Ocean Accounts @ UNOC3

UN Ocean conference 2025, Nice, France. Over images of people snorkelling in clear shallow water over sand and rocks

The 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference
9-13 June 2025
Nice, France
Co-hosted by the Governments of France and Costa Rica 

Themed โ€œAccelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the oceanโ€, the Conference drove urgent action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

This page shares the events GOAP and the Secretariat are involved with, plus resources and contacts.

๐ŸŒ

Events at UNOC3 with GOAP

A day of #OceanAccounts June 10

In a world that has recognised oceans are essential to economic stability, food security, climate resilience, and cultural identity, it is time to fully account for its value.

Ocean accounts outcomes

Costa Rica announced the Pledge to Develop Ocean Accounts by 2030 on the main stage at UNOC 3, with two high-level opportunities for governments and institutions to engage.

Ocean accounts in the News

A great way to end #UNOC3 | Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP)
A great way to end #UNOC3 - Australia has ๐Ÿ–Š๏ธ signed the Pledge to Advance Ocean Accounts by 2030 Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water added Australia to a global coalition of nations committed to innovative marine resource management through #OceanAccounts. Led by Costa Rica, now ๐Ÿ‘ 19 nations and 7 organisations have signed the Pledge to Advance Ocean Accounts by 2030 - a voluntary commitment to advance the integration of ocean accounts into decision-making frameworks by 2030. Find out more ๐Ÿ‘‰ https://lnkd.in/giKEAKDn #SDG14 High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy
Ocean Accounts for Sustainable Development: Lessons from a Small Island State
Fiji Minister has a powerful call for why ocean accounts are critical for oceans, island states and their people
#unoc3 #oceanaccounts #sidslead #fiji #unoc3 #oceanjustice | Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
โ€œ๐—œ ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ธ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ท๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐— ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟโ€ฆ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜‚๐—ด๐—ต๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ฎ.โ€ With those words, Fijiโ€™s Hon. Alitia Bainivalu delivered one of the most moving speeches at #UNOC3, during an event, organised by the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP). Her message was clear: for island nations, the ocean is not a resource - it is ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ, ๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜†, ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†. But as coral reefs bleach, coastlines erode, and livelihoods become uncertain, the question becomes: ๐™๐™ค๐™ฌ ๐™˜๐™–๐™ฃ ๐™ฌ๐™š ๐™ฅ๐™ง๐™ค๐™ฉ๐™š๐™˜๐™ฉ ๐™ฌ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™ฌ๐™š ๐™˜๐™–๐™ฃ๐™ฃ๐™ค๐™ฉ ๐™ข๐™š๐™–๐™จ๐™ช๐™ง๐™š? Thatโ€™s why ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ฏFiji has signed the ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—”๐—ฑ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฏ๐˜† ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌ โ€“ to put value not just on ecosystems, but on dignity, tradition, and future generations. -๐˜”๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜จ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ด๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ ๐˜ง๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด. -๐˜™๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ง๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด. -๐˜Š๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜บ This isnโ€™t just data. Itโ€™s ๐—ฏ๐—น๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ. ๐Ÿ“ข Her call: Letโ€™s invest in the systems that help us plan wisely, partner better, and protect forever. Not just for now. ๐—•๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜๐˜€. #OceanAccounts #SIDSLead๐Ÿงญ #Fiji #UNOC3 #OceanJustice
โœ’๏ธ ยกComprometidos con las cuentas oceรกnicas! | FAICO Amigos Isla del Coco
โœ’๏ธ ยกComprometidos con las cuentas oceรกnicas! Dentro de la #UNOC, hoy firmamos el compromiso con el desarrollo de las cuentas oceรกnicas como base para una economรญa azul sostenible. Estas herramientas permiten valorar mรกs ampliamente el aporte del ocรฉano y orientar polรญticas pรบblicas basadas en evidencia. Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) #UNOC3 #CuentasOceรกnicas #OceanAccounts
#unoc3 #capitalnatural | Victor Caro Castro
Excelente Noticia!!! Hoy Ministra Maisa Rojas, firmรณ "Compromiso para impulsar las Cuentas Oceรกnicas para 2030" promovido por Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) en la #UNOC3. Un nuevo desafรญo para Chile en la mediciรณn de su #CapitalNatural! Avanzamos un pasito mรกs Philip James, Marianne Feoli, Maria Granada Alarcon Blazquez Cesar Viteri Mejia
BCIE se incorpora a la โ€œOcean Coalitionโ€ del Finance in Common Summit (FiCS) y firma la Declaraciรณn Conjunta de esta coaliciรณn y el Compromiso para Avanzar las Cuentas Oceรกnicas hacia 2030
Report: Advancing Chinaโ€™s Sustainable Blue Economy - Building Strong Policy Foundations for Ocean Accounting and Blue Finance
Read the report As a major maritime nation, Chinaโ€™s ocean economy holds a significant position in the national economy. The traditional development model can no longer meet the nations growing demands; it is imperative to promote necessary policy reforms and accelerate sustainable ocean management. Accelerating the transition to a

GOAP secretariat staff at UNOC

Eliza Northrop
GOAP Secretariat Director
The Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP)
UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform
International environmental lawyer specialising in ocean-climate solutions for zero-carbon transitions, sustainable ocean planning, natural resources governance. and policy and indigenous rights.
Dr. Phil James
GOAP Secretariat Director
The Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP)
UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform
Environmental economist with >15 yrs experience in policy and economics in 25 countries. Phil focuses on economic & social science aspects of ocean accounts, biodiversity & the blue economy.
Marianne Feoli
Research Associate
UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform
Building synergy and knowledge for ocean accounts in Latin America and the Caribbean. Focusing on sustainable transformation strategies, community empowerment, biodiversity credits and management.
Liz Holloway
Research Associate
UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform
Focusing on implementation and development policy and governance aligned with a sustainable ocean economy. Background in marine science and multi-sectoral partnerships.

