Ocean Conference unveils East Ocean Action Plan amid climate and pollution crisis

The Third UN Ocean Conference, held on June 5, 2025, focused on the urgent challenges facing the world's oceans, including climate change, plastic pollution, ecosystem loss, and the overuse of marine resources. The meeting highlighted the critical need for funding to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14), which aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources.

During the discussions, it was noted that achieving SDG 14 by 2030 requires an estimated annual investment of $175 billion. However, between 2015 and 2019, only $10 billion was allocated, making SDG 14 the most underfunded goal among the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

The conference aims to adopt a concise and action-oriented declaration, compiling voluntary commitments from various sectors under what is termed the East Ocean Action Plan. The political declaration is currently under negotiation, led by representatives from Australia and the COP Verdict in Europe. The draft emphasizes ocean conservation and the development of sustainable ocean-based economies, proposing concrete measures to accelerate action against the interconnected challenges of plastic pollution, overfishing, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and warming, all of which are exacerbating climate change.

The outcomes of this conference are expected to play a crucial role in mobilizing resources and fostering international cooperation to address these pressing oceanic issues.