Oceans and coastlines are critical to many Commonwealth countries which is why the UN Oceans Conference 2025 was so important, in particular, to Small Island Developing States (SIDs) that feel the impact of ocean and coastal changes so directly. The theme of the 2025 event was Accelerating action and mobilising all actors to converse and sustainably use the ocean.

Local government has a key role to play in environmental stewardship and the lives and livelihoods of many of their citizens depend on the health of our oceans.

The Conference saw many pledges and commitments on a huge range of issues, set out in the Nice Ocean Action Plan but also a strong focus on implementation, which will be critical for many Commonwealth member states.

Li Junhua, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the summit declared that the historic week closed, “not just with hope, but with concrete commitment, clear direction, and undeniable momentum”. He concluded by saying that “the waves of change have formed”, but, “It is now our collective responsibility to propel them forward – for our people, our planet, and future generations.”

ICLEI, which has a leading role in representing local and regional government in climate advocacy, was in Nice with a delegation of local government representatives and in her recent blog, Head of Global Communications at ICLEI Ariel Dekovic, sets out some of the reasons why oceans and ocean health is important for cities and local governments.

Our Oceans:

• Cover over 70% of the planet
• Produce at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen
• Are home to most of earth’s biodiversity
• Provide the main source of protein for 1 billion people
• Absorb about 30% of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming

Image courtesy of ICLEI