Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, remarks at the opening of the UN Ocean Conference
Dear President of the French Republic, Dear Emmanuel Macron
Mr. President of the Republic of Costa Rica, Dear Rodrigo Chaves Robles
Excellencies, dear friends,
Let me begin by thanking our hosts, the Governments of France and Costa Rica, for convening this conference.
And thank you all for being here, in “Nissa la bella” – city of azure seas and clear skies.
We gather beside the Mediterranean – a crossroads of continents, cultures, and commerce.
A sea that has sustained life for millennia –reminding us of our deep dependence on the ocean.
The ocean generates half of the oxygen we breathe. It feeds 3 billion people and sustains 600 million livelihoods.
The ocean economy has more than doubled in 30 years – and keeps growing. Maritime transport alone moves over 80 per cent of global trade.
The ocean is the ultimate shared resource. But we are failing it. Fish stocks are collapsing. Over-consumption and illegal fishing are pushing marine life to the brink.
Plastic pollution is choking ecosystems – with 23 million tonnes of waste entering waters every year. Carbon emissions are driving ocean acidification and heating – destroying coral reefs and accelerating sea level rise.
If we do not change course, this rise will submerge deltas, destroy crops, and swallow coastlines – threatening many islands’ survival.
The ocean now stores 90 per cent of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases.
These are symptoms of a system in crisis – and they are feeding off each other. Unravelling food chains. Destroying livelihoods. Deepening insecurity.
And insecurity is rising not only from natural forces – but from criminal ones. Piracy, organized crime, human trafficking, and the looting of natural resources are threatening lives, undermining development, and robbing coastal communities of their rights.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Many struggle to access healthy, affordable food – underscoring the urgent need to restore local fisheries and strengthen ocean-based food systems.
We must also strengthen maritime security as a pillar of sustainable development. un.org
Photo: X/@antonioguterres
