Escale à Sète becomes a partner of the United Nations for its international conference on the ocean in June 2025

Le partenariat a été signé entre Wolfgang Idiri et Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, en présence de François Commeinhes. – EAS

Le festival des traditions maritimes va être le relais entre l’organisation mondiale et les bateaux du patrimoine pour la grande conférence à Nice, en juin 2025.

And here is another recognition for Escale à Sète. One of the most prestigious, in fact. The festival of maritime traditions has just signed an unprecedented partnership with the organizers of the United Nations Conference on the Ocean. The third edition of this international event, UNOC 2025, in the presence of heads of state from many countries, will take place in June 2025 in Nice.

A facilitator of contacts

This conference, intended to identify ways to better protect the oceans, will open on June 8 with a large parade made up of numerous boats (scientific, exploration, exploitation) as well as old sailing ships. This is where Escale à Sète comes in. “We are the facilitators of contacts between the organizers and these units, says the director of the association Wolfgang Idiri. We must also find places in the surrounding ports so that they can accommodate the old sailing ships”.

A key player

“This partnership associates Escale à Sète as a key player in maritime heritage in the Mediterranean and contributes to strengthening the cultural dimension of the UNOC”, commented Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, ambassador, special envoy of the President of the Republic for UNOC3 during the signing of the partnership, Monday January 13 at the Maison de l’océan, in Paris. This cooperation “honors our territory, the values, work and expertise of the Escale à Sète association, its 400 volunteers and the commitment of all its partners”, declared François Commeinhes, the mayor of Sète.

Heritage in stopover and poster unveiled in May 2025

An expertise will also be palpable in Sète, just before the UNOC, on May 20 and 21 at the Gare du Maroc. Escale à Sète will organize, as every year without a festival, its international meetings of seafarers. Patrimoines en escale (that's its name) will host, thanks to the support of all the partners, for two days international symposiums as well as friendly evenings dedicated to the registration of sea shanty in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of France. At that time, there on the deck of the Bsam Loire, the themes and the 2026 poster of the edition of Escale à Sète will also be unveiled.

I subscribe to read the rest