The United Nations Ocean Conference 2025, currently underway in Nice, France, serves as a crucial barometer for the health of our planet's most vital ecosystem. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres starkly warned, we cannot allow the deepest oceans to "become the wild west." This summit, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, is a complex tapestry of scientific urgency, economic ambitions, and geopolitical maneuvering, aiming to accelerate action and mobilize all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean, particularly in support of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14). Amid the Mediterranean charm, UNOC3 became a battleground of geopolitical rivalries, economic power plays, and conflicting environmental ideologies. This deep-dive dissects the agenda, barriers, outcomes—and Pakistan’s surprisingly assertive role. The Agenda: A Three-Pronged Approach The 2025 conference agenda is structured around three main priorities, culminating in an ambitious Nice Ocean ...