Speeches by Presidents Costa and von der Leyen at the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference

Speech by President António Costa at the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference general debate The Ocean is the blue heart of our planet. It is essential for fighting climate change and for bringing together people from different continents, who share a common heritage of humankind. And that is why we are here today. We have a diagnosis, we have heard the clear messages from our planet and we know that the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss is increasingly acute. It is no longer the time for diagnosis. It is time to act and the European Union is acting. In March, the European Council agreed to take joint European action to promote ocean health and governance. First of all, we need to act at European level. Through the European Ocean Pact presented by the Commission, which will provide us with a cross-cutting, science-based approach: from environmental protection to the blue economy, from research to security. Secondly, we need to act at international level. Through our strong support for the High Seas Treaty, which the European Union has already ratified and in which at least 9 member states have pledged to play their part so that it can enter into force by the end of the year. And finally, we need to act at multilateral level. By supporting the United Nations, because only at the multilateral level can we tackle the global issues facing humanity. And we are here to say we support the Sustainable Development Goals, the achievement of the...