Philippines Elected Vice President at 3rd UN Oceans Conference; Highlights Need for Marine Environmental Protection and Adherence to International Law
DFA Assistant Secretary Marshall Louis Alferez represented the Philippines as Vice President of the UNOC 3 Plenary.
MANILA 16 June 2025 — At the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) recently held from 09 to 13 June 2025 in Nice, France, the Philippines was elected Vice President and highlighted key Philippine interests in the ocean space, particularly marine environmental conservation and adherence to international law.
The Philippine delegation was led by Undersecretary Drusila Ester Bayate of the Department of Agriculture (DA), and co-led by Undersecretary Marlo Iringan of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). They were accompanied by Assistant Secretary Marshall Louis Alferez of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), who represented the Philippines as Vice President of the UNOC 3 Plenary, and key officials from the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), UP Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI), the local governments of Navotas and General Santos City, and the Philippine Embassy in Paris and the Philippine Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.
As Vice President, the Philippines helped steer discussions among delegations, international organizations and civil society groups on the clear need to protect and sustain the ocean amid increasing challenges caused by climate change and human activities, including through strengthening cooperation at the regional and international levels, sustaining support to developing countries for capacity-building and technologies, exploring new initiatives to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14, and upholding the primacy of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the Constitution of the Ocean.
In the Plenary, DILG Undersecretary Iringan delivered the Philippine country statement, which focused on the Philippines’ domestic initiatives toward sustainable ocean governance and marine environmental conservation, including substantial progress made in protecting marine biodiversity, addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as a responsible fishing nation, and reducing marine plastic pollution.
He announced the Philippines’ new voluntary commitments aimed at demonstrating the country’s commitment to a healthy ocean, as follows:
- The Philippines will target a total of 80 million kilograms of plastic waste to be prevented from reaching, or removed from, the marine environment by 2030;
- The Philippines will promote and support partnerships between Local Government and Coastal Communities to support long-term ecological and economic resilience by 2028, particularly efforts to protect coral reefs and marine turtle nesting sites; and,
- The Philippines will intensify engagement with the youth and grassroots sectors to foster ocean literacy and a culture of responsibility towards marine conservation, including through creative activities like sports, community dialogues and youth programs.
Undersecretary Iringan added that UNOC3’s Political Declaration will be a springboard for the Philippines’ various stakeholders to actively participate in building a “bluer economy that ensures equity, strengthens food security, and enhances resilience to climate impacts.” He also reiterated the Philippines’ support for the early entry into force and effective implementation of the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), as well as the push to conclude a global plastics treaty.
The Philippine delegation actively participated in the Plenary Sessions, the ten Ocean Action Panels, and several side events in the conference, which were opportunities to assert key Philippine positions in the fields of ocean governance, marine biodiversity preservation and protection, blue economy, ocean literacy and maritime security.
Speaking at the Ocean Action Panel on the effective implementation of UNCLOS, Assistant Secretary Alferez reaffirmed the Philippines’ unwavering advocacy of a rules-based order in the ocean, especially with UNCLOS as the legal framework for all activities in the ocean and the main cornerstone of ocean governance. He called on all states to comply with decisions rendered through the compulsory dispute settlement mechanisms under UNCLOS, such as the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, and to respect the advisory opinions that provide legal clarity to UNCLOS provisions, such as the 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea on climate change and international law. He also emphasized the paramount importance of multilateralism and cooperation, as opposed to unilateral action by countries.
Held every three years, the UNOC is a gathering of relevant stakeholders from governments, the United Nations system, non-profit organizations, civil society, and the scientific community, with the aim of supporting further diverse, bold and stronger actions that form successful partnerships towards the swift and effective implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 to "conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.”
Since its participation in the first UNOC in 2017, the Philippines has been consistently advocating integrated, inclusive and science-based approaches to ocean conservation in pursuing the meaningful achievement of SDG14.
The Fourth UNOC will be held in 2028 co-chaired by Chile and the Republic of Korea. END
Philippine Co-Head of Delegation DILG Undersecretary Iringan delivers the Philippine Country Statement at the UNOC3 Plenary.
(Front row, right to left) Undersecretary Drusila E. Bayate (DA-BFAR), lead of Philippine delegation, Undersecretary Marlo L. Iringan (DILG), co-lead of delegation, (Back row, left to right) Assistant Secretary Louis Alferez (DFA-MOAO), and Deputy Chief of Mission Eric Tamayo of the Philippine Embassy in Paris