UN officials outline goals for June Ocean Conference in Nice, press for BBNJ ratification and $100 billion in funding

United Nations officials and the ambassadors of France and Costa Rica previewed the third UN Ocean Conference at a press briefing, detailing a set of priorities they expect delegates to pursue in Nice in June. Speakers said the conference will aim to accelerate concrete action on ocean protection, press for ratification of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty (BBNJ), advance negotiations on a plastics treaty and sustainable fisheries, and mobilize substantial public and private finance for a "blue economy."

The briefing opened with remarks from the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, identified in the transcript as Mr. Li, who framed the ocean crisis this way: "The health of the ocean is declining and with it the well-being of the human being, who we actually depend on our ocean supply lines." He described the Nice conference as "a pivotal opportunity to accelerate the action and mobilize ... all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean," and said the meeting will include 10 action panels, plenaries, scientific and regional events, and new voluntary commitments collected into a Nice Ocean Action Plan.

Ambassador Jerome Bonafont, identified in the briefing as France's permanent representative, listed eight French priorities for the summit, including prompt entry into force of the BBNJ treaty, progress on a sustainable fisheries agreement, a global goal to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030, accelerating decarbonization of maritime transport, advancing a plastics treaty, mobilizing financing for the blue economy, strengthening local action by cities and regions, and boosting scientific cooperation. Bonafont said the hosts want an "operational" action plan that produces concrete national and sectoral commitments.

Costa Rica's representative, identified as Ambassador Marita Chan, said organizers expect large participation and "concrete commitments with clear timelines, budgets, and accountability mechanisms," and urged that rhetoric be matched by results. She told reporters organizers aim to "cut decision-making time from years to months" and said the conference will be accompanied by three preparatory summits: an ocean science congress, a summit on sea-level rise and coastal resilience, and a blue-economy finance forum.

Speakers described several scheduled events: an One Ocean Science Congress (listed in the briefing as occurring June 4–6), a Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Resilience Summit on June 7 hosted by the city of Nice and the Ocean Climate Platform, a Blue Economy and Finance Forum in nearby Monaco (June 7–8), and an Island Forum (June 8–10) focused on small island states. The briefing also identified a special session on June 9 intended to facilitate depositions of instruments for the BBNJ treaty.

On finance and commitments, speakers said organizers expect a mix of public and private commitments announced at the conference. Ambassador Chan was reported as saying organizers expect about 1,500 delegates, participation from governments and cities, and a headline figure of US$100 billion in new funding — but she and other speakers also said that specific donor names and the full breakdown of commitments would be announced at the conference and were not yet public. The French ambassador and the Under-Secretary-General repeated that many announcements would be made at the event and that organizers could not pre-announce funds before parties formally committed.

Reporters pressed speakers on the strength of the draft political declaration and on mechanisms to ensure that voluntary commitments are implemented. The Under-Secretary-General said the draft outcome document was in "silent procedure" and that, while the draft does not contain a dedicated enforcement mechanism, the UN intends to use the conference and recurrent UN review events to track implementation and draw lessons for follow-up. He also said SDG 14 (life below water) remains one of the more underfunded Sustainable Development Goals and that mobilizing finance and implementation tools is essential.

On contentious topics, speakers addressed deep-sea mining and governance. Ambassador Bonafont argued that early entry into force of the BBNJ treaty — which he presented as a universal legal framework for use of the high seas — would help avoid uncontrolled competition for seabed resources. The briefing noted that deep-sea mining decisions fall under the International Seabed Authority's mandate.

Several journalists representing major outlets asked about participation by the United States and other large maritime states. Speakers said they had no final public list for every delegation but that many national, subnational and nonstate actors — including scientists, cities and private-sector participants — will attend; organizers reported that more than 50 heads of state or government had been invited and that delegations would often be led by ministers.

The briefing closed with an appeal to the press to convey "the urgency and the opportunity" of the conference and with the hosts reiterating that concrete, timebound commitments and strengthened scientific cooperation will be central aims of the Nice meeting.

The transcript records a number of numerical targets and program names announced by speakers; some figures were given as organizers' expectations rather than as finalized allocations or signed pledges, and several speakers said details would be published at the conference itself.