The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) opened on September 9 in Nice, southern France. President Emmanuel Macron announced that 50 countries have completed the approval process for the High Seas Treaty, with additional nations pledging to join, making the treaty's effectiveness a 'done deal.' This will be the first global treaty with legal binding force for the protection of marine biodiversity in international waters.

The ocean still faces issues such as plastic pollution and deep-sea mining, while the expansion of trade barriers by the U.S. casts a shadow over multilateral cooperation. The host country, France, has been criticized for failing to prohibit bottom trawling, raising concerns about its commitment and capacity to protect the oceans.

The UN Ocean Conference is held every three years, serving as the highest level multilateral meeting for the protection and sustainable use of the oceans. This year, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, around 60 world leaders are participating to discuss illegal fishing, plastic pollution, deep-sea mining, and other pressing topics. The main goal this year is to facilitate the effectiveness of the High Seas Treaty, especially considering that two-thirds of the world's oceans are high seas, yet only 1% of this area is protected.

Macron stated that with 50 countries completing the approval process, this signifies that the political agreement has been achieved, asserting, 'The High Seas Treaty is a done deal.'

On the opening day, civil society groups and environmental activists held protests, expressing dissatisfaction with France's inability to ban bottom trawling and demanding more proactive ocean conservation measures.