Spokesperson for the UN Ocean Conference Martina Donlon shares three takeaways from the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice: it was a win for multilateralism, science and law. The Third United Nations Ocean Conference wrapped up Friday 13 June 2025 in Nice, France. Moments earlier, more than 170 countries had adopted by consensus a sweeping political declaration promising urgent action to protect the ocean. “We close this historic week not just with hope, but with concrete commitment, clear direction, and undeniable momentum,” Li Junhua, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the summit, told reporters. Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, the five-day event brought 15,000 participants – more than 60 Heads of State and Government – to France’s Mediterranean coast. With over 450 side events and nearly 100,000 visitors, the gathering, dubbed UNOC3, built on the momentum of previous ocean summits in New York (2017) and Lisbon (2022). It culminated in a shared call to expand marine protection, curb pollution, regulate the high seas, and unlock financing for vulnerable coastal and island nations.