12/05/2026
Opening of the Melanesian Ocean Summit, speech by the French ambassador in PNG :
Hon. Prime minister, Heads of States and Governments, Heads of delegations, members of the Diplomatic Corps, dear colleagues and friends,
As you know, and as you can assess after the 3rd UN Ocean conference that took place in Nice in June 2025, and from all the actions that the President of the French Republic took as far as the Ocean is concerned, and the leading role he took to obtain the signature and the ratification of the BBNJ, France is attached to the full preservation of the Ocean as a means of livelihood, freedom and survival of the whole planet.
In co-hosting UNOC3, alongside Costa Rica, France managed an exceptional international mobilization for the protection of the Ocean, ten years after COP21 and the Paris Agreement. With more than 60 heads of States and governments, and even more ministers, its main outcome, the Nice Ocean Action Plan, a political declaration with voluntary commitments from all stakeholders has a particular impact in the Pacific. And the Pacific, with the biggest Ocean, has the biggest impact on the implementation of this outcome.
Our joint action to reverse the dreadful degradation of the health of the ocean with our joint commitment to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, and the adoption of the High Seas treaty, or BBNJ agreement, are a true testimony of our contribution to the protection of more than half of the planet. In this regard, I would also like to take this opportunity today to emphasize the importance of this ratification, and the major role of the BBNJ in the effective implementation of the corridor project you are currently promoting.
The “One Ocean Science Congress”, held right before the UNOC, brought together two thousand international scientists. Their recommendations were adopted and are now part of the Nice Ocean action plan including those of a better knowledge of the deep sea. But all of these need financing as SDG 14 is the less funded of all SDGs. The blue economy and finance forum in Monaco accelerated and scaled up concrete solutions for ocean protection.
Honorable Prime minister, France, as a stakeholder in the Pacific, abides by the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific. Given the extent of the EEZ (exclusive economic zone) that is managed through its territories (New-Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna) in the Pacific, 6.5 million km2, and the great care that it puts in this management, France is a major contributor to the sustainability, prosperity and security of the Region.
Our active participation in the regional organizations, in order to support conservation, durable management of the fishery resources and regional cooperation, freedom of navigation and full preservation of the Ocean is at the heart of our dedication to the prosperity and security of the peoples in the Pacific.
Let’s recall that France’s continuous support to the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA)by deploying navy vessels and patrol aircrafts in FFA operations represent an average of 130 days at sea and 50 hours of flight time each year, with a cost of 2 million euros per year. Every two years French armed forces in the Pacific organize and host the large scale HADR exercise « Croix du Sud » which last year brought together 2,000 men and women from 19 different nations, including Pacific ones, plus their equipment, deployed from New Caledonia to Wallis and Futuna
In addition, the New Caledonia and French Polynesia Maritime Information Fusion Centres, which expertise are recognised throughout the region, contribute to the full maritime monitoring of the Pacific Ocean. Those two centres participate, with analysts, in any type of operations, supporting French deployed units throughout the Pacific.
On funding, with the 5 billion euros France spends yearly on average in the Pacific for New-Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna, France contributes to the protection of the Pacific Ocean and to all dedicated regional organisations in the region.
On marine protected areas, with the long lasting commitments by French Polynesia and New Caledonia to protect their EEZs, with the qualification, in Nice, by French Polynesia, of its whole EEZ, 5 million km2 as a marine protected area and the same project in Wallis and Futuna, with the creation in New-Caledonia, in 2014 of the Coral Sea Natural Park, which encompasses the entire EEZ (1.3 million km²), where regulations are in place to protect the natural heritage and which includes “high-protection zones” in the form of nature reserves (10% of the EEZ), with the adoption in April 2025 of a 50-year moratorium on the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources on the continental shelf of New Caledonia, our contribution is exemplary.
With such proactive local public policies, the monitoring and oversight measures implemented by the government in this context, and France’s four-pronged regional strategy, the Pacific can count on us:
For constantly strengthening France’s overseas communities in the Pacific, to the benefit of the entire region,
For consolidating the sovereignty partnerships with countries in the region, both in the fields of security and defence as well as in those of the economy, climate, and health;
For supporting multilateralism based on international law, as embodied in the various international organizations in the region, foremost among them ASEAN;
For supporting the European Union’s strategy in the region and contributing to the implementation of European capacity-building programs such as CRIMARIO III (Indo-Pacific Project for Critical Maritime Routes). French air and maritime surveillance assets are deployed in offshore areas and thus serve the entire Pacific region, particularly in the fight against drug trafficking as the regular seizure of drugs transiting by sea by New Zealand, Australian, and French authorities in New Caledonia (2.5 tons of drugs in June, 76 tons of ci******es in January) underscores the need to maintain a proactive intelligence posture and a NARCOPS response capability.
Honourable Prime Minister, on behalf of France, which will have the honor of welcoming you next week in Paris, I would like to commend Papua New Guinea’s initiative, which enables the Melanesian communities—and beyond—to come together today around a common, vital goal that is in line with the highest aspirations and most ambitious commitments of the international community.
France, a permanent member of the Security Council, is both your friend and your neighbour, as you recently emphasized in Papua New Guinea’s new foreign policy white paper. This binds us in many ways. We share the same vision; we share the same values. You can count on us.
