Contenu disponible en anglais uniquement
Pacific Leaders reaffirm ocean diplomacy and relaunch updated dashboard
Pacific Leaders gathered in Honiara for the annual Pacific Islands Forum Summit. During a dedicated side event on maritime boundaries, Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Honourable Jeremiah Manele, called for decisive action to complete outstanding boundaries and extended continental shelf submissions needed to secure the Blue Pacific Continent.
“It is now time for decisive action to complete outstanding boundaries and advance extended continental shelf submissions. Every treaty and commitment is anchored in ancestral knowledge, kinship, and the Pacific Way,” Hon. Manele said.
Progress on maritime boundaries has slowed in recent years, with 25% of the region's shared boundaries remaining unfinished. Twelve delimitation boundary treaties have yet to conclude negotiations, and six treaties are pending ratification. The 22 Pacific Island countries and territories collectively manage 20% of the world's exclusive economic zones.
The side event, held under the theme “Iumi Tugeda: Act Now for an Integrated Blue Pacific Continent”, also marked the relaunch of the Pacific Maritime Boundaries Dashboard. Hosted on the Pacific Data Hub, the updated tool provides transparent information on treaties, maritime zones, extended continental shelf submissions, and national ocean policies, making progress visible and accessible across the region.
The event also heard from provincial leaders from Vanuatu and Solomon Islands at the frontline of cultural and ocean diplomacy, building on cooperation formalised through the Motalava Treaty and Tirvau Agreement, which recognise shared kinship and cross-border ties between the two provinces.
The Premier of Temotu Province in Solomon Islands, Stanley Tehiahua, said that while his province sits at the furthest edge of the country, its people remain central to regional cooperation. “Together with Torba, we are keeping the Melanesian Corridor alive as a bridge of friendship and responsibility for our communities and nations.”
President Edgar Haward of Torba in Vanuatu reinforced this message. “These treaties and agreements do not divide us; they bring us closer together, turning shared seas into shared responsibility.”
The Director-General of the Pacific Community (SPC), Dr Stuart Minchin commended the leadership of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu at all levels. “What we are witnessing today demonstrates how culture, community, and science are bringing us closer to the goal of finalising all of the maritime boundaries for the Blue Pacific Continent.”
Pacific Ocean Commissioner, Dr Filimon Manoni, highlighted the significance of completing the work. “Ocean management and the finalisation of maritime boundaries, the delimitation of these boundaries are not just legal acts or technical tasks. They carry deeper meaning. Finalising boundaries anchors sovereignty, and provides certainty, security, and predictability in the enjoyment of our rights as coastal States under the Law of the Sea Convention.”
For more than two decades, SPC and its partners have worked with Pacific countries to define and secure maritime zones, enabling sound ocean governance, sustainable fisheries development, and climate resilience through Integrated Ocean Management. Of the Pacific’s 48 shared boundaries, 36 are now settled, with the remainder critical to completing the region’s ocean map.
Progress on Pacific maritime boundaries and ocean management has been made possible through the long-term support of the Government of Australia, the European Union, and the Government of the United Kingdom, alongside SPC, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, and the Forum Fisheries Agency.
Explore the Maritime Boundaries Dashboard.
Contact:
-Aaron English, Knowledge Management and Engagement Office, Geoscience, Energy and Maritime (GEM) Division | Pacific Community (SPC): [email protected]
