Pacific Civil Society Calls for a Genuine Ocean of Peace: The Pacific is NOT a battleground Media Statement13 July 2026 The Pacific Ocean is far
The State of the Pacific Ocean Convening 2026 was a strategic regional CSO-led dialogue centred around governance to address the mounting environmental, economic, and geopolitical pressures threatening the sovereignty and resources of the Pacific region. Held in Suva, Fiji, and anchored in the spirit of World Oceans Day, the gathering provides a platform to address external threats such as climate change, blue economy, pollution, and hyper-militarisation.
The United Nations cannot continue to document colonial injustice in Kanaky New Caledonia without using its mandate to bring colonialism to an end.
The Pacific Regional Non-Government Organisations (PRNGO) Alliance, including Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC), Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS), Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), Greenpeace Australia Pacific (GPAP), and over 20 Pacific civil society organisations, questioned the agenda of the “blue growth” forum, arguing that the workshop emphasises sponsoring States, but only includes observer engagement with other Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS).
Drawing from the International Court of Justice’s landmark Advisory Opinion (AO) in July last year, the policy review challenges Melanesian Leaders to revisit their commitments under the Udaune Declaration of 2023, to ensure national policies on ocean protection in relation to deep-sea mining are in place to ground the moratorium stance.
This policy review highlights the urgent need for regional and international commitments made by MSG countries and the wider Pacific region to be backed by strong domestic legal frameworks. It also highlights the urgent need to translate ocean commitments into enforceable national laws, particularly in relation to deep-sea mining (DSM), where concerns over environmental, social, and ecological impacts continue to intensify.