Co-producing ocean actionable knowledge for transformative solutions and global cooperation

Prepared by the International Science Council (ISC) and its ocean expert group for the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC-3), co-chaired by France and Costa Rica and taking place from 9 to 13 June in Nice, France, the brief outlines key considerations for the scientific community and policy-makers to ensure that integrated ocean science underpins global efforts toward sustainability and resilience.

The brief highlights the ocean’s transformative potential to generate co-benefits across multiple interconnected global challenges, including climate, biodiversity, equity and peace. Showcasing real-world case studies, the brief demonstrates how collaborative, science-driven approaches are driving cross-sectoral collaboration, holistic solutions and ocean science diplomacy.

Co-producing ocean actionable knowledge for transformative solutions and global cooperation

International Science Council (2025). Co-producing ocean actionable knowledge for transformative solutions and global cooperation. Paris.

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Key messages

1. The ocean faces escalating threats from a multitude of co-occurring and interacting stressors, pushing it towards critical tipping points. Through the degradation of marine ecosystems, these threats could trigger irreversible changes undermining Earth’s stability, with cascading impacts for global climate, food security, social equity and human wellbeing. As these pressures intensify, they demand urgent action to prevent further degradation of the ocean and its critical role in maintaining planetary stability.
2. Safeguarding ocean resilience offers a unique opportunity to generate co-benefits that address multiple global challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and poverty. Strengthening ocean health is therefore integral to advancing sustainable development, improving social equity and enhancing community wellbeing worldwide.
3. Effective governance and sustainable management require integrated, science-based approaches that bridge disciplines, sectors and actors. Within these approaches, transdisciplinary, participatory research drawing from diverse knowledge systems –including local and Indigenous knowledge – is essential for fostering collaboration and innovation, and delivering positive and synergistic ocean health that supports societal needs.
4. Protecting the ocean is a strategic imperative for promoting global peace and cooperation. Science can provide a platform for building trust and diplomacy, and addressing inequalities in access to knowledge, capacity and decision-making. Collaborative science in particular can foster mutual understanding, reduce tensions, and support fair and equitable participation for inclusive ocean governance.
5. Securing the ocean’s role as a foundation for human wellbeing and planetary stability requires urgent, coordinated action. In ensuring such action is effective, strategic investments in scientific capacity, technology transfer, and the sharing of data and knowledge are crucial – especially in the context of a fragmented geopolitical landscape with leadership and funding vacuums.