It's the ocean's time to sparkle, with World Ocean Day on 8 June and the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) making waves from 9 to 13 June in Nice, France.
Australia's global ocean leadership will be on display at UNOC, with Senator the Hon Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and Water, leading a cross-government delegation.
Australia's vast ocean is an environmental and economic powerhouse. It:
- regulates our climate and weather
- is at the heart of our national identity
- is critical to our health, culture and wellbeing.
Our ocean offers solutions to some of our most pressing challenges. This includes climate change, regional security, community resilience, food and energy security, and sustainable economic development.
With our Pacific neighbours, we share stewardship of the Blue Pacific Continent.
But the ocean is under threat.
UNOC 2025 will accelerate action to help the ocean and to seize ocean opportunities. It will be co-hosted by France and Costa Rica. The event will bring together heads of government, Indigenous peoples, intergovernmental organisations, financial institutions, non-government organisations, researchers, the private sector, philanthropy and even a sprinkling of royalty.
For Australia, it will be an opportunity to learn from other countries' experiences in ocean management- including their experiences, challenges and successes.
UNOC 2025 will also allow us to showcase our progress on ocean management, such as:
- Protecting more marine territory than any other country on Earth: 52% of our ocean is now within marine parks, including nearly a quarter of our waters under high protection.
- Tackling the scourge of ghost nets at home and in the Arafura and Timor seas: Partnering with communities, Indigenous rangers, Indonesia, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea.
- Advancing marine science: Sharing our world-class research that spans from Antarctica to the tropics.
Australia's delegation will include the Prime Minister's Sherpa to the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, as well as representatives from:
- the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
- the Reef Authority
- the Australian Institute of Marine Science
- the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
