On June 8, 2025, Hon. Éléonore Caroit and the French National Assembly hosted the Parliament of the Sea at the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen in Nice, France, to share effective legislative practices, coordinate legal efforts, and mobilize collective parliamentary action to address the challenges facing the world’s oceans. The primary objectives of the Parliament were to support the enforcement of the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and to establish the ocean as a political, diplomatic, and parliamentary priority. It sought to further highlight the critical role legislators have in effective marine governance.
Opening remarks were provided by Hon. Éléonore Caroit, Member of the French Parliament, Hon. Agnès Pannier-Runacher, French Minister for the Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forestry, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, and Hon. Arnoldo André Tinoco, Costa Rican Minister of Foreign Affairs. The first panel on Parliamentary leverage in protecting the ocean was chaired by Hon. Anna Gelderd, Member of the U.K. Parliament, with Hon. Hervé Berville, Member of French Parliament, Hon. Siti Hediati Hariyadi Soeharto, Member of Indonesian Parliament, and Hon. Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, Member of European Parliament, outlining the crucial role they play as parliamentarians standing at the forefront of ocean protection.
Hon. Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Senator for Rhode Island and Co-Chair of Senate Oceans Caucus
The second panel, moderated by Rosalie Mann, Founder and CEO of the No More Plastic Foundation, aimed to share effective legislative practices from parliamentarians. Panelists included Hon. Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Senator for Rhode Island and Co-Chair of Senate Oceans Caucus, Hon. Ricardo Lagos of the Chilean Parliament, and Hon. Philippe Bolo of the French Parliament. Throughout the remarks, the Parliamentarians discussed the bipartisan, multisectoral collaboration needed for effective ocean action. For example, the bipartisan Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act introduced by Senators Whitehouse (D-RI) and Sullivan (R-AK) was signed into law in the United States in 2020. It is described as the most comprehensive legislation to address the plastic debris crisis threatening marine and coastal ecosystems and communities. The Act creates the Marine Debris Foundation, enhances global engagement to combat marine debris, improves domestic infrastructure to prevent marine debris through grants, and studies waste management mitigation.
At the closure of the event, the Interparliamentary Coalition for Ocean Protection (ICOP) was launched with twenty-one countries, and a Legislative Pact was presented. This legislative package aims to protect the high and deep seas, develop a sustainable maritime economy, and promote scientific innovation and international governance. Members of the ICCF Group international parliamentary delegation joined the Coalition, marking an international commitment to deliver concrete solutions to promote a healthy marine ecosystem, strengthen maritime governance, and develop a sustainable blue economy.
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