Lisbon, Portugal – On February 27th, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Luís Montenegro convened in Lisbon to formally mark the transition of the United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) from Portugal to France, who will host UNO3 in Nice this June.
To underscore their shared commitment, France and Portugal signed a bilateral declaration, reaffirming their dedication to protecting the ocean as a vital life support system and to elevating global ocean action to address both the challenges and opportunities it presents.
On the ‘Ocean Declaration’, President Macron stated, “The foundations established at UNOC2 allowed us to achieve decisive results, and as we look toward UNOC3 in Nice, we will carry that ambition forward. UNOC2 was a moment of collective awareness, where many nations committed to protecting 30% of the ocean – an ambitious and heroic struggle. Now, we must transform that commitment into action, with Nice on the horizon.”
He also commended Portugal’s ocean protection efforts, highlighting the creation of the Azores Marine Protected Area network, the largest in the North Atlantic.
Prime Minister Montenegro emphasized that “the ‘Ocean Declaration’ represents the shared commitment to protect and manage the ocean sustainably, a responsibility that falls upon on us all.”
During the event, José Soares dos Santos, President of Oceano Azul Foundation, urged that UNOC3 serve as a pivotal moment for transformative ocean action. “Nice must be for the Ocean what Paris was for the climate,”. Mr. Soares dos Santos called for leaders to convene and shape a new global ocean agenda that elevates ocean action to the level of climate action, tackles interconnected ocean, climate, and biodiversity crises, and addresses critical issues like deep-sea mining and the 30×30 target. He emphasized the importance of strong calls to action from SOS Ocean in Paris (March 30-31) and the European Summit in March.
The event concluded with a meeting between President Macron and the Oceano Azul Foundation, a key partner in France’s preparations for UNOC3. Discussions were held with Portuguese scientists Henrique Cabral and Miguel Araujó, and blue economy expert Ana Brazão. Emanuel Gonçalves, Conservation Director at Oceano Azul Foundation, presented the Foundation’s recent achievements, including the Azores MPA network. Tiago Pitta e Cunha, CEO of the Oceano Azul Foundation, congratulated President Macron for his ocean leadership, particularly his call for a moratorium on deep-sea mining at UNOC2. He emphasized the importance of France mobilizing support for a new ocean agenda and governance in Nice, including a European Ocean Pact. Oceano Azul Foundation aims to foster a “Blue Future Alliance” at UNOC3 – a coalition of countries shaping the ocean agenda for 2025-2030.
