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What significance does your role as the French President’s Special Envoy for the Polar Regions and Oceans hold for this visit to Vietnam?

I am here in Vietnam because I see the country holds tremendous ocean potential.

Ambassador Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, Special Envoy of the French President for the Polar Regions and Oceans. (Photo: French Embassy in Vietnam)

Oceans represent a vast economic resource with significant untapped potential. While some countries have coastlines as short as 50km, Vietnam boasts a coastline of over 3,260 km, offering vast opportunities for exploration and development. There is much that we can share regarding our oceans.

Regarding ocean issues, coastlines play a crucial role in everyday activities such as sourcing food for locals. Furthermore, maritime spaces can serve new purposes, such as undersea cables and offshore wind energy. France is a major maritime power with a long coastline, possessing a wealth of experience to share with Vietnam.

Therefore, President Emmanuel Macron has appointed me as his special envoy for the first-ever ocean dialogue. Specifically, tomorrow morning on December 18, we will inaugurate this dialogue mechanism, with the ambition to hold this forum annually. Both sides hope to engage in discussions on ocean-related issues, as well as relevant security and legal matters.

What are France’s key expectations for countries participating in the upcoming UN Ocean Conference in Nice, particularly regarding ocean conservation and sustainable practices?

Ten years ago in 2015, the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) was held, and we hope that a decade later in 2025, we will organize an ocean conference to continue the momentum and create widespread peace centered around the theme of the ocean.

As we know, the climate issue still faces many challenges, as there is no immediate solution to fully address it, other than adapting to the current situation. In contrast, the ocean fundamentally offers a realm of opportunities, potentials, and solutions, from bolstering food security to sparking health-conscious products and innovations. Therefore, we hope for positive changes in ocean governance, leading to a peaceful global impact.

With this goal in mind, France hopes that countries with a special stake in ocean affairs will join our upcoming conference. We aim to invite around 100 heads of state and government leaders to the event, including those from Vietnam.

We also hope that Vietnam will play an important role in this event. In the coming days, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will receive an official invitation from President Emmanuel Macron to attend as a guest of honor. This will also be an opportunity for Vietnam to voice its perspective, demonstrate its vision, and underscore the importance of the sea and oceans in Vietnam's future development.

Following Vietnam's participation in the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, what are the anticipated areas of collaboration between the two nations in ocean sustainability?

It is often said that we know more about the Moon than we do about our own oceans. This is why cooperation is vital to deepen our understanding and protect these vast ecosystems. Our partnership with Vietnam holds certain advantages. For instance, the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi, established through an inter-governmental agreement in 2009, hosts numerous French scientists, lecturers, and ocean experts.

In addition, we hope to cooperate in further utilizing France's ocean exploration vessels to gather data on Vietnam's maritime zones. Therefore, we would like Vietnam to join the international scientific committees to contribute to a more detailed understanding of the current state of the oceans. Through the activities of this committee, periodic reports on the ocean situation will be produced, allowing policymakers to fully grasp the state of the oceans.

How do initiatives aimed at protecting ocean environments contribute to sustainable economic progress in Vietnam and other developing nations?

In this matter, I would like to stress the risk of rising sea levels, which affects all coastal or low-lying areas. In Vietnam, the Mekong Delta, barely a meter above sea level, is highly vulnerable. About 20 million residents in this area are directly at risk. Many countries around the world are also suffering from this issue.

Therefore, within the framework of the Ocean Conference slated for June 2025, we will organize the first-ever summit of delta regions around the world and coastal areas threatened by sea level rise. We hope to gather around 500 policymakers and leaders from the affected regions to meet, exchange ideas, and find solutions to address this critical issue together.

In what ways can France support Vietnam in tackling marine pollution and optimizing ocean resource management via technological and policy-driven solutions?

Today, many challenges require solutions involving digital technology, digitization, and informatics. That’s why, at the upcoming Ocean Conference, we aim to pioneer global digital models of the oceans. Based on updated scientific data, we will create models to track ocean currents, the movements of marine life, and even waste or pollution sources. This will help us promptly understand the current state of the seas and oceans.

We plan this as a project funded by the European Commission, offering free access to all participating countries. Through this model, we can obtain detailed information about the oceans without the need for physical exploration under the sea.

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