Guest post by Adélaïde Landrier

On June 3^rd, 2025, my family was cheering for my graduation ceremony at McGill University (Montreal) and 4 days later I was in Nice, France attending the dream conference of my life in my home country: the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3).

This conference is held every three years to advance Sustainable Development Goal 14: life below water. It brings together world leaders, NGOs, scientists and private actors to accelerate ocean conservation action through policy commitment and innovative solutions to address crucial issues like climate change, overfishing, plastic pollution, coral bleaching and more.

For anyone who is passionate about the ocean, UNOC unites a community where everyone talks about the ocean, works for the ocean, and cares for the ocean. In Port Lympia, the Blue Zone hosted world political leaders who exposed their concerns and goals in daily plenaries and Ocean Action Panels centered around ten key ocean themes. Their discussions and negotiations led to the ‘Commitments of Nice for the ocean’ alongside hundreds of engagements announced by various states and actors.

As an Ocean Protection Ambassador pushing for a ban on bottom trawling in Europe’s marine protected areas, key commitments and moments that stood out to me include:

• French Polynesia’s announcement of the world’s largest marine protected area at more than 5 million square kilometers.
• 19 new countries announced their ratification of the High Seas Treaty, bringing total ratifications to 50 during the Conference and setting up the Treaty to secure the 60 ratifications needed to enter into force, ultimately creating a process for the creation of marine protected areas in the high seas.
• The Global Manifesto of Young Citizens of the Ocean, presented by youth representatives from around the world, including EarthEcho International’s youth leaders, affirmed that young people are not secondary actors but central to transforming the dominant paradigms of society for a systemic protection of our environment.

I personally had the honor of sharing my voice as a youth representative during the Blue Parks Awards hosted by the Marine Conservation Institute, celebrating marine protected area success stories while I also called on my own government to move beyond the weak gestures of strictly protecting 4% of French marine protected areas and to advancing impactful ocean protection. Being among these champions was a deeply meaningful and heartfelt moment as I carried the voices of countless young peers who dedicate themselves daily to defending the ocean through all kinds of channels and initiatives.

We know that it doesn’t take a seasoned professional to make a difference for the ocean. On the contrary, UNOC3 made it clear that youth already act as vital agents of change. We carry the vision of tomorrow, challenge elitist structures, help shape a more engaged civil society, and bear daily witness to the rapid decline of our planet and ocean - a reality that we’ve faced since birth. 

On another side of Nice, the Green Zone swarmed with communal and engaging spaces, bringing together key marine stakeholders of the world. Across various local venues, side events showcased ongoing projects and innovations for the ocean.

The first day, I participated and raised my voice at the Blue March for the Ocean alongside Seas at Risk and our EarthEcho International team. It was a meaningful way to kick off the conference and demonstrate that civil society was united and determined. With the team, we spent a lot of time at the Palais des Expositions which had been transformed into ‘The Whale’. We connected with partners, met the Cousteau family, built new connections with other attendees and took breaks to absorb the wealth of information around us. Honestly, the biggest challenge was to remember to eat lunch as we were always caught in the whirlwind of events and conversations!

Overall, UNOC3 was a truly unique opportunity which enabled me to meet people that will further support my campaign by providing valuable information, tools to reach policymakers, and support for education events. In the midst of formal and high-political events, what mattered the most was grabbing a coffee at the Ocean Basecamp or paddle boarding with a bunch of strangers because that’s how you met people that resembled you and identified with your projects for the ocean.

It made me realize that as policy moves slowly, we have to keep acting from the bottom. We have to keep changing our consumption mindsets, keep empowering local management, keep restoring what we’ve destroyed and keep broadcasting ocean images to rally as many people as possible!

Big thanks to EarthEcho International for the opportunity and to our amazing coordinators and partners who made this experience a springboard for our ocean careers!

Adélaïde Landrier is an EU Ocean Protection Ambassador with EarthEcho International from France and a recent graduate of McGill University.