PACIFIC civil society leaders are alleging organisers of shutting them out of key discussions on the future of the ocean, warning that any debate over deep-sea mining or related regulation will be incomplete without the region’s communities and advocates in the room.
Earlier this week, the Fijian Government accorded a traditional welcome ceremony to the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), Leticia Carvalho, at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka acknowledged the ISA’s important role in advancing international cooperation and responsible stewardship of the world’s seabed resources.
According to the Government, the visit by the ISA Secretary-General provided an opportunity for constructive dialogue on issues relating to ocean management, climate resilience, marine biodiversity, and the sustainable use of seabed resources within the framework of international law.
However, civil society organisations were disappointed be sidelined from a dialogue discussion on sustainable ocean governance.
“Pacific groups had spent decades building research and expertise on ocean issues and should not be treated as outside observers,” said Vani Catanasiga, Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS), Executive Director.
“We are supposed to be in that room having a conversation, Pacific peoples are not stakeholders to be consulted with, but participants who should help shape the debate.”
Catanasiga said Pacific civil society had repeatedly engaged governments on major national issues, including constitutional reviews and mining law reform, and had earned a place in formal decision-making processes.
“The exclusion from the current discussion marked a step backwards,’’ she said.
“Our government has always opened the space for civil society to contribute to these discussions meaningfully. The region’s relationship with government had often gone between very good and very bad but had improved over time.”
The criticism centres on what the NGOs see as a narrowing of the agenda toward regulatory readiness for potential ocean mining, rather than a broader discussion that includes environmental, social and community concerns.
“What we feel is happening is a narrowing of the conversation. We’re talking about our ocean. It’s a shared resource; it’s a shared identity.”
She said Pacific civil society had already produced a substantial body of research and should be able to contribute its analysis before any decisions are made.
“A letter sent to the ISA secretary-general reportedly raised the same concerns last week, calling for the formalisation of civil society participation within the ISA process.”
Catanasiga said the goal was not a one-off invitation, but a standing mechanism that guarantees Pacific civil society a seat at the table.
“We want Pacific civil society to be represented in the ISA process.”
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