June 7-13, 2025 | Nice, France — Attending the UN Ocean Conference 2025: “Our Ocean, Our Future, Our Responsibility”
Since 2017, the United Nations has hosted the high-level UN Ocean Conference (also known as UNOC), where thousands of international delegates, global leaders, nongovernmental organizations, civil society representatives, and ocean advocates join together to accelerate and mobilize urgent action for the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean.
In 2025, the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) was co-hosted by France & Costa Rica in Nice, France—building on the achievements and progress of previous UN Ocean Conferences hosted by Sweden & Fiji in 2017 in New York and by Portugal & Kenya in 2022 in Lisbon.
Since 2022, Sustainable Ocean Alliance’s presence at UNOC-3 has brought together hundreds of young people united by a common mission: to restore the health of our ocean.
At UNOC-2 in Portugal, SOA was the official partner organization of the Youth & Innovation Forum, bringing in more than 130 youth delegates from all over the world to engage young leaders at the Conference as key drivers for change.
RELATED | RECAP: UNOC-2 Youth and Innovation Forum
Leading up to UNOC-3, SOA hosted Latinoámerica Azul—an official pre-UNOC event led and organized by SOA’s Hispanoamérica region alongside the governments of Costa Rica and France. This event brought together more than 100 young people across Latin America and the Caribbean, resulting in the Latin American Youth for the Ocean Declaration to demand urgent and increased ocean action.
This year, SOA was honored to partner with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) to serve as the official partner umbrella organization for youth—supporting more than 100 youth delegates from over 40 countries, including 40 Fellows from the SOA Ocean Leaders Fellowship in partnership with Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy. These are early-career leaders, scientists, artists, and policy advocates who’ve spent the past year deepening their leadership and civic engagement skills to shape a just, thriving ocean future.
RELATED | Meet the 2025 Ocean Leaders Fellows
From Portugal to Costa Rica to now France, SOA is proud to give youth a seat at the table—bringing their ideas, concerns, and solutions to the forefront of these critical discussions.
Throughout the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, SOA and our community members hosted, partnered on, and participated in a handful of impactful events—from high-level blue zone plenary sessions to engaging green zone side events.
In the article below, learn more about the many moments where SOA made waves at UNOC-3 and beyond.
On April 27, the Ocean Leaders Fellows gathered for their first day of the Youth Leadership Summit, an immersive day of cultural and scientific experiences to ground them in the spirit of ocean stewardship, cross-cultural understanding, and community-building.
Organized by Seas at Risk, thousands of ocean advocates gathered together along the Promenade de Anglais in Nice to march for the ocean. From youth leaders to mentors, the SOA community was proudly in attendance, all with their own reason to march and stand for the ocean.
With so many ocean organizations present, calls to action included:
Defending the deep from deep-sea mining
Banning bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
Protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030
The first day of the UN Ocean Conference for SOA kicked off on a high note with the co-launch of the Coalition of Emerging Ocean Leaders (CEOL)—a youth-led initiative that aims to unite early career ocean professionals (ECOPs) working across science, policy, innovation, and civil society.
Working across borders and sectors, CEOL members host capacity-building events, influence policy, and lead public engagement efforts to ensure that youth voices are heard—and empowered—in shaping the future of our ocean.
To ensure lasting impact, CEOL is guided by five pillars:
Intergenerational Dialogue
Inclusive Governance
Network Capacity Building
Collective Communication
Policy Impact
As founding partners, Sustainable Ocean Alliance supported the launch of CEOL with a dynamic event hosted in the Green Zone, including a youth-led panel of founding members, an open discussion with panelists and the audience, and more.
Later in the afternoon, SOA hosted an intimate luncheon celebrating the Ocean Leaders Fellowship in partnership with Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy.
Overlooking the crystal blue waters of the French Riviera, we were honored to be joined by Dona Bertarelli in person for this special occasion, where each of the 40 Ocean Leaders Fellows had the opportunity to share their work and stories with Dona directly. It was a momentous occasion, fueled by the relentless motivation of these young ocean leaders and sustained by hope for a better future for our ocean.
As we marked the halfway point of the UN Ocean Conference, Sustainable Ocean Alliance organized a community-wide gathering for all of our members in attendance at UNOC-3. Under the golden sunset along the picturesque Mediterranean, we took a break from the conference rooms to come together for an evening of connection, mid-conference reflections, collaboration, networking, and more.
SOA members gathered to celebrate each other and our collective work for the ocean—connecting with peers, collaborators, colleagues, mentors, and beyond.
From singing along to the harmonic sounds of a shruti box to sunset ocean dips, more than 80 SOA members from around the world gathered to celebrate each other and our collective work for the ocean—connecting with peers, collaborators, colleagues, mentors, and beyond.
Spotlighting the Next Generation of Ocean Innovation and Leadership
Set along the beautiful Plage de Passable overlooking the Bay of Villefranche-sur-Mer, Sustainable Ocean Alliance co-hosted two unforgettable events at the Ocean House hosted by the Global Goals, bringing together our community, partners, and global ocean champions.
