For two weeks in June, Nice became the epicentre of global ocean diplomacy. JPI Oceans was there throughout, taking part in the One Ocean Science Congress (OOSC) and the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3). As the scientific precursor to the UN Conference, the first-ever OOSC played a pivotal role in delivering crucial research insights to world leaders.
With over 30,000 participants, 150 countries, and more side events than any sane person could attend, these weeks in Nice left us simultaneously inspired, exhausted, and invigorated. But what are we bringing back home? Did the Conference deliver to expectations?
Here are our ten takeaways:
The numbers speak volumes: 1,800 scientists, 500 presentations, and 620 posters at OOSC alone. Science did not just show up: it put results on the table and demonstrated readiness to lead. Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean, struck a chord when he urged attendees to maintain lucidity of vision as they deliver scientific results—because the world is watching. While we still face enormous knowledge gaps, we already know enough to behave rationally.
OOSC's role to inform UNOC3 beautifully mirrors JPI Oceans’ core mission. This was precisely part of our ask to the Ocean Conference declaration, calling for strengthened science-based knowledge for coherent policy and effective implementation. Our Joint Actions and funded projects embody this approach and were well represented throughout the Congress. From a poster session on microplastics to presentations on our deep-sea mining research (directly informing the International Seabed Authority), we underscored JPI Oceans’ mission to fund marine research and bridge it with decision-making.
Another key event leading up to UNOC3 was the Blue Economy Finance Forum in Monaco, which confronted a hard truth: the ocean remains largely underfunded, with SDG 14 (“Life Below Water”) ranking last among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. According to the United Nations, an estimate of $175 billion would be required annually to meet SDG 14 by 2030. A recent report from NGOs and funders estimated only $1.2 billion per year is flowing into reaching the 30x30 protection target (30% of the ocean protected by 2030), while this mission pays back: achieving it could yield $85 billion per year by 2050 in avoided costs and direct returns.
The Ocean Investment Protocol, presented in Nice, could be part of the solution and align financial flows by offering practical guidance to the financial sector on sustainable ocean investment. Countries like Indonesia will try out new instruments such as “Coral Bonds” to mobilise blended finance, while new tools like Ocean Matcher, with whom we just signed an MoU, are helping to match projects with funders. Investment in adaptation is also needed, and it pays back: the Adaptation Days of the European Commission and European Investment Bank, where we presented JPI Oceans’ work on sea level rise, called for closer cooperation with investors to strengthen the resilience of Europe’s coasts.
UNOC3 brought a wave of voluntary commitments, but the question remains how many will stick around. Over 170 countries adopted the resulting political declaration, promising action on marine protection, decarbonising maritime transport, pollution, and finance for vulnerable coastal nations. The declaration, however, is not binding, and observers noted the familiar lack of mechanisms to ensure accountability.
That said, some moves stood out. France’s overseas territory of French Polynesia announced it would create the world’s largest Marine Protected Area. The European Union pledged €1 billion to support ocean conservation and science. The BBNJ treaty also made steady progress and is now 10 ratifications away from being formally endorsed.
The launch of the European Ocean Pact was one of the EU’s headline moves in Nice. Framed by DG MARE Director-General Charlina Vitcheva as a way to bring coherence to ocean policies, the Pact seeks to avoid internal clashes and offer a unified framework for Europe’s actions moving forward. As Vitcheva put it, the Pact is important in content but also in high-level political ownership. It was, after all, initiated directly by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
That matters. At a time of global instability, the EU is choosing science, coordination and long-term ocean stewardship. The Pact’s inclusion of JPI Oceans, the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership, and the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (both of which we support) signals the importance of complementarity between existing mechanisms.
From the public-facing La Baleine to the negotiations at UNOC3, Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) made their presence known, speaking up about both the promise they represent and the barriers they continue to face. Visa challenges, limited funding, and language obstacles still prevent many of them from taking part in conversations that influence their future.
The V.ECOP Days 2025 demonstrated that when these young professionals are given a platform, they contribute fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and a deeply inspiring sense of commitment. The hybrid approach with online contributions from around the world, interviews with attendees to the conference by mobile journalists and professionally moderated sessions at the German Research Vessel METEOR made the ECOPs’ engagement heard and visible.
