NICE, France —
On Monday, June 9, 2025, President Julius Maada Bio reaffirmed his nation’s unwavering commitment to ocean conservation, unveiling three major national initiatives at the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3).
His interventions underscored Sierra Leone’s resolve to advance Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) — “Life Below Water” — amid mounting global environmental challenges.
Addressing world leaders at UNOC3, convened under United Nations General Assembly Resolution 77/242 (2023), President Bio described the ocean as “our planet’s life source” but warned that it is “sending distress signals that we can no longer ignore.”
Framing his speech around the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, President Bio laid out three ambitious national commitments:
* Expanding Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to safeguard biodiversity and restore marine ecosystems;
* Restoring at least 30,000 hectares of mangrove forests, crucial for coastal protection and carbon sequestration;
* Launching a nationwide campaign to cut plastic pollution by 50 percent by the end of this decade.
He emphasized that these measures are vital not just for Sierra Leone but for the region’s economic stability and ecological resilience.
Highlighting regional concerns, President Bio revealed that West Africa has become a hotspot for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing — a crisis that costs Sierra Leone an estimated \$50 million annually in lost revenue. Those funds, he noted, could be redirected to vital sectors such as education, healthcare, and food security.
“Implementing SDG 14 is not a luxury, and certainly not optional. It is an urgent necessity for our economies, our ecosystems, and ultimately, our survival,” he asserted.
President Bio closed his intervention with a call for collective global action: “Let us work together to take the bold actions needed to secure a sustainable future for our oceans and our planet.”
His address marked a defining moment for Sierra Leone’s ocean sustainability agenda, positioning the nation as a regional leader in ocean conservation and sustainable development.