Fifteen national governments from across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Pacific today adopted the Mombasa Declaration at the 11th Our Ocean Conference, committing to advance global fisheries transparency and strengthen efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The Mombasa Declaration is a call to action for coastal and flag States on fisheries transparency, with a particular focus on better collection and dissemination of vessel information and allowing for better access to fisheries data. It builds support and momentum for the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, which outlines 10 low-cost or no-cost policy principles that governments can adopt globally, in law and in practice.
Endorsed at Our Ocean by a diverse coalition of countries including Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, the Dominican Republic, France (on behalf of its overseas territories), Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and South Korea – the Mombasa Declaration unites nations committed to strengthening ocean governance and leading global action on fisheries transparency. Once adopted, signatory countries will begin putting the Declaration into action. The signing launches a campaign for other nations to join the effort in advance of the next Our Ocean Conference in 2027.
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Coastal communities, small-scale fishers, and economies that depend on marine wildlife bear the brunt of IUU fishing, which threatens livelihoods, food security, and the long-term health of ocean ecosystems. The Mombasa Declaration responds to these challenges by advancing practical transparency measures, outlined in the Global Charter, to improve access to information on vessel ownership, licensing, and fishing activity; strengthening accountability; and enabling more sustainable and equitable management of marine resources.
Hon. Emelia Arthur, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ghana, said, “In my country, our very existence depends on fish. Sixty percent of our animal protein comes from fish, and ten percent of our population depends on the fisheries value chain for livelihood. Fisheries are a matter of culture and national security for us. I’m happy that Ghana is among the first countries to sign the Mombasa Declaration, because it provides a platform for all of us, the different governments, to come together and declare on an international platform that we are working together, fighting together for transparency in the fisheries sector.”
Madame Catherine Chabaud, Minister Delegate for the Sea and Fishery, France, said, “France is proud to be among the first supporters of the Mombasa Declaration on Fisheries Transparency, through its Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs).
