Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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178. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the delegation he plans to send to the 2025 UN Ocean Conference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29256/25]

Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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The 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference will be co-hosted by France and Costa Rica in Nice, from 9 to 13 June.

The Conference will be an opportunity to focus on the intrinsic link between our societies and our lives and the the health of the ocean. We believe that it will not be possible to meet the demands on sustainability, food production, and the ambitions for a sustainable blue economy if we do not enhance our climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and pollution prevention.

A focus on the sustainable blue economy is embedded in the Government's International Development Policy and in our Strategy for Partnership in Small Island Developing States (SIDs). The Conference will be an important moment to engage with our partners in these Small Island Developing States.

Development of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is a priority area for Ireland domestically and through our international development assistance. We have committed €7 million over four years to the Blue Action Fund, which seeks to establish or enhance MPAs in Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

As part of our Ocean work, Ireland also supports the World Bank’s PROBLUE trust fund, which supports the development of integrated and sustainable marine and coastal resources. Ireland has contributed €2.5 million to PROBLUE, including €750,000 in 2025.

We also support ocean innovation and the development of research networks, capacity-building and knowledge-sharing in ocean management between Ireland and SIDs, through the Our Shared Ocean programme, managed by Ireland’s Marine Institute.

Ireland's delegation to the UN Ocean Conference will be led by the Taoiseach, with support from the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, food, Fisheries and the Marine, Timmy Dooley T.D., with participation by officials from relevant Government Departments, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.