It was telling that ocean literacy was not initially included in the Nice Ocean Action Plan: the community had to call for its inclusion. JPI Oceans has long supported ocean literacy and is involved in related initiatives to convey the ocean's economic value alongside its intrinsic worth.
From IOC-UNESCO's Minecraft game Ocean Heroes to Blue School networks and programmes like "adopt a float", the entry points are there. What is missing is the systematic integration of ocean literacy into curricula. For the next generation to step up for the ocean, we need to teach them why it matters. And we cannot stop at formal education settings; we need to involve coastal communities and businesses that depend on healthy marine ecosystems. Thriving coastal enterprises and sustainable investment decisions depend equally on understanding the marine environment. People will not fund what they do not understand but coupling sound financial and ocean literacy could be a promising way forward.
After years of moderate attention, the threat of submerged munitions is now rising on the political agenda. The side event “No Time to Waste” brought together political, scientific, and civil society voices aboard RV METEOR to confront the scale of the problem. Millions of tons of corroding ordnance lie hidden in European waters, largely unmapped and posing mounting environmental and security risks.
The Baltic Sea was highlighted as a frontrunner and brought in several lessons from years of coordinated research and policy. Significant steps taken at the national and European levels were highlighted: the European Commission has committed to developing removal strategies under the Ocean Pact, Germany is running a €100 million clearance pilot programme, and a new French-German Joint Ocean Agenda announced stronger cooperation on this matter.
Blue Carbon featured prominently at UNOC, reflecting its rising relevance across climate, biodiversity, and ocean policy. These ecosystems capture and store atmospheric carbon; while recognised for their significant role in climate mitigation, their role is complementary, not a substitute for reducing emissions. The side event Improving the Integration of Blue Carbon Ecosystems into Global and European Regulatory Frameworks offered a timely view into how science, policy, and finance can align to better reflect these ecosystems’ value. Two key opportunities emerged under the new European Ocean Pact: the potential establishment of dedicated ‘blue carbon reserves’, and the revision of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which offers an opportunity to improve blue carbon’s integration in the implementation of the Directive as recommended in this policy brief.
Noise and light might not be among the first things that come to mind when we think of marine pollution, but they should. Our side event “Calm and dark, not loud and bright - Marine pollution by noise and light” brought overdue attention to these not-so-obvious stressors, oftentimes caused by human activity and with cascading consequences.
Presentations showed growing evidence that these disruptions affect not just marine mammals and fish but also plankton, copepods, and invertebrates, with knock-on effects for ecosystems and aquaculture alike. 37 countries, led by Panama and Canada, have now launched the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean—the first initiative of its kind. In Europe, only noise has made it into the Pact, while light pollution remains in the shadows, below the political radar.
The success of any marine policy is directly dependent on sustained, high-quality ocean observation. Without reliable data, we cannot understand long-term trends, assess the effectiveness of interventions, or develop accurate tools like the EU Digital Twin of the Ocean, officially and impressively presented in Nice.
Today, Europe’s capacity remains fragmented. Although the continent has a robust research fleet, many vessels are under-equipped to monitor key indicators like ocean carbon. Scientists have further been raising the alarm about major disruptions to the global ocean observing system caused by U.S. funding cuts, affecting, for instance, the deployment of Argo floats.
The “From Science to Solutions” side event built upon recommendations from our Ocean Carbon Capacities Knowledge Hub and addressed the urgent need to build a stronger ocean carbon observation value chain in Europe. Additionally, with ‘10,000 Ships for the Ocean’ launched at UNOC, a new global initiative was launched at UNOC3 to probe the use of commercial vessels and global shipping routes for data collection.
The UN Ocean Conference reminded us that we are at a tipping point. The ocean is rising, and it demands that we rise to meet the challenge. The science is clear, the tools exist, and increasingly, the political will is there.
As we have returned back home from Nice, we can decide whether we treat UNOC3 as another landmark on the conference circuit, or if it will have been an ocean-mark—a turning point where good intentions were turned into powerful action.
For more insights from the JPI Oceans projects and outputs presented at UNOC3, follow JPI Oceans and our member countries as we work to towards healthy and productive seas and oceans.