Commonwealth nations adopt first ocean declaration

SAMOA: Commonwealth represents a third of the world’s population, and 49 of its 56 countries have a coastline. Commonwealth countries adopted their first ocean declaration on Saturday at their summit held for the first time in the Pacific island nation of Samoa, amid growing calls from some former British colonies for restorative justice for the transatlantic slave trade.

The Apia Ocean Declaration was announced at the closing session of the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, and calls on the 56 nations of the Commonwealth to protect the oceans from harsh climate, pollution and over-exploitation.

More than half of the Commonwealth’s members are small countries like Samoa, many of which face significant, even existential, threats from rising seas.

While the environmental threat was expected to be a dominant theme in the run-up to the summit, the transatlantic slave trade, a legacy of Britain’s colonial history, dominated the discourse in the early days.

The Apia Commonwealth Declaration on Oceans for a Resilient Community emphasises the recognition of maritime boundaries in the context of sea level rise, the protection of 30% of the oceans and the restoration of degraded marine ecosystems by 2030, as well as the urgent finalisation of the global treaty on plastics.

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It also calls for the ratification of the High Seas Biodiversity Treaty, the development of climate change adaptation plans for coastal areas and increased support for sustainable blue economies.

Samoa’s Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, said in a statement issued by her office that it was timely that ‘our first declaration on the oceans’ had been announced.