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This week, the global community gathers in Nice for the UN Ocean Conference to reaffirm our collective commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 14: conserving and sustainably using our ocean, seas and marine resources.

Every wave that rolls onto C?te d’Azur carries a reminder of our interconnected world: microplastics from faraway continents, unprecedented ocean warming, and declining fish stocks. These are not abstract threats, but symptoms of a collective failure to safeguard the ocean, our planet’s shared lifeline. The ocean moderates the planet’s climate, feeds billions, and underpins economies large and small. Yet overfishing, marine pollution, acidification and sea-level rise are eroding these vital functions, especially for countries least able to absorb the shock: Small Island Developing States (SIDS), Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Land?Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs).

SIDS more aptly described as “large ocean States”, depend on healthy marine ecosystems for employment, income, and survival. In many, fisheries and marine tourism make up sizable shares of national income, with fish exports accounting for up to 70 percent of total exports. These States collectively oversee nearly 20 percent of the world’s Exclusive Economic Zones. For coastal LDCs, small?scale fisheries are a cornerstone of food security and livelihoods. And though LLDCs lack direct access to the ocean, they rely heavily on secure and efficient transit routes to reach global markets. Despite their deep connections to ocean resources, SIDS, LDCs, and LLDCs remain on the margins of global marine governance, constrained by limited financial, institutional, and scientific capacity. Recent global frameworks, however, offer a way forward: the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS, the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs and the Awaza Programme of Action for LLDCs, all highlight the centrality of the ocean to sustainable development.

These commitments are already being translated into action. Across many ocean basins, coalitions of small and vulnerable states are leading by example. In the Pacific, leaders have adopted the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, a blueprint that ties long?term economic resilience to a healthy ocean. In the Northern Pacific, the Micronesia Challenge 2030 commits five nations to conserve terrestrial and nearshore marine environments covering an area of 2.5 million square miles. In the Eastern Caribbean, the Caribbean Regional Oceanscape Project is mapping underwater wealth and guiding spatial plans, while the Caribbean Challenge Initiative has rallied governments and businesses around safeguarding at least 20 percent of near?shore habitats. In the Western Indian Ocean, island States are coordinating sustainable fisheries and coastal zone management under the Indian Ocean Commission. These are ambitious and forward-looking blueprints. What is needed now is the scale and support to match their ambition.

Three priorities stand out for the Nice conference.

1. Scale up access to blue finance

With an estimated $149 billion annual funding gap for SDG 14, ocean economies cannot survive and thrive on promises alone. The world’s first sovereign blue bond, issued by the Seychelles in 2018, raised $15 million for sustainable fisheries and showed that well-structured instruments can attract private capital. Blue bonds, blended?finance mechanisms and streamlined application processes are critical, particularly for the small?scale, community?driven projects in LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS. Pledges made in Nice must translate into capital commitments at two fast?approaching milestones: the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain this July, and the Third UN Conference on LLDCs (LLDC3) in Awaza, Turkmenistan this August.

2. Improve infrastructure and connectivity

For LLDCs, building green transit corridors and modern ports is critical to full participation in the blue economy. For SIDS and coastal LDCs, investment in sustainable fisheries infrastructure, marine biotechnology and aquaculture can diversify economies and create jobs. In West Africa, the Abidjan?Lagos coastal corridor is already upgrading ports and roads, trimming transit times and carbon emissions in five countries — proof that smart infrastructure can advance both trade and climate goals. Hazard warning systems, pledged under the UN “Early Warnings for All” initiative, must reach every LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS by 2027.

3. Strengthen scientific and technical cooperation

Inclusive access to ocean science and data allows countries to manage resources and respond to emerging threats — including implementation of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, and negotiations toward a global plastics treaty. Regional research alliances, integration of traditional knowledge and public?private partnerships can begin to fill persistent capacity gaps.

The private sector has an indispensable role. Through platforms such as the SIDS Global Business Network, entrepreneurs, governments and investors are collaborating on blue?economy innovation — particularly ventures led by women and youth, who help drive the sector’s start?up scene. Scaling these partnerships will unlock additional opportunities.

Supporting ocean action in LDCs, LLDCs, and SIDS is not an act of charity; it is an investment in global resilience and sustainability.

When we invest in those most dependent on the ocean - and most vulnerable to its decline - we strengthen the long-term health of the one ocean, we all share. When the ocean thrives, we all benefit.