The third United Nations Ocean Conference will be held in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June 2025, co-hosted by the Governments of France and Costa Rica. Li Junhua,
The overarching theme of the Conference is “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean”. The Conference aims to drive urgent action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, and further identify ways and means to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.
In addition to the core UNOC events, there will be a number of special, connected events taking place nearby in the early part of June.
Please click on the links below for more information about POGO’s activities in Nice:
- One Ocean Science Congress (3-6 June)
- POGO Directors Meeting (7 June)
- Blue Economy and Finance Forum (7-8 June)
- UN Ocean Conference (9-13 June)
- UNOC Green Zone (including La Baleine – The Whale) (2 – 13 June)
- More Links to POGO Member and Partner Activity Listings
One Ocean Science Congress
3-6 June 2025, Nice
Organized in conjunction with Ifremer and CNRS, the One Ocean Science Congress will bring together 2,000 international scientists to deliver a summary on the health of the ocean and recommendations for action to heads of state and government.
https://one-ocean-science-2025.org/
POGO will be actively involved in a number of sessions during the meeting:
POGO Town Hall
TM28
Sustained funding for long-term ocean observations in support of global policy frameworks
Convener: Sophie Seeyave | Co-convener: Lilian Krug
Tue, 03 Jun, 12:45–13:45 (CEST)|Room 8
In recent years, the critical role the ocean plays in the Earth’s life-support system, as well as its importance for the sustainable development of our societies and economies has been increasingly recognised, and emphasised at the highest political levels. An adequately funded, sustained, and truly global ocean observing system is essential to support informed decision-making, in the context of policy frameworks such as the Paris Climate Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. It is also critical to the success of global assessments, such as the UN Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects (or “Regular Process”) and the upcoming International Panel for Ocean Sustainability (IPOS).
More than ever, it is critical that the world’s governments prioritise funding of ocean observations and their coordination at the global level, to complete a comprehensive Global Ocean Observation System (GOOS), covering all aspects, and at the granularity required for accurate forecasts. Full planned deployment of GOOS has slowed in the last decade, hampered by fragile long-term funding arrangements. While a global system for measuring physical Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) – and to a lesser extent chemical EOVs- is in place (albeit with geographical gaps and fragile funding), biological and ecosystem observations for monitoring the health of our ocean have yet to be operationalised.
This Town Hall will bring together members of the Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) – Directors of oceanographic research institutes from around the world- to discuss the urgent need for sustained, global ocean observations to support global policy frameworks and assessments, the current funding landscape, possible new models for sustainable, long-term funding, and the return on investment to be gained from ocean observations and the information they provide in support of sustainable development.
Other Sessions & Posters with POGO involvement
OOS2025-946 | Orals | T8-1
Citizen Observation of Plastic Pollution in African Coastal Ecosystems to Address Data Gaps in Marine Litter Distribution
Ana I. Catarino, Edem Mahu, Marine Severin, Lilian A. Krug, Aileen Tan Shau Hwai, Fiona Beckman, and Sophie Seeyave
Tue, 03 Jun, 15:00–15:10 (CEST) | Room 7
OOS2025-71 | ECOP | Orals | T10-12
Development of a low-cost hydrophone for research, education, and community science
Lucille Chapuis, Mihai Burca, Tess Gridley, Xavier Mouy, Artash Nath, Sophie Nedelec, Mark Roberts, Sophie Seeyave, Jim Theriault, Ed Urban, Rob Williams, and Walter Zimmer
Thu, 05 Jun, 08:50–09:00 (CEST) | Room 7
OOS2025-646 | ECOP | Orals | T10-12
Taking Science to the Community: Innovative Approaches for Affordable Coastal Ecosystem Monitoring
Subrata Sarker, Nabanita Das, A N M Samiul Huda, Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury, Lilian Krug, and Sophie Seeyave
Thu, 05 Jun, 09:30–09:40 (CEST) | Room 7
OOS2025-1128 | Orals | T3-6
The Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network: A global hub for biomolecular measurement of marine life
Sophie Seeyave, Margaret Leinen, Fiona Beckman, Kathleen Pitz, Julie Robidart, Luz Helena Rodriguez-Vargas, Shau Hwai Tan, Jodie van de Kamp, and William Wilson
Thu, 05 Jun, 17:00–17:10 (CEST) | Room 4
OOS2025-600 | Posters on site | T10-6
TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION: POGO’s CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Lilian Krug, Fiona Beckman, and Sophie Seeyave
Poster area “La Baleine” | P681 | Display time: Tue, 3 Jun, 17:00–Thu, 5 Jun, 20:00
Author attendance time is 18:00-20:00 each day
POGO Directors Meeting
Saturday 7 June, Nice
Since its formation in 1999, POGO has held Annual Meetings, bringing together the directors and leaders of oceanographic institutions from around the world to discuss the progress made and challenges ahead for global ocean observing.
