Romina Pourmokhtari takes part in UN Ocean Conference in Nice
Published
Minister for Climate and the Environment Romina Pourmokhtari is participating in the UN’s third Ocean Conference, UNOC-3, in Nice. At the Conference, a declaration is expected to be adopted on the implementation of measures to protect and preserve oceans.
The Conference brings together the countries of the world in Nice and starts on 9 June in conjunction with World Oceans Day on 8 June. The overarching theme is the acceleration and mobilisation of actors to preserve and sustainably use the oceans in line with the Sustainable Development Goal on oceans, SDG 14. In conjunction with the Conference, the European Commission will present a European oceans pact to highlight the EU’s commitment to oceans.
Parties meeting at the Conference are expected to adopt a political declaration, the Nice Action Plan, which underscores the importance of the oceans and the need for additional measures to protect them. Another result from the Conference will be voluntary commitments made by countries and actors, for example related to funding, targets and partnerships. Sweden will develop voluntary commitments based on current initiatives relating to ocean issues as well as relevant development assistance-related projects.
Ms Pourmokhtari will hold Sweden’s national address and participate as a speaker at several side events, for example the Nordic Council of Ministers’ event on the theme of regional cooperation, the Marine Environment Institute’s event on scrubbing and Business Sweden’s event on Swedish solutions within ocean-based energy and to combat eutrophication.
Ms Pourmokhtari will also have several bilateral meetings with representatives of various countries and the United Nations Environment Programme.
Sweden’s delegation is headed by Ms Pourmokhtari and includes representatives from government agencies, research institutes and several ministries. HRH Crown Princess Victoria is also participating in the delegation.
Sweden’s marine environment policy
The Government’s ‘A living sea – increased protection, reduced eutrophication and sustainable fishing’ Bill, which was adopted in 2024, sets the direction for Sweden’s marine environment policy to address the challenges facing oceans. Sweden is also working actively internationally on marine issues, for example with various types of financial support, especially through the Global Environment Facility and bilateral cooperation. Sweden is a member of the UN’s Decade of Ocean Sciences and has been a driving force in global negotiations on the UN Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BNNJ) and at UN meetings regarding the protection of biodiversity. Sweden is also working actively for an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
France and Costa Rica are hosting this year’s Ocean Conference. The first Conference was initiated by Sweden and Fiji and took place in New York in 2017. That meeting helped increase interest in ocean issues and bring the issue onto the global development and sustainability agenda.
