Roundup: UN ocean conference adopts declaration amid U.S. scientists' absence

Alsharq Tribune-AFP 

The 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) concluded Friday in Nice, a coastal city in southern France, with the adoption of an intergovernmentally agreed political declaration. It commits nations to urgent, science-guided multilateral action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans.

According to the French Foreign Ministry, about 100 countries are represented at the Nice conference, including over 50 national leaders. A much larger turnout than at the two previous editions, in New York in 2017 and Lisbon in 2022, demonstrated a "very strong commitment made by countries" to take action, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Despite being a key player in global ocean governance, the United States limited its presence at the UNOC3 to only "technical and working level" delegates. Notably, no U.S. scientists participated in the One Ocean Science Congress (OOSC), held just ahead of the UNOC3. The congress brought together more than 2,000 researchers worldwide to debate and formulate scientific input for policymakers.

Several expected participants from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) were absent due to recent layoffs in federal agencies, a result of sweeping budget cuts by the Trump administration. According to the French National Centre for Scientific Research, co-organizer of OOSC, NOAA is facing a 25 percent funding reduction for fiscal year 2025, with over 1,500 staff either laid off or pushed into early retirement.

In light of the U.S. withdrawal from several key international commitments, including the Paris Agreement and the pandemic accord negotiations, Emmanuel Macron, president of UNOC3-host country France, said he was not surprised. "Should that stop us from moving? No!" He declared, reaffirming France's dedication to the ocean agenda.

"Multilateralism" has been a key word at the Nice conference. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose country will host the next COP on climate change, warned against the dangers of unilateralism. "Today, the threat of unilateralism hangs over the ocean. We cannot allow what has happened to international trade to happen to the ocean," he said.

A report in the British journal Nature Ecology & Evolution noted that the absence of U.S. scientists at the UN conference poses "severe disruptions to operational forecasts, data assimilation and international collaboration" in ocean studies and conservation efforts.

The current U.S. policy direction is "undermining the ocean science and multilateral cooperation that are essential for marine conservation, sustainable resource management and climate resilience globally," affecting "progress on Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) and the broader global ocean agenda," the report said.

Despite the U.S. stepping back, the UNOC3 adopted a final declaration that stresses the critical importance of basing ocean action on "the best available science and knowledge."

Edward Allison, principal scientist at the WorldFish Center, urged the United States to reconsider its approach. The United States should "recognize that it shares the planet with other nations, that it needs to share responsibility of planetary stewardship with other nations.