The Ocean Can’t Wait

As the world gathers in Nice for the third United Nations Ocean Conference, Voice of Commons host Giulia Foscari sits down with Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, for a wide-ranging and urgent conversation on the state of our blue Planet. From the long-awaited ratification of the High Seas Treaty to the global effort to achieve the 30x30 target, and the critical delivery of SDG14 — Life Below Water — this episode traces the decisions and alliances needed to turn international commitments into real protection for the Ocean. Recorded from the Planetary Embassy in Venice, the dialogue navigates the science-policy interface, the architecture of enforceable governance, and the moral imperative of ocean justice — underscoring what success at UNOC must mean for frontline communities facing sea-level rise, acidification, and ecological collapse. From equity for Small Island Developing States to the need for systemic transformation, this is a vital listen on the coalitions that could still turn the tide.

Peter Thomson is a Fijian diplomat who is currently serving as the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, the first person to be appointed to this position. He held the office of President of the General Assembly of the United Nations (2016-1017); he was Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the UN (2010-2016), President of the Assembly of the Institute Seabed Authority’s in 2011, and President of the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS (2014-2015). He co-chairs the World Economic Forum’s Friends of Ocean Action and supports the High-Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy, and is an officer of the Order of Fiji. Peter Thomson was born at 310 parts per million carbon dioxide in the Atmosphere.