Year XXXVIII, Number 1, March 2025

Citoyens du Monde

Oceans, the lungs of the earth, produce half the oxygen in the atmosphere. They are the origin of life on earth. Today, the pursuit of uncontrolled human activities is leading to their irreversible degradation. Numerous associations, non-governmental organizations, oceanographic institutes, biologists and climatologists, are converging to remind us of the extreme urgency of the situation. But to no avail.

A Lawless Ocean

Indeed, we are all aware of the disproportionate power of companies operating on the high seas, sheltered from the borders drawn by states. With no governance in place, these human activities are transforming the seas into zones of lawlessness, pillage, poaching, ecocide and barbarism.

A multitude of organizations, international agencies and commissions are in charge of World Ocean issues. They all agree to denounce the impact of these activities, but do not communicate with each other and are powerless to act. They do not benefit from any delegation of power on the part of States.

Since the oceans form a single ecosystem, a sector-by-sector approach, as it exists today, is doomed to failure.

For a Global Ocean Authority

The World Ocean is a common good of humanity. It must be protected and placed above nation-states, above the borders drawn by these states. It is urgent to protect the World Ocean through a single Authority, democratically controlled by the world's people and endowed with real powers of constraint.

Only a truly supranational authority will ensure the protection of the World Ocean.

Text unanimously adopted by those present by World Citizens at their meeting in Paris on October 26, 2024