Doha – Princess Lalla Hasnaa is participating in the 3rd United Nations Conference on the Ocean (UNOC-3) in Nice as the representative of King Mohammed VI.
The conference opened today and will continue until Friday, bringing together more than 50 heads of state and government, along with over 1,500 delegates from nearly 200 countries.
The opening session featured speeches by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles.
This five-day event is co-organized by France and Costa Rica under the theme “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.”
On Sunday evening, prior to the conference opening, Princess Lalla Hasnaa attended a dinner hosted by President Macron and his wife Brigitte in honor of the participating heads of state and government. She was welcomed by the French presidential couple upon her arrival at the dinner venue.
The UNOC-3 follows previous conferences held in New York (2017) and Lisbon (2022). It aims to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14, focused on the sustainable use of ocean resources.
The conference will examine various aspects related to oceans, from sustainable fishing to marine pollution, as well as interactions between climate and biodiversity.
Unlike COP meetings or international treaty negotiations, no binding agreements will be signed in Nice. Instead, states will present voluntary commitments and a joint declaration.
According to Costa Rica’s UN ambassador Maritza Chan, the conference is expected to generate $100 billion in new public and private funding for sustainable ocean development.
The gathering was preceded by three parallel events: a scientific summit that gathered over 2,000 scientists from June 3-6, the official presentation of a global coalition of coastal cities and regions on June 7, and a blue economy summit in Monaco on June 7-8.
Participants are discussing a range of topics, including the high seas treaty, plastic pollution, overfishing, seabed mining, and decarbonization of maritime transport.
Major political leaders attending include Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Han Zheng, the second-highest official in the Chinese regime.
France is expected to announce the creation of new marine protected areas, particularly in Polynesia, and the strengthening of existing ones, such as those protecting coral reefs.
Additionally, an oceanographic mission called Neptune, involving ten countries with oceanographic and space agencies, will be officially launched and is scheduled to run from 2026 to 2040.
