From 9 to 13 June 2025, 120 heads of state and more than 20,000 delegates will be attending the UN conference on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources in Nice. 

The overarching theme is ‘Accelerating action and mobilising all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean’, to identify further ways and means to support the implementation of SDG 14. It builds on the previous UN Ocean Conferences, hosted by Sweden and Fiji in 2017 in New York and by Portugal and Kenya in 2022 in Lisbon.

All 193 countries members of the UN will be represented and there will be a session at ministerial level. In bringing together all relevant stakeholders the event will attract thousands of diplomats and other delegates.

Travel restrictions
The security will therefore be extremely heavy, not only in Nice but within a larger perimeter. This on land but also at sea. From informal discussions with the French maritime authorities, Professional Yachting Association (PYA) understands that the zone between Villeneuve-Loubet and St Jean Cap Ferrat will be heavily restricted to navigation; it will provide more details as soon as they are made available.

Risks to yachts
Before joining the PYA, for nearly 25 years Christophe Bourillon was a negotiator at the United Nations Conferences on Climate change, and he advises that these United Nations conferences attract not only the world’s media but also a large number of environmental NGOs who stage events at, or near these UN meetings, to gain maximum media coverage.

He warns that given the growing controversial public image of superyachts, there is a risk NGOs may organise demonstrations against superyachts during the conference, in Nice or in nearby ports and harbours (from Cannes to Menton). PYA therefore encourages yacht crew and management companies to consider this fact, and develop contingency plan, should their yachts be targeted.

Profile links

Professional Yachting Association

Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.