Overview

• The conference opened with a maritime parade and drew more than 50 heads of state to address threats from overfishing, pollution and climate change.
• Delegates are under pressure to secure financial commitments to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030, up from roughly eight percent currently designated.
• This week Samoa announced nine new marine parks that bring 30 percent of its national waters under protection as a model for other nations.
• France is spearheading a push for a deep-sea mining moratorium ahead of the International Seabed Authority meeting in July, and the United States is not sending a delegation under President Trump.
• Pacific Island nations are demanding greater financial assistance to combat rising seas, marine debris and the depletion of vital fisheries.