Resources

What we heard, shared and saw delivered at the UN Ocean Conference
The world was watching the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in Nice with high expectations on what would be delivered for the worldโ€™s ocean. So, what was delivered? What is next?
The Pledge to Advance Ocean Accounts by 2030
Led by Costa Rica, the Pledge is open to countries and organisations that want to work together to strengthen the role of ocean accounting in governance.

Intro to the Pledge and how to sign

Joint Declaration: Pledge to advance Ocean Accounts by 2030
Signatories to the Pledge to advance Ocean Accounts by 2030

Signatories to the Pledge

GOAP Progress Report 2025
Progress report: How countries across global regions are moving ocean accounts from concept to implementation

Released June 9

Ocean Accounts
As ocean health declines countries need better information systems to manage ocean use, protect biodiversity, and address climate impacts.

What are Ocean Accounts?

Documents for download


UNOC events by GOAP Members and partners

Blue Economy and Finance Forum (Monaco) June 7-8 - Costa Ricaโ€™s Ocean Accounts by 2030 Initiative


Costa Ricaโ€™s Ocean Accounts by 2030 Initiative see program
June 7 11:35 โ€“ 11:45am
Ambassador Gina Guillen, Costa Ricaโ€™s presidential special envoy for the ocean, will give some background on the featured initiative: Costa Rica is pioneering the worldโ€™s first integrated ocean account, combining environmental, economic, and social data to transform marine governance. By the end of 2025, it aims to publish its ocean accounts roadmap, complete pilot accounts, and expand global support through the 2030 Pledge.

Dr. Phil James, Global Ocean Accounts Partnership, will then provide insight on the operational considerations behind the implementation of this initiative, and on the findings of the GOAPโ€™s publication โ€œNo hidden catch - Mainstreaming values of small-scale fisheries in national accounts"

Towards 100% Sustainable Coastal Management for a Resilient Blue Economy - Insights from a joint India - Norway Project on Marine Spatial Planning

8 June 09:00 - 10:30 | S/S Statsraad Lehmkuhl, Quai Port Hercule, Monaco

Lead organisers: Government of Norway and India

This session will showcase insights from the pilot Marine Spatial Plans for the Union Territory of Puducherry, India, highlighting innovative tools and methodologies that can be applied to coastal and ocean regions in developing spatial plans. It will also explore the diverse choices and challenges faced by different states and regions in implementing sustainable ocean planning. The INECO project (Indo-Norwegian Collaboration Project on Ecosystem Services and Accounting), part of the Indo Norwegian Blue Economy Task Force, will showcase ongoing work with respect to the first marine ecosystem accounting pilot it in India (Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary) following the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA).

GOAP Members involved: Norsk institutt for vannforskning (NIVA)

The Launching of Indonesia's Coral Bond and Its Underlying Strategic Activities

11 June 14:00 - 15:15 | Room 3, Blue Zone

Organisers: Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Indonesia, World Bank, Global Environment Facility, BNP Paribas, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

This event is soft launch of Indonesia Coral Bond Project and to share of perspectives and experiences from various stakeholders in sustainable ocean management.

GOAP Members involved: GOAP Co-Chair, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Indonesia

The 100% Alliance: Global Ocean, Global Goal

12 June 14:00 - 15:15 | Room 3, Blue Zone

Organisers: World Resources Institute, Government of Chile, Norway, Palau, France

This event will explore why 100% sustainable ocean management is crucial to safeguarding key ecosystems and securing a more equitable and prosperous future.

GOAP Members involved: GOAP Co-Chair, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Indonesia

Improving the Integration of Blue Carbon Ecosystems into Global and European Regulatory Frameworks

12 June 11:00 - 12:30 | S/S Statsraad Lehmkuhl Ship, Nice

Organisations: UNESCO-IOC, the International Partnership for Blue Carbon (IPBC), the JPI Oceans Knowledge Hub on Blue Carbon (Euro-BC), and the C-BLUES project

This event will bring together policymakers, researchers, and international organisations to explore pathways for improving the monitoring and integration of blue carbon habitats into international and European regulatory frameworks. It will address key regulatory challenges, showcase emerging solutions (including innovative financing mechanisms), and identify opportunities for scaling blue carbon initiatives. It will also highlight the role of cross-sectoral partnerships, such as the IPBC and Euro-BC. The event will feature presentations, a panel discussion, and a light lunch at the end of the event. 

GOAP Members involved: Norsk institutt for vannforskning (NIVA)