12 June 2025, Nice France - The Pacific Islands region has a long established, and evolving regional institutions and governance structure, to support the delivery of collective outcomes for our Ocean and people.
Guided by the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, the international community gathering in Nice France for the third UN Ocean Conference this week, should learn from the “Pacific way.”
This message was amplified by Cook Islands Prime Minister, Honourable Mark Brown, on Thursday, when he addressed Ocean Action Panel 8 focusing on promoting and supporting all forms of cooperation, especially at the regional and sub regional level for better Ocean governance.
“On the Panel today we see Pacific Ocean governance in action - the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, driving regional coordination and cross sectoral collaboration. We also have in the room our Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP); our scientific and technical agency (SPC); and our fisheries agency, FFA,” said Hon. Brown.
“We have the Pacific Ocean Alliance that brings together all Pacific Ocean actors and stakeholders to collaborate on ocean issues in the Pacific. Indigenous participation in the Pacific isn’t just acknowledged, it is active, essential and growing stronger across global and regional ocean governance. We hope others can learn from the Pacific Way.”
Ocean Action Panel 8 is focusing on strengthening mechanisms for collaboration between nations and stakeholders in Ocean management. It encompasses institutional arrangements, information sharing systems, coordinated monitoring and enforcement efforts, and frameworks for joint decision-making on shared marine resources.
According to Prime Minister Brown, who addressed the panel of behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), regional ocean cooperation is not optional. It is a must.
“The Blue Pacific Ocean is both our shared identity and our shared responsibility,” he said, pointing to the Pacific region’s leadership on Ocean governance.
The Pacific region, for instance, has collectively committed to managing 100% of the Blue Pacific Continent.
“We are taking decisive action nationally, regionally, and internationally to realise this,” he said. “Since 2017, the Cook Islands has managed Marae Moana, a multiuse marine park extending over our entire EEZ.”
Despite the Pacific’s best efforts, however, the region continues to face challenges in its ambition to achieve 100% Ocean management, with Prime Minister Brown pointing to gaps in Ocean science, data, technology, and institutional capabilities, as some of the challenges.
“On top of this: an unrelenting climate crisis.”
So how can we address this? Prime Minister Brown said: “Pacific SIDS require immediate and significant partnerships and finance to implement our collective goals and realise our aspirations for our ocean.
“The regional settings for cooperation in the Blue Pacific are well established, but the necessary finance, technology and capacity to fully deliver is not.”
He also referred to the Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity (UBPP) as a Pacific led regional voluntary commitment the world should invest in.
Unanimously endorsed by Pacific Leaders at the 52nd Pacific Island Leaders Forum in the Cook Islands, the UBPP is the Pacific’s formal voluntary regional commitment to sustainably manage 100% of our Ocean territory and to protect 30% of it by 2030.
“We have mobilised over US$114 million and now call on the global community to act as responsible ocean stewards, partner with us to invest in our global good: the Blue Pacific Continent,” said Prime Minister Brown.
“We know what we need for our Ocean and our people - now we invite you to join us to safeguard our Blue Pacific for all of humanity.”
The third UN Ocean Conference is co-hosted by France and Costa Rica and held in Nice, France, from 9 – 13 June 2025. The overarching theme of the Conference is “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean”.
The Pacific Islands are represented by a strong contingent, which includes Leaders from the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa and Tuvalu.
Also present and engaged are Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is providing support to Pacific delegations as part of the One CROP support.
SPREP will provide more Pacific news from the UNOC2025. For further information on the UN Ocean Conference 2025, please visit: https://sdgs.un.org/conferences/ocean2025
Photo Credit: IISD/ENB - Kiara Worth