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STRENGTHENING OCEAN GOVERNANCE | 15

The Mediterranean’s future depends partly on OCEAN UPDATES
innovative projects like these that are contributing to
the effective protection of 30% of the world’s land, The final session of the conference provided updates
waters and seas by 2030. This session explored the on ongoing multilateral processes and upcoming
conditions for ensuring the success of 30x30 in the events: the final stretch for the legally binding
Mediterranean, spotlighting the role of marine spatial international treaty on plastic pollution that could enter
planning and economic stakeholders. into force by 2025; the hot topic of the ratification of
the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which
The panellists agreed on the importance of needs further ratifications and a better balance
effective, sustainable marine spatial planning in between countries in the North and South; and the
the Mediterranean. The sea is bordered by 22 ambitions of the 9th Our Ocean Conference in Athens
coastal states with overlapping exclusive economic in April 2024 and of the UN Ocean Conference
zones, which leads to disagreements that hamper (UNOC) in Nice in June 2025, which Olivier Poivre
cooperation, explained Karmenu Vella, Advisor d’Arvor, Special Envoy of the President of France for
in the Maltese Ministry of Foreign and European UNOC, spoke of as potential nightmares. But in light
Affairs and Trade. Working from robust scientific of the growing mobilisation of the ocean community,
data to improve the management and effectiveness the scenario of a broken world and a ruined ocean is
of existing MPAs and create additional high-quality already fading, suggested Olivier Wenden and Robert
MPAs should be the priority, commented François Calcagno, senior representatives of the Prince Albert II
Houllier, CEO of Ifremer. Meanwhile, Dona Bertarelli, of Monaco Foundation and the Oceanographic
Co-Chair of the Bertarelli Foundation, highlighted the Museum, in their closing speeches.
disparity that, “some countries have 18 categories
of marine protected area, while the IUCN Guidelines
only defines 6 categories of protection”. “Scaling up
requires the regional imbalance to be corrected”,
said the moderator, Maher Mahjoub, pointing out
that 97% of MPAs are currently located in the
northern Mediterranean. “Marine spatial planning is
an important tool for achieving target 3 of the Global
Biodiversity Framework, particularly in a context
requiring cross-border cooperation”, he suggested.

The panellists unanimously agreed on the need for
better gathering of and more efficient sharing of data,
less polarisation and more cooperation between
environmentalists and economic stakeholders and
improved communication about the economic
benefits of marine protection, among other topics.
They also called for the prompt ratification of the
WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies adopted in
June 2022, which clamps down on harmful subsidies
given by governments to the fishing sector, and for
the protection of key ecosystems, such as seagrass
meadows, which provide numerous services, During the Monaco Blue Initiative, the French Organising
including climate change mitigation. Committee of UNOC 2025, the Prince Albert II of Monaco
Foundation and the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco officially
confirmed their partnership to co-host the Blue Economy and
Finance Forum by signing a Memorandum of Understanding.
The forum, a UN Ocean Conference Special Event, will be held on
7 and 8 June 2025 at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco, in advance of
the UN Ocean Conference 2025. The agreement was signed by
Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, Olivier Wenden (Prince Albert II of Monaco
Foundation) and Robert Calcagno (Oceanographic Institute) in the
presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.