, only $10 billion was spent globally on ocean conservation, a fraction of the $175 billion/year estimated to be needed (UN Environment Programme).
The UN announced plans to design a new ocean financing facility by 2028. However, communities on the frontlines cannot wait that long. Immediate, direct financing for nature-based solutions, sustainable fisheries, and climate-resilient infrastructure remains essential.
Coastal Africa: Always Affected, Rarely Heard
African coastal communities were rarely at the centre of formal negotiations, yet their needs were repeatedly cited in speeches. From Senegal to Sierra Leone, coastal erosion, mangrove loss, saltwater intrusion, and illegal trawling are everyday realities.
Revamp Rave Network insists that future conferences:
- Establish minimum thresholds for community representation in official negotiations.
- Integrate customary knowledge into treaty monitoring frameworks.
- Allocate a percentage of blue finance for youth and women-led coastal initiatives.
What Comes Next for Ocean Action?
UNOC3 demonstrated that the ocean’s place in climate diplomacy is more central than ever. But declarations are not implementation. Moratoriums are not regulations, and treaties without funding are not justice.
As Brazilian President Lula da Silva said at the closing plenary: “We cannot let what happened to international trade happen to the sea.”
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