The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution on Tuesday designating South Korea and Chile as co-hosts for the 2028 U.N. Ocean Conference during a plenary meeting in New York. The vote passed 169-2 with no abstentions, opposed by the United States and Argentina. The event focuses on implementing Sustainable Development Goal 14, 'Life Below Water'.
The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution on Dec. 9, 2025 (local time), during a plenary meeting at its New York headquarters, designating South Korea and Chile as co-hosts for the fourth U.N. Ocean Conference (UNOC) scheduled for June 2028 in Korea. The resolution is titled '2028 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.' It passed by a vote of 169-2 with no abstentions, with the United States and Argentina casting the opposing votes.
The conference is a triennial event co-hosted by a developed and a developing country, focusing on progress toward SDG 14, 'Life Below Water'—one of the 17 SDGs addressing global challenges like climate change and poverty. South Korea's Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Chun Jae-soo, stated during Monday's assembly session that the 2028 event 'will mark a crucial milestone' two years before the 2030 SDG target year. He added, '2028 will be a defining moment in which all stakeholders, including governments, civil society, the private sector and the U.N. system, can come together to catalyze more effective collaboration and concrete action for the sustainable use and conservation of our ocean.'
General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, former German foreign minister, urged building on current momentum en route to the fourth UNOC in 2028 to advance the SDG. On Monday, she said, 'Let us use these opportunities to strengthen our collective stewardship and to reaffirm that the governance of the oceans is not merely a technical exercise, but a moral and practical imperative.'
Prior conferences include the first in 2017 co-hosted by Sweden and Fiji, the second in 2022 by Portugal and Kenya, and the third in 2025 by France and Costa Rica in France, which attracted about 15,000 participants including 55 high-level officials. The adoption of this resolution is expected to bolster international cooperation on ocean conservation.
