Egypt Partcipates in UNOC3

Egypt’s Minister of Environment, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, has arrived in the French city of Nice to participate in the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), where she is attending the opening session on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

The high-level conference, held from June 9 to 13, brings together government officials, international financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, researchers, civil society groups, and private sector representatives. Accompanying Fouad are Ambassador Heidi Serry, Egypt’s Consul General in Marseille, and Tamer Abu Ghrareh, the minister’s advisor for international cooperation.

The minister highlighted that this year's conference focuses on three key objectives: conserving marine biodiversity, preserving fish stocks, and advancing the global biodiversity framework’s 30x30 target — which aims to protect 30% of the world’s oceans and land by 2030. The conference also addresses challenges and opportunities tied to the 14th UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 14), which promotes the sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources.

One of the central themes of the conference is marine plastic pollution. Dr. Fouad emphasized the importance of this issue in light of ongoing international negotiations to establish a global treaty on plastic pollution (INC). The UNOC3 serves as a critical milestone in unifying global perspectives and national needs ahead of the fifth negotiating session (INC5), scheduled for August 2025 in Geneva.

As part of her role, Fouad is also moderating the first session of a high-level event marking the 50th anniversary of the Mediterranean Action Plan and the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Convention. This gathering of environment and biodiversity ministers, along with UN agency representatives, aims to announce ambitious national actions to protect the Mediterranean region, addressing the region’s “triple challenge” — climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, with a special focus on plastic waste.

The Egyptian minister will also take part in several side events focused on combating plastic pollution. These include a ministerial consultation on the future global treaty, with discussions on key treaty components such as product regulation, sustainable consumption and production, and financing. Another key event, "Scaling Up Solutions for a Plastic-Free Mediterranean" , will focus on tracking plastic pollution and strengthening international alliances for a cleaner and healthier Mediterranean Sea.

Egypt’s participation underscores its commitment to global environmental action and its growing leadership in addressing pressing challenges related to oceans and sustainable development.