However, our Members recognise that the international landscape, as well as the institutions, have evolved over the last 25 years. In order to build on POGO’s core strength of inclusivity, in Sept 2024, the members voted to divide our Meetings into a more general and open “Science Meeting” (every 2 years), and a more focused, shorter “Directors’ Meeting” (every year, in combination with a major international event, or in a strategic location). It is anticipated that the outcomes of the Science Meeting will feed into the Directors’ Meeting, and vice versa.
The first Directors’ Meeting will take place between the OOSC and UNOC meetings in Nice, France.
39 of POGO’s 55 Member institutes will be represented in person, hailing from 25 countries in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Australia.
The meeting agenda will include discussions on the following topics:
- Towards net zero ocean observing – (how) can we achieve this?
- New collaborations for low-cost technology development
- POGO’s role in influencing policy, from national to global scale
- POGO’s role in fostering, promoting and adopting emerging technologies
- Infrastructure challenges in the Global South – how do we support ocean observing beyond the training?
- Addressing the funding challenges facing the global ocean observing system: new funding models, sources and/or international partnerships?
Outputs from the POGO Town Hall session at OOSC will feed into several of the breakout sessions, bringing depth to the discussion with ideas and suggestions from the wider ocean observing community.
The day will conclude by agreeing a short statement from POGO Members to feed in to the Blue Economy and Finance Forum and UNOC3.
Blue Economy and Finance Forum
7-8 June 2025, Monaco
Heads of state, companies, financiers and civil society will meet to make a significant financial commitment to the blue economy and propose innovative blue financial tools.
https://beff2025monaco.org/
UN Ocean Conference
9-13 June 2025, Nice
The high-level 2025 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development (the 2025 UN Ocean Conference) will be co-hosted by France and Costa Rica and held in Nice, France, from 9 – 13 June 2025.
There are a number of side events happening on the fringes of the high level sessions, many of which involve POGO members, as below:
Blue Zone events with POGO & Member involvement
G20 Ocean20: Progressing from dialogue to Action beyond 2030
Date: Monday 9 June
Time: 15:45 – 17:00
Location: Room 4 Blue Zone
URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14ojjvTn-0M04Uevtz3dfkTufAf4lDLac/view
Marine-Coastal Ecosystems as Pillars of the Blue Economy: Conservation and Sustainable Development Strategies in Colombia and LAC
Date: Tuesday 10 June
Time: 14:00 – 15:15
Location: Room 4 Blue Zone
The Ocean Decade Forum: Ambition, Action, Impact and the Road Ahead
Date and time: Wed 11 June, 9:00 – 18:00 CEST
Location: Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen, 65 Promenade des Anglais, Nice
More details: https://oceandecade.org/events/2025-united-nations-ocean-conference/
Vanessa Yepes Narvaez (INVEMAR, Colombia), a member of the OBON Scientific Advisory Committee, will be giving a keynote speech during SESSION I – CO-DESIGNING SCIENCE FOR OCEAN SOLUTIONS.
Time: 09:40 – 10:35
Part 1 | From science to policy: Creating pathways for ocean action
Matt Frost (PML, UK), United Kingdom National Decade Committee, will be will be moderating during SESSION I – CO-DESIGNING SCIENCE FOR OCEAN SOLUTIONS.
