Oceans and Law of the Sea

The Office for Disarmament Affairs and the UN Development Programme today launched the second phase of the Saving-Lives Entity trust fund, SALIENT 2.0. Established in 2020, the fund integrates small arms control and armed violence reduction into national development strategies as part of wider conflict prevention efforts.

The thirty-fifth Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea will be convened at United Nations Headquarters from 23 to 27 June 2025.

Follow the proceedings of the third United Nations Ocean Conference, live from Nice, here.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad, François Batalingaya, said today the country is in crisis with the east reaching a breaking point. Floods impacted nearly 2 million people last year; 3 million people are struggling to feed themselves. The $1.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is only 9 per cent funded.

NICE, FRANCE, 13 June — The “constitution of the ocean” has offered a stable — yet flexible — legal architecture for that domain, speakers at the final panel of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference said today, as they identified the need for more regulations and protections in areas ranging from the deep seabed to the human rights of ocean defenders.

NICE, FRANCE, 13 June — After a week of deliberation and discussion, the United Nations Ocean Conference today by consensus adopted a political declaration titled “Our ocean, our future: united for urgent action”, stressing that the ocean plays an essential role in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change.

NICE, FRANCE, 13 June — With just “six harvest seasons” left to meet global targets on hunger and ocean sustainability, leading scientists and policymakers gathered for the ninth panel discussion of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference to spotlight the need to recognize the transformative role of sustainable aquatic foods in ending poverty and achieving food security.

NICE, FRANCE, 12 June — Environmental experts at this morning’s panel discussion at the Ocean Conference offered new definitions for “resilience” and “infrastructure” as they examined approaches that treat climate, biodiversity and ocean as one integrated system.

NICE, FRANCE, 12 June — Regional cooperation is emerging as the cornerstone of effective ocean governance, with leaders from island nations, least developed countries and coastal States at the Ocean Conference today urging accelerated action, stronger accountability and climate-resilient solutions to protect shared marine resources and the communities that depend on them.

NICE, FRANCE, 12 June — Various entities in and outside the United Nations system today showcased their efforts to protect marine biodiversity, combat ocean pollution and support sustainable ocean economies during the fourth day of a five-day international conference.