In Nice, Emmanuel Macron Calls for Global Action to Save the Oceans

A High-Stakes Climate Conference

The third United Nations Ocean Conference (Unoc-3) opened on Monday, June 9, in Nice, amid growing ecological and climate urgency. On the shores of a Mediterranean Sea that reached a record 28.9°C in the summer of 2024, over 100 delegations — including around 60 heads of state and government — are gathering this week to discuss how to protect increasingly threatened marine ecosystems, suffering from pollution, overfishing, and deep-sea exploitation.

Kicking off the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron set the tone by calling for collective “mobilization” in response to “boiling oceans.” He emphasized the importance of multilateralism, indirectly criticizing unilateral moves — particularly those of Donald Trump regarding seabed mining.

“The deep sea is not for sale, nor are Greenland or Antarctica,” Macron declared, firmly rejecting any attempts to privatize marine spaces.

High Seas Treaty Nears Enforcement

A central focus of the summit is the implementation of the High Seas Treaty, signed in 2023. The agreement aims to regulate activities in international waters — which make up two-thirds of the ocean — and combat illegal fishing. President Macron announced that the threshold of 60 country ratifications needed for the treaty to come into force is now within reach.

“In addition to the fifty ratifications already submitted, fifteen more countries have formally pledged to join,” he stated. The treaty will enter into effect 120 days after the 60th ratification. “It’s a win for the high seas!” Macron declared enthusiastically.

New Marine Protected Areas on the Horizon

Beyond the treaty, several countries — including France — are expected to announce new or expanded marine protected areas (MPAs). Macron has already pledged to limit bottom trawling in French MPAs, a measure welcomed but deemed insufficient by NGOs, which criticized the “lack of ambition.”

France’s Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, noted that “many countries will go further” by strengthening their protected zones. Paris also aims to broaden the coalition of 32 countries currently supporting a moratorium on deep-sea mining.

Political and Media Mobilization

The Nice summit is accompanied by a major media campaign. On Tuesday evening, Emmanuel Macron will appear live on France 2 in a special broadcast titled “Ocean Emergency: A Summit to Change Everything.” He will present the summit’s outcomes and France’s ambitions for ocean protection, followed by a documentary on French Polynesia.