First, we hosted a dynamic afternoon session with our partners at The Goldman Environmental Prize, Spotlighting the Next Generation of Ocean Innovation and Leadership—showcasing the powerful work of the 40 SOA Ocean Leaders Fellows alongside four Goldman Environmental Prize winners:
Randall Arauz, Costa Rica (2010)
Jacqueline Evans, Cook Islands (2019)
Zafer Kizilkaya, Turkey (2023)
Carlos Mallo Molina, Canary Islands (2025)
This session moved beyond the traditional panel format to create space for authentic dialogue, global perspectives, and bold ideas. Thematic discussion groups explored systemic issues such as climate resilience, ecosystem restoration, inclusive governance, and the integration of science and traditional knowledge, advancing the goals of the Nice Ocean Action Plan at UNOC-3.
Photos at Ocean House by Joe Short
Coral Rave
In the evening, we returned to the Ocean House for the Coral Rave Closing Nightcap, transforming the space into a celebration of ocean activism and joy—blending music, art, and connection to continue the week with energy and purpose.
At the Coral Rave, we were honored to showcase artwork provided by Creatures United as well as a special appearance by Madame Gandhi.
SOA’s CEO Anne Park delivered emphatic remarks at the event, stating, “[At SOA], we are here to celebrate you. Because the work is tough, and the only way for us to get through this is to have fun and to come together.”
Photos at Ocean House by Joe Short
It was the perfect ending to the three days of programming at the Ocean House, leaving participants with a renewed sense of hope, community, and purpose.
As the sun set on the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, Sustainable Ocean Alliance partnered with our friends at OceanX to join them onboard the OceanXplorer research vessel—the most advanced exploration, research, and media vessel ever built.
Designed to push the limits of exploration, discovery, and storytelling, the OceanXplorer is a platform built to support ocean progress.
Aboard the OceanXplorer, 50+ young ocean leaders got to tour the incredible ship—from the captain's control room to the dive center—followed by programming led by the SOA team that touched upon personal and professional reflections, youth empowerment, and community.
This event was more than just a wrap-up for UNOC—it was also the final in-person organized experience for the SOA Ocean Leaders Fellows. While we know they will continue to collaborate, organize, and support one another in many shapes and forms over the years to come, it was a formative moment reflecting on all they have accomplished together through the SOA Ocean Leaders Fellowship.
As Jessica Newfield, Senior Program Manager of the SOA Ocean Leaders Fellowship, shared, “It’s been incredible to watch our Fellows blossom throughout the week, finding their voices, building confidence, and forming life-long connections with one another and with global leaders. This truly is a life-changing opportunity, and it’s only the beginning.”
For Jessica, seeing this inaugural cohort of the SOA Ocean Leaders Fellowship come to life on the global stage was a dream realized. “To witness this vision become a reality, with such depth, purpose, and power, has been incredibly meaningful. I’m deeply grateful to Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy for believing in this Fellowship and making it possible to bring this global community of ocean changemakers together.”
Overall, the 2025 UN Ocean Conference was an impactful event that brought together 15,000+ participants—including 2,000 scientists and more than 60 world leaders—spanning across cultures, backgrounds, professions, and generations to achieve the collective goal of advancing global ocean action.
UNOC-3 proudly concluded with:
More than 170 countries adopted an intergovernmentally agreed declaration committing to urgent action to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.
50 ratifications of the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement)
4 new champion countries (37 total) joined the Campaign Against Deep-Sea Mining
20 new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) announced, including French Polynesia establishing the world’s largest MPA at 5 million square kilometers
The UK pledged to ban bottom trawling in 41 MPAs, covering 30,000 square kilometers
$25 million USD committed to the Global Fund for Coral Reefs
96 national delegates signed the “Nice Wake Up Call” urging action for the Global Plastics Treaty
At the closing plenary, it was announced that the fourth UN Ocean Conference (UNOC-4) will take place in 2028, co-hosted by Chile and the Republic of Korea.
Up next, SOA will be on the ground at the 2025 UNFCCC Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, this November to continue our policy and youth advocacy work. Throughout the two-week conference, our team and delegation will provide critical updates from the ground.
Tune in to COP30 updates by following SOA on social media and subscribing to our e-newsletter here.
Until next time…
View the official SOA UNOC-3 photo gallery here.
Photo Credits: “Sabrina Skelly for Sustainable Ocean Alliance”
Sustainable Ocean Alliance would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the following:
Partner Organizations:
UN Department of Economic & Social Affairs (UNDESA)
UN Global Goals & Project Everyone
Coalition of Emerging Ocean Leaders (CEOL)
SOA On-Site Team:
Anne Park, Jessica Newfield, Brandon Levy, Melissa Murray, Jon Letts, Leon Wang, Matt Mulrennan, Eugénia Barroca, MJ Lamoste, Mark Haver, Daniel Caceres, Sabrina Skelly
SOA Remote Support Team: