The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) will hold a five-day event from Monday, June 9 to Friday, June 13, connecting the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, with the Blue Ocean Dome at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai in Japan via live broadcast. The event will explore what is necessary to achieve sustainable oceans. Particularly noteworthy is the opportunity for key stakeholders participating in the UN Ocean Conference to share their perspectives with Japan and the world.
The Third UN Ocean Conference will focus on key issues such as ocean conservation, ocean science, financing, marine pollution control, sustainable fisheries, ocean economics, climate change and marine biodiversity, regional cooperation, food security, and the Law of the Sea, and will adopt an outcome document defining future initiatives.
This year is poised to become an “Ocean Super Year,” with several important international conferences scheduled to be held in addition to the UN Ocean Conference. These include the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (August, Yokohama), and COP30 (November, Brazil). Additionally, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which began in 2021, has reached its midpoint, reinforcing global momentum for ocean-related initiatives.
With its Ocean Policy Research Institute, SPF is committed to building a more peaceful world through ocean-centered solutions. By promoting evidence-based policy and enhancing international collaboration, the foundation supports ocean conservation efforts worldwide. UN Ocean Conference Week, connecting Nice and the Blue Ocean Dome via live broadcast, is a key initiative within this broader mission. We invite you to join us in exploring the future of our planet, ocean, people, and society through this weeklong event.
| Date/Time | Title | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| June 9 (Mon) 15:00 – 15:45 | One Ocean Science Congress – Achievements and challenges |
Vidar Helgesen (Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO) Yutaka Michita (Chair, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, UNESCO-IOC) |
| June 10 (Tues) 15:00 – 15:45 | Blue Economy and Finance Forum – Outcome overview and future perspectives | Ilana Seid (Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations and Co- chairs the Blue Economy and Finance Forum, BEFF Steering Committee) |
| June 11 (Wed) 15:00 – 18:30 | UNOC3 – Side Event For a sustainable ocean – Forging social collaboration and international partnership from Nice and beyond | Visit the event page for details. |
| June 12 (Thurs) 15:00 – 15:45 | UNOC3 – Private sector actions and social collaboration |
Alfred Giron (Head, World Economic Forum's Ocean Action Agenda and Friends of Ocean Action) Atsushi Sunami (President, Sasakawa Peace Foundation) |
| June 13 (Fri) 15:00 – 15:45 | UNOC3 – Outcome, challenges and future perspectives |
Mr. Peter William Thomson (UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean) Atsushi Sunami (President, Sasakawa Peace Foundation) |