PHAROS Partner Attends United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice

• June 14, 2025

Eli Bonfill from the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), a key partner in the PHAROS project, represented the initiative at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, from 9-13 June 2025.

The conference, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, brought together UN member states, international agencies, civil society, and the private sector to accelerate action on Sustainable Development Goal 14 and conserve the ocean. UNOC3 focused on three main priorities: completing ocean-related multilateral processes, mobilizing funding for sustainable blue economy, and strengthening marine science knowledge for better policy-making.

New Collaborations for Blue Schools

During the conference, Bonfill discovered the “Aires Marines Éducatives” methodology from the Office Français de la Biodiversité, an innovative approach that enables pupils and teachers to manage small coastal zones in a participatory manner, similar to Marine Protected Areas.

Inspired by the Blue Schools work being done internationally with limited budgets, Bonfill connected with the team behind “The Mini 30×30 Challenge” and offered to collaborate by introducing the initiative to PHAROS partners working with schools and supporting engagement of new schools in the challenge.
Bonfill also attended the Global Blue Schools meeting as one of the Spanish Blue Schools Network coordinators, representing Spain’s efforts in marine education.

These connections align with PHAROS’s commitment to the Probleu EU Blue School Network platform for education, a key component of the project’s mission to restore marine ecosystems and biodiversity in the Atlantic and Arctic maritime regions.

The PHAROS project, funded with nearly €9.5 million in European funds and running from September 2024 to August 2029, aims to provide nature-based solutions for ocean restoration while supporting the European Union’s Ocean Mission objectives.