Syed Hussein Al -Qassab
The French Ambassador for Ocean Affairs, and the special envoy of the French President, to UNOC3 Olivier Boufar Darfur, confirmed in a special statement to the newspaper “Al-Watan” during a meeting with the media, remotely, that the United Nations Conference on the Ocean “UNOC3”, from 9-13 June, focuses on “accelerating work and filling all actors to preserve the oceans and use them in a sustainable manner.” The conference will seek to support the implementation of the 14th goal of the sustainable development goals, which relates to preserving the oceans, seas and marine resources and their use in a sustainable manner. He stressed that the first step for the success of the third session of the conference lies in the presence of heads of state and representatives of governments to the city of Nice, indicating that this presence embodies a actual commitment from governments to protect the oceans, stressing the importance of discussions with scientists and experts To come up with recommendations that achieve the goals of the conference. The French city of Nice is preparing to embrace the third session of the United Nations Conference on the Ocean «UNOC3» from 9-13 June, during which hundreds of heads of state and governments and thousands of participants from scientists, experts, activists and citizens from around the world meet, with the aim of protecting the ocean by taking tangible measures. The conference organizers explained that France, which is a pioneer In the field of maritime regions, decisive steps are taken in this context, noting that it had established the first marine area protected in 1941, and today covers 33.4% of its marine area within protected areas. France also supports the goal of protecting 30% of the oceans globally by 2030, compared to 8.4% currently. The organizers indicate that Bahrain is making prominent efforts as well, as it has committed to increasing the area of Crimean trees cultivating four times by 2035, and in February 2025 joined the Agreement of the Port State measures to combat illegal fishing, as well as implementing regulations to protect maritime biological diversity. They pointed out that the Nice Conference constitutes a historic opportunity after ten years of the Paris Climate Agreement, where the “Nice Agreements” are expected to be launched as an international charter to preserve the ocean and its sustainable use, in line with the goals of the sustainable development of the United Nations.
