Bermeo Tuna World Capital brings the local blue economy to the World Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice

Press Release

Together with UN Etxea, Hawaii, Parana, Shizuoka and with the support of the Local 2030 Coalition, Bermeo Tuna will lead the round table on local actions as a basis for a sustainable blue economy.

Bermeo, 2^nd June, 2025. – On the eve of the third edition of the World Ocean Conference (UNOC3), to be held from 9 to 13 June 2025 in Nice, France, Bermeo Tuna World Capital (Bermeo Tuna) has been selected to organise a high-level side event, in this case, entitled: ‘Local transformation for global impact: Sustainable blue economy and multi-stakeholder governance to advance SDG14’.

The UN Oceans Conference is the leading international forum for addressing the challenges facing marine and coastal ecosystems. In this edition, there is an urgent call to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Underwater Life), which aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

The event organised by Bermeo Tuna, which will be part of the official programme of side events of the Conference, puts at the centre of the debate the importance of local action and territorial governance as fundamental pillars to achieve a sustainable blue economy. Through concrete experiences from territories such as Euskadi (Spain), Paraná (Brazil), Shizuoka (Japan) and Hawaii (USA), it will be demonstrated how collaboration between local and regional authorities can help to achieve a sustainable blue economy.

During the event, voluntary commitments aligned with the 2030 Agenda will be presented, such as the International Declaration for Tuna Sustainability, promoted by BTWC. This initiative seeks to bring together global commitments to protect marine ecosystems and ensure the future of the tuna value chain, a vital resource whose exploitation is close to reaching maximum sustainable yield.

In addition, synergies between territories will be explored to promote blue circular economies, regenerative tourism and ocean solutions adapted to local and cultural contexts.

This side event is the result of an international alliance between Local Hubs of the United Nations Local2030 Coalition, whose global secretariat is based in Bilbao, including UN Etxea (Euskadi), which will act as moderator of the panel, Paraná 2030 (Brazil), Shizuoka Hub (Japan), Hawaii Green Growth (USA) and the United Nations Local2030 Coalition, to demonstrate that ocean sustainability is not only decided in global forums, but is built from the ports, communities and territories that live from the sea.

The speakers at the round table will be:

• Maitane Leizaola, Director of Bermeo Tuna World Capital, as Hub Euskadi 2030.
• Prof. Allan Paul Krelling, Paraná 2030 Hub
• Prof. Masahiro Hashimoto, Shizuoka Hub
• Celeste Connors, CEO of Hawaii Green Growth and Co-President of Local2030 Islands Network
• Arantzazu Acha, UN Etxea – Basque Country Association for UNESCO, moderator.

The event will take place at the end of the second day of the conference, on 10th june, at 6:30 p.m. at the Holte Nice Beau Rivage.

Registration is required on the Bermeo Tuna website:

https://bermeotuna.org/en/unoc3/

Contact:

Leire Egiarte

Bermeo Tuna World Capital – Head of Communications

legiarte@bermeotunaworldcapital.org

Tlf: +34 671 700 474