Hanging from Peter Thomson’s neck (Fiji, 1948) is a handmade necklace of sea shells. The former Secretary-General of the United Nations General Assembly wears it as a “symbol of gratitude,” he says, after the community of the Marshall Islands placed it on him this week amid the diplomatic bustle of the Ocean Summit in Nice. Thomson has been the summit’s top official in his role as UN Special Envoy for the Oceans. The UN’s man of the seas, who over a decade ago insisted that that half of the planet—the oceanic part—should not become the new Wild West.
On the rooftop of his makeshift office in Port Lympia, Nice, he receives Newtral.es at the end of the Summit. Thomson does not hide the disappointment that hangs over everything related to ocean protection. “The main failure is that ocean health continues to deteriorate worldwide, and that is miserable. Any indicator you take—acidification, deoxygenation, ocean warming, coral death, sea-level rise, overfishing, plastic pollution—shows that humans are behaving vilely toward this planet. That is the bad news.”
The good news? “Look at this necklace I’m wearing. The people of the Marshall Islands have protected 48,000 km²—where turtles nest. That’s the size of Switzerland! A republic in Micronesia that depends on fishing for income has done that!” he illustrates. If they can, big countries can too.
The small ones “face the same resistance from their fishermen. Why aren’t they braver and tell them, ‘Sorry, we have to protect the future of our grandchildren’? Because, moreover, it is scientifically proven that fishing is the primary beneficiary of a marine protected area. Political will is needed.”
Without a sufficient majority to ratify the Ocean Treaty
The expected number of 60 ratifications for the entry into force of the High Seas Treaty (or Ocean Treaty) has not been reached. France, co-host of the event alongside Costa Rica, had hoped to achieve that goal on home ground. It was not possible. Still, Thomson remains calm and optimistic. “It’s just a matter of parliamentary calendars and election dates.” It’s a bad time to approve this issue nationally. Nevertheless, 50 states have done so, about twenty during these days in Nice.
Six key points from the outcome of the III Ocean Summit
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- Although the Treaty has not yet been ratified, it is said in Nice that the final push has been made here. Few doubt that there will be a commitment to formally protect one-third of the ocean before the end of the decade.
- The Blue Challenge of the Conference of the Parties (COP) has been launched. Driven by France and Brazil, it calls for placing the ocean at the center of solutions to the climate emergency.
- Up to 37 countries have joined to demand a moratorium and total ban on deep-sea mining.
- Another 37, led by Panama and Canada, presented the Coalition for a Silent Ocean to combat underwater noise pollution.
- The European Commission announced an investment of 1 billion euros to support ocean conservation, science, and sustainable fishing. The funding gap remains enormous despite all efforts, often relying on philanthropic goodwill.
- French Polynesia committed to creating the largest marine protected area in the world. Spain announced five new marine protected areas.
“I am convinced — and I say this as Peter Thomson, not as the UN — that the treaty will enter into force this year.” This will mean protecting 30% of the waters (both high seas, which belong to no one and everyone, and national waters) by 2030. It will also grant the ocean a status at the United Nations similar to that of the climate: it will have its own COPs (Conferences of the Parties, where countries commit to concrete binding actions under common goals).
“I am convinced that the Ocean Treaty (to protect 30% of the seas by 2030) will be approved before the end of 2025
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“I witness that every time we meet at a UN Ocean Conference, we take another step forward in ocean action.” He adds: “When we started this fight, there was a lot of opposition, especially from the superpowers. But we persisted. When I say ‘we,’ I mean the small island developing states. But the reality is that the vast majority of the planet is ocean, and all humanity depends on it.”
Who is leading the fight for the oceans when a powerful oceanic country like the U.S. is absent? “I used to say that island countries were leading the way. But now Latin America is very active. Look at Chile, Costa Rica, Panama… and the list goes on. They are doing fantastic work in marine protection and pushing the treaty forward. I’m very pleased with Latin America in this area.”
In three years, there will be another major conference. South Korea and Chile have already offered to co-host it. “It will be key because the Sustainable Development Goal for Oceans ends in 2030. There, we will decide what its successor goal will be.” And also whether the efforts so far have been a success or just a tide of talk.
This feature is supported by the UNOC 2025 Fellowship organized by the Earth Journalism Network of Internews.
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