From tuna to treaty: Pacific powers push ocean agenda

Pacific leaders continue to push for more investment, stronger political will, and recognition of traditional knowledge to protect the region’s ocean future.

The United Nations’ Ocean Conference (UNOC), held every three years, reviews international progress on Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. The most recent conference in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June, saw Pacific leaders call for an international ocean government system.

Speaking with Elenoa Turagaiviu on Pacific Mornings, Dr Filimon Manoni, the Pacific Islands Forum’s Ocean Commissioner, says the Pacific used this year’s conference to deliver a consistent and united message.

“Pacific took leadership of the agenda and ran with it. You could tell that there was truly an admiration for the way the Pacific conveyed the message in the clearest of terms. This is because leaders themselves realise the urgency and the magnitude of the challenge,” Manoni says.

“As leaders of today, what that means for them - taking the steps now, putting together the building blocks to safeguard the health and resilience of our ocean, is not only for today's generations, but… what we will leave for our future generations.”

Manoni says the Pacific is not waiting for others to lead but is actively pursuing its own initiatives. He points out the ocean protection efforts of other Pacific countries, like the Cook Islands’ multi-use marine park, Marae Moana, Niue’s ocean initiative, and Palau’s Marine Sanctuary.

“These are homegrown initiatives that are leading examples of commitment to sustainability. While we are not waiting around, we recognise that we need partnerships to progress implementation and development. Pacific solutions are solutions for the health of this planet,” Manoni says.

He calls on other nations to support the Pacific’s efforts in “doing the right thing”, especially considering the region manages four major global tuna stocks, with the Western and Central Pacific Ocean accounting for 50 to 60 per cent of the world’s tuna supply.

“We are providing nutrition, food security for communities across the globe,” Manoni says. “The beneficiaries of this good work that the Pacific is doing are not only the Pacific people. There is no rocket science about coming together to support the work we do in the Pacific, which helps promote all that we have been talking about.”

Watch Dr Filimon Manoni’s full interview below.

Chile and South Korea will co-host the 2028 conference, marking the fourth instalment of the world’s largest global summit dedicated to marine issues.

Manoni hopes for a legally binding global plastics treaty, a “remarkable” decrease in illegal fishing, a fully enforced Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement, and funding to support the Pacific’s ocean targets.

“Funding to support these commitments is flowing at the rate and pace that is accepted, and that we are unlocking all of this through meaningful, open, transparent, and genuine long-term partnerships,” he says.

“My view is that by UNOC 4 in 2028, we would be looking back at three years of progress. Some of these have been ongoing challenges and have taken years to address, and the [2025] conference would have been a good platform to bring all of this together.”