Time: 11:05 – 12:00
Part 2 | From global to local: Harnessing ocean science for concrete impact
Side events on the Statsraad Lehmkuhl
Ocean Observing: Critical Infrastructure for our Ocean Future
Date: 12 June
Time: 13:30 – 15:00
Location: Lehmkuhl Sailing Ship, Quai Riboty, Port of Nice, Red Zone
GOOS event
POGO Chair, Captain Francisco Arias (Director General, Instituto de
Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras INVEMAR), will be speaking in the session on “Why is a Global Ocean Observing System so important? Impacts and future challenges”
Flyer: https://goosocean.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lehmkuhl-event-flyer-final-1.pdf
Side events on the RV Meteor
Full schedule at https://event.ptj.de/en/unoc-2025-meteor-sideevents
1) Leonie Fenna Dziomba, doctoral candidate at ZMT, is a participant in: “German Marine Research Consortium (KDM): V.ECOP Days 2025: ECOPs shaping the ocean’s future”
Date & Time: Mon, 09 June, 09:00–10:00 (CEST) | Helicopter Deck | FS Meteor
2) Prof. Dr. Martin Zimmer, head of the working group Mangrove Ecology at ZMT, will be a panellist at the event: “Federal Foreign Office (AA): Rise for the ocean and its peoples – a call for more action”
Date & Time: Mon, 9 June, 18:00–20:00 (CEST) | Outdoor FS Meteor
3) Rebecca Lahl, Head of the Office for Knowledge Exchange at ZMT, will participate in the following panel discussion: “IOC-UNESCO: Collaborative actions and opportunities for partnership in developing capacities – from strategy to implementation of capacity development initiatives”
Date & Time: Wed, 11 June, 10:00–12:00 (CEST) | Outdoor FS Meteor
4) Prof. Dr. Achim Schlüter, Head of the working group “Institutional and Behavioural Economics” at ZMT is taking part in the panel discussion: “Fair Oceans: Ocean Justices – core elements of SDG 14: coastal communities, oceanography and ocean governance”
Date & Time: Thu, 12 June, | 15:30–17:30 (CEST) | Outdoor FS Meteor
UNOC Green Zone (including La Baleine – The Whale)
2-13 June 2025, Nice
A number of events are taking place in the Green Zone, open to the public throughout the two weeks of Ocean activities in Nice.
La Baleine (or The Whale) is an immersive experience, taking over the Palais des Expositions in Nice from June 2nd to 13th.
For full details visit: we-are-the-ocean.com/
Search the programme by date, location, language and other categories at: we-are-the-ocean.com/program
The on-site poster sessions (including those listed in the One Ocean Science Congress section above) will take place in La Baleine.
The display time is Tue, 3 June 2025, 17:00-Thursday, 5 June 2025, 20:00.
Author attendance time is Tue, 3 June 2025, Wed, 4 June 2025, and Thu, 5 June 2025, 18:00-20:00.
Green Zone events with POGO & Member involvement
Meet the Expert: Lilian Krug
Date: 9 June
Time: 14:00 – 15:00
Location: Deep Blue Pavilion at La Baleine
POGO’s Scientific Coordinator offers a brief insight into this unique worldwide consortium of ocean institutions and their collective efforts to build a sustainable global ocean observing system that benefits science and society. POGO was instrumental on selecting and supporting the ECOPs that were part of the Around Africa Expedition.
From Science to Solutions: Advancing the Ocean Carbon System for Climate Action
UN Ocean Decade Conference 2025 off-site side event organised by ICOS in collaboration with JPI Oceans and the Ocean Frontier Institute, and supported by GEOMAR, NOC, Ifremer, NORCE, and IOPAN.
Date: 12 June 2025,
Time: 14:00-16:00
Location: Le Théâtre de la Semeuse, 2 Mnt Auguste Kerl, 06300 Nice, France,
How to participate: The event is open to anyone and free-of-charge. Due to limited capacity, registration is required.
Register here.
Expert panel includes POGO Members:
– Dr Toste Tanhua, Senior Scientist, GEOMAR
– Dr Anya Waite, CEO and Scientific Director, Ocean Frontier Institute
More Links to events and activities in Nice
A number of POGO Members, Projects and Partners have created landing pages with information about their activities during the Nice meetings. Please see below for those we are aware of:
POGO Members
- Ifremer
- IRD
- Leibniz-Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT)
- Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI)
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)
Others
- Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI)
- EU4Ocean at UNOC 2025
- European Marine Board
- European Digital Ocean Pavilion
- GOOS: Ocean observing events at UNOC & OOSC
- JPI Oceans
- OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System)
- Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON)
- RV Meteor Side events
- SCOR
- UN Ocean Decade
If you are a POGO Member or Partner and would like to add your own landing page to this list, please contact Fiona Beckman in the POGO Office.
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Palais des Expositions (and other locations), Nice, France