Mr Toney Tevi and Senior Government Officials,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning olgeta!
I regret not being able to join you all in person. However, I am honoured to deliver these remarks on this momentous occasion, as the ninth national consultation in the Region (since May of 2024) on the ratification and implementation of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement).
Let me begin by congratulating the Government of Vanuatu for ratifying the BBNJ Agreement during the special High Seas Treaty event organised at the United Nations Ocean Conference in June in Nice, France. This reflects a global commitment to the protection of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction – ensuring sustainable ocean governance for future generations.
Your unwavering commitment and dedication to the protection and effective management of our Ocean and its resources is evident also at the national level, with the launching of the Vanuatu revised National Ocean Policy and Marine Spatial Plan, the appointment of an Ocean Envoy, the establishment of a dedicated Office under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Ocean, and most recently the passing of your Ocean Act. These significant steps taken by Vanuatu is living up to its legacy as a country where 14 years ago in Port Vila, Forum Leaders endorsed the Framework for the Pacific Oceanscape 2010 as the regional ocean policy; and this regional ocean policy was significant for the ocean as it also established the position of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner and the Pacific Ocean Alliance.
The adoption of the BBNJ Agreement on 19 June 2023 marked a new era for Ocean governance, inclusivity, and equity, and we now look forward to its entry into force on 17 January 2026.
Vanuatu delegates were amongst our Pacific delegates in New York who played an integral role in leading the BBNJ negotiations and worked tirelessly, with the support from regional partners and experts, to see the BBNJ Agreement through to its full potential.
As stewards of the ocean, and as guardians of the largest portion of the Pacific Ocean, our leadership matters. We need to look beyond just ratification and start to lay the groundwork for implementation. The BBNJ Agreement is ambitious and highly complex. Therefore, we need the expertise of scientists, academia, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and all relevant stakeholders who can enrich and guide the discussions around the implementation of the Agreement and its domestication, to inform effective policy and legislative decision making.
There is good progress in the region in countries undertaking the necessary approval processes at the national level. To date, seven (7) countries have ratified the BBNJ Agreement, including Vanuatu. We are hopeful that more countries in the Pacific, will ratify or accede to the Agreement, in order to effectively participate in decisions to be taken at the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP).
In that regard, my office remains committed to coordinating with CROP and our partners to provide the necessary support to Members and their governments in their efforts to implement and/or domesticate the BBNJ Agreement, in accordance with our mandate from the Leaders.
I therefore encourage you all to utilize this opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions with the experts, to ensure that upon the entry into force of the Agreement, you fully understand your respective roles and obligations and that you can fully implement the provisions of the Agreement at the national level. I encourage you to collaborate across institutional boundaries, and join the dots between the various ocean sectors, ocean stakeholders, and ocean related agreements and instruments so that efforts are coordinated and coherent and deliver the best development outcomes for the people of Vanuatu.
On that note, I wish to conclude by thanking the Oceans & Maritime Affairs Office for inviting OPOC and our partners to assist with the organization of this national workshop. I am confident that our joint efforts will contribute to achieving the objective of cooperation and coherence, for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction for both present and future generations.
I wish you all a successful and productive meeting in the coming days.
Tankio Tumas.
