By Ruth Dabo 
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the world is failing to protect the ocean, calling for urgent and transformative action to reverse environmental decline and restore marine ecosystems.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, Guterres said the ocean, which produces half of the world’s oxygen and supports over 600 million livelihoods, is being threatened by overfishing, pollution, and the effects of climate change.
“The ocean is our planet’s ultimate shared resource, but we are failing it,” he said. “Fish stocks are collapsing, plastic pollution is choking ecosystems, and carbon emissions are heating and acidifying the seas.”
The Secretary-General stressed the need for swift implementation of existing international commitments, including the ratification of the new High Seas Treaty on marine biodiversity and the conclusion of a global agreement to end