UNOC3: Nigeria, Private Sector Operators Urged To Protect Oceans

The Nigerian government, along with other developing countries and private sector operators have been urged to increase investment in protecting the oceans, as both humans and marine life depend on them for their survival and livelihood.”

Mr. Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, the French Ambassador-at-large for the Oceans, made the call during a recent virtual conference, ahead of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) that will be co-hosted by France and Costa Rica from June 9 to 13, 2025, in Nice, France.

According to Poivre’ Arvor,  the conference is aimed at accelerating the implementation of policies for the protection and sustainable development of the ocean and placing it on the international agenda as the oceans host diverse creatures, with many people depending on it for their livelihood

He added that, in line with the conference, a vital role would be addressing the climate, environmental, and social challenges of the 21st century, stressing that the event was an action-oriented conference that seeks to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) on the marine environment.

He added that Goal 14 on the SDGs list was the least funded, and the conference would be prioritising three objectives to produce an ambitious draft agreement even as he emphasised that the priority is working towards the completion of multilateral processes linked to the oceans, to boost ambition for their protection.

The conference aims “to mobilise sources of finance to conserve and sustain the use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, SDG 14, and to support the development of a sustainable blue economy.

“Then, strengthening and better disseminating knowledge linked to marine science to enhance policy-making,” he said.

The ocean is one of earth’s most valuable natural resources because it provides food in the form of fish and shellfish.  About £2 billion worth of seafood is caught in the ocean each year and it plays a vital role in removing carbon from the atmosphere, providing oxygen while also regulating the climate of the earth

French President Emmanuel Macron in March during a high-level meeting in Costa Rica said that protecting the oceans means protecting an immense carbon sink and unimaginable biodiversity reserves.

“It also means giving hope to all whose lives depend on our oceans, and to those who will have to face rising sea levels.

“It means together reinventing the blue economy, as it must never be forgotten that the sea is first and foremost a source of income, Jobs, food, and innovation for people around the world.

“In 2015, we managed to inscribe this ambition in a universal UN framework and thanks to the Paris Climate Agreement. In 2025, in the same vein, the conference in Nice will be foundational for ocean governance.

“The Nice Ocean Agreements will provide a framework in which the scientific community will gather to inform and guide the climate action of Heads of State and Government,” he said.

The UN Ocean conference is the platform for states and the private sector to invest together to reinvent the ocean economy. This year’s conference in Nice will attract about 70 heads of state and over 2,000 scientists among other stakeholders.