World Oceans Day 2025 - Secretary-General's Message, António Guterres

The ocean covers most of our planet – and sustains all of it.  

Our ocean has not only shaped cultures, stirred imaginations, and inspired wonder across the ages. It supplies the air we breathe, the food we eat, the jobs we need, and the climate we count on.

But today, the ocean needs our help. The distress signals are clear – from plastic-choked waters to collapsing fish populations and loss of marine ecosystems, from rising temperatures to rising seas.

We must sustain what sustains us.

The illusion that the ocean can absorb limitless emissions and waste must end.

We must invest massively in science, conservation, and the sustainable blue economy – and extend far greater support to coastal communities, Indigenous Peoples and Small Island Developing States already bearing the brunt of climate change.  

And we must protect marine biodiversity, reject practices that inflict irreversible damage, and deliver on the promise of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement.  

The United Nations Ocean Conference that begins tomorrow will be a crucial moment to advance these priorities and renew the world’s collective promise to the ocean.  

I urge all governments and partners to deliver – with ambition, resources, and resolve.