? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Remarks by the President of the? Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly
H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang
Opening of the United Nations Ocean Conference?

Monday, 9 June 2025

[Scroll down for English version]
Excellences,
Mesdames et Messieurs,
Je suis honor¨¦ de m¡¯adresser ¨¤ la Troisi¨¨me Conf¨¦rence des Nations Unies sur les Oc¨¦ans.
Je f¨¦licite la France et le Costa Rica, pour leur engagement en faveur d¡¯une meilleure gestion des oc¨¦ans.
Cette conf¨¦rence marque une nouvelle ¨¦tape dans nos efforts visant ¨¤ prot¨¦ger les oc¨¦ans.
Nous nous r¨¦unissons ¨¤ quelques semaines de la c¨¦l¨¦bration du 80¨¨me anniversaire de la Charte des Nations Unies.
Nous avons le devoir de pr¨¦server les Oc¨¦ans. Et le moment d¡¯agir, c¡¯est maintenant.
Heureusement, nous disposons d¡¯une base solide ¨¤ partir de laquelle nous devrions avancer.
Plusieurs engagements pris lors de la Conf¨¦rence sur les Oc¨¦ans de 2022 ont ¨¦t¨¦ concr¨¦tis¨¦s.
Plus de 2000 engagements volontaires ont ¨¦t¨¦ enregistr¨¦s par les Gouvernements, la soci¨¦t¨¦ civile et le secteur priv¨¦.
L¡¯Accord sur la conservation et l¡¯utilisation durable de la biodiversit¨¦ marine dans les zones ne relevant pas d¡¯une juridiction nationale, adopt¨¦ en 2023, a constitu¨¦ une avanc¨¦e majeure pour la conservation des oc¨¦ans.
L¡¯¨¦lan autour de la D¨¦cennie des Nations Unies pour les sciences oc¨¦aniques au service du d¨¦veloppement durable continue de cro?tre.
Je salue les pays qui ont :
-Renforc¨¦ les aires marines prot¨¦g¨¦es,
-Pris des mesures contre la pollution plastique,
-Et investi dans la restauration des ¨¦cosyst¨¨mes c?tiers.
Dans ce contexte, je me r¨¦jouis que le Chef de l¡¯Etat du Cameroun, Son Excellence Paul Biya, ait accept¨¦ d¡¯organiser, sous son patronage, la conf¨¦rence internationale sur la gestion durable de l¡¯¨¦conomie bleue dans le Golfe de Guin¨¦e, qui se tiendra du 10 au 11 juillet ¨¤ Yaound¨¦.
Excellences,
Toutes les initiatives que nous prenons en faveur des oc¨¦ans visent le d¨¦veloppement durable dans ses trois dimensions : ¨¦conomique, sociale et environnementale.
Et les enjeux sont importants pour les pays en d¨¦veloppement en g¨¦n¨¦ral, et pour les petits ?tats insulaires en particulier.
Depuis des mill¨¦naires, ces nations s¡¯appuient sur les oc¨¦ans comme voies de commerce, sources de tourisme, r¨¦serves alimentaires, liens avec des cultures anciennes, et ressources vitales pour leur survie.
Pour r¨¦ussir, nous devons financer nos ambitions.
Et nous devons le faire ensemble.
Nous ne pouvons ignorer que l¡¯Objectif de d¨¦veloppement durable num¨¦ro 14 est l¡¯un des moins financ¨¦s.
Acc¨¦l¨¦rer l¡¯action en faveur des oc¨¦ans n¨¦cessite des financements importants et accessibles, notamment gr?ce au respect des engagements existants.
Cela exige ¨¦galement le renforcement des moyens de mise en ?uvre pour les pays en d¨¦veloppement.
J¡¯attends donc avec int¨¦r¨ºt l¡¯adoption de la d¨¦claration politique de la Conf¨¦rence, que j¡¯ai eu l¡¯honneur de pr¨¦senter, gr?ce ¨¤ l¡¯excellente coordination des Repr¨¦sentants permanents de l¡¯Australie et du Cabo Verde, ainsi que les engagements volontaires qui seront annonc¨¦s ici dans les prochains jours.
J¡¯esp¨¨re ¨¦galement des r¨¦sultats ambitieux ¨¤ la Quatri¨¨me Conf¨¦rence internationale sur le financement du d¨¦veloppement, dans les prochaines semaines.
Excellences,
L¡¯avenir de nos oc¨¦ans est entre nos mains.
Ici ¨¤ Nice, r¨¦affirmons que la coop¨¦ration internationale op¨¨re efficacement et qu¡¯elle est indispensable pour assurer un avenir meilleur pour tous.
Je vous remercie.
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English version
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honoured to address the Third United Nations Ocean Conference.
I commend France and Costa Rica for their commitment to better ocean management.
This conference marks a new step in our efforts to protect the oceans.
We are meeting just weeks before celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations.
We have a duty to preserve the oceans.
And the time to act is now.
Fortunately, we have a strong foundation on which we should build.
Several commitments made at the 2022 Ocean Conference have been realised.
Over 2,000 voluntary commitments have been recorded by Governments, civil society and the private sector.
Moreover, the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, adopted in 2023, was a major step forward for ocean conservation.
Momentum around the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development continues to grow.
I commend the countries that have:
  • Strengthened marine protected areas,
  • Taken action against plastic pollution,
  • And invested in the restoration of coastal ecosystems.
In this context, I am pleased that the Head of State of Cameroon, His Excellency Paul Biya, has agreed to host, under his patronage, the International Conference on the Blue Economy in the Gulf of Guinea, which will be held from July 10 to 11 in Yaound¨¦.
Excellencies,
All the initiatives we undertake in favour of the oceans aim at sustainable development in its three dimensions:? economic, social and environmental.
And the stakes are high for developing countries in general, and for Small Island States in particular.
For millennia, these nations have relied upon oceans as trade routes, sources of tourism, food reserves, links to ancient cultures and vital resources for their survival.
To succeed, we must finance our ambitions.
And we must do it, together.
We cannot ignore that Sustainable Development Goal 14 is one of the least funded.
Accelerating ocean action requires significant and accessible funding including through the fulfilment of existing commitments.
It also requires strengthening the means of implementation for developing countries.
I therefore look forward to the adoption of the Conference¡¯s political declaration that I had the honour to present thanks to the excellent coordination of the Permanent Representatives of Australia and Cabo Verde, as well as the voluntary commitments that will be announced in the coming days.
I also hope for ambitious outcomes at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, in the coming weeks.
Excellencies,
The future of our oceans is in our hands.
Here in Nice, let us reaffirm that international cooperation works effectively and is essential to ensuring a better future for all.
I thank you.
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