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Li Junhua, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the summit, stated to reporters that the historic week was coming to an end with not only hope, but also concrete commitment, clear direction, and undeniable momentum.

The five-day event, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, took place on France’s Mediterranean coast and brought together 15,000 participants, including more than 60 Heads of State and Government.

The gathering, known as UNOC3, built upon the progress made at previous ocean summits in New York (2017) and Lisbon (2022) with over 450 side events and nearly 100,000 visitors. It concluded with a shared call to expand marine protection, reduce pollution, regulate the high seas, and secure financing for vulnerable coastal and island nations.

The outcome of the conference, called the Nice Ocean Action Plan, consists of a political declaration and over 800 voluntary commitments made by governments, scientists, UN agencies, and civil society since the last conference.

Mr. Li emphasized that these commitments cover a wide range of actions, from youth advocacy to deep-sea ecosystem literacy, capacity building in science and innovation, and ratification of intergovernmental treaties.

The commitments announced during the conference reflect the vast scope of the ocean crisis. For example, the European Commission pledged €1 billion to support ocean conservation, science, and sustainable fishing, while French Polynesia committed to creating the world’s largest marine protected area covering its entire exclusive economic zone of about five million square kilometers.

Other notable commitments included Germany launching a €100-million program to remove underwater munitions from the Baltic and North Seas, New Zealand committing $52 million to strengthen ocean governance in the Pacific, and Spain announcing five new marine protected areas.

A coalition of 37 countries, led by Panama and Canada, launched the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean to address underwater noise pollution. In addition, Indonesia and the World Bank introduced a ‘Coral Bond’ to finance reef conservation in the country.

Mr. Li stated that the “waves of change have formed” and it is now the collective responsibility of all to propel them forward for the sake of people, the planet, and future generations.

The summit began on Monday with stark warnings from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles, who called for a renewed multilateralism based on science.

On the final day of the conference, France’s special envoy, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, reminded attendees of the importance of taking action for transformative change. He also expressed satisfaction with the progress made at the conference, despite the absence of a senior US delegation and President Donald Trump’s recent executive order promoting deep-sea mining.

Mr. Poivre d’Arvor acknowledged that while one country may have been missing, 92% of the “co-owners” were present in Nice. Arnoldo André-Tinoco, the Foreign Minister of Costa Rica, called on other nations to accelerate financing for ocean protection and hold each other accountable for their commitments.

Peter Thomson, the UN’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, stated that the conference marked a turning point in ocean advocacy. He also expressed hope that major global agreements, such as the BBNJ treaty, the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, and the future Global Plastics Treaty, will be ratified and implemented by the time of the next UN Ocean Conference in 2028, co-hosted by Chile and South Korea.

Mr. Thomson also emphasized the need for stronger ambition, as the current target of protecting 30% of the ocean and land by 2030 approaches. He praised small island nations for their ambitious marine protections and urged larger countries to follow suit.

Despite tensions surrounding issues such as loss and damage and deep-sea mining, the political declaration adopted in Nice, titled Our ocean, our future: united for urgent action, reaffirmed the goal of protecting 30% of the ocean and land by 2030 and supporting global frameworks for biodiversity and climate goals.

Mr. Li concluded by stating that the real test is not what was said in Nice, but what actions are taken next. As the conference came to a close, the sun set behind the Promenade des Anglais and the ocean, a symbol of both ancient wisdom and current threats, silently witnessed a fragile but collective promise.