PARIS, June 11, 2025 (WAFA)- The State of Palestine participated on Wednesday in the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of France and Costa Rica, in Nice, France.

The conference aims to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14, concerned with the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources.

The Palestinian delegation was headed by the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, and included the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to France, Hala Abu Hasira.

In his address to the conference, Mansour affirmed the State of Palestine's commitment to multilateral governance of the oceans and the protection of marine ecosystems, emphasizing the need for equitable provision of funding and resources to developing countries and coastal communities, including indigenous peoples.

He also pointed to the threats looming over the international order, citing the systematic destruction of Gaza, including the destruction of Gaza’s ecosystem and biodiversity, as a blatant example of disregard for international environmental and humanitarian law and a challenge to justice and humanity.

Mansour affirmed the State of Palestine's commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and to the role of international institutions, such as the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, in consolidating the principles of environmental justice and international law.

He stated that Palestine's participation in this international forum stems from its ongoing commitment to actively contributing to addressing global environmental issues and defending the rights of peoples, including the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, who are deprived of their most basic environmental and human rights, to sustainable development and living in dignity,

The delegation also participated in the Mediterranean Forum, organized by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the sidelines of the conference, and met with the foreign ministers of France, Tunisia, and Brazil, the Iraqi Prime Minister, and the Prince of Monaco. The delegation urged the Prince of Monaco that his country follow the suit of France and recognize the State of Palestine.

Mansour also met with several international officials to update them on preparations for the high-level international conference on the implementation of the two-state solution, to be held at the United Nations headquarters in New York next week.

He met with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to whom he conveyed President Mahmoud Abbas’ greetings. Da Silva affirmed that Palestine, and Gaza in particular, are present in all his meetings with world leaders, reiterating his steadfast support for the Palestinian cause.

A.D./ K.F.