About Mombasa Declaration:
- It was adopted by 15 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific to step up efforts to combat illegal fishing.
- It calls on governments to improve access to information on fishing vessels, ownership, and licensing, and to strengthen data sharing to better track fishing activities and enforce regulations.
- It is named after the Kenyan city hosting the 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC).
- Out of the more than 30 countries represented in the summit, Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, the Dominican Republic, France, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and South Korea signed the agreement.
- It is intended to curb illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, also known as IUU fishing, which threatens marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on fisheries.
- The declaration builds support for the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, a set of 10 policy principles aimed at improving governance through low-cost reforms, including modernizing vessel registries and publishing fishing authorizations.
Key Facts about Our Ocean Conference (OOC):
- Launched in 2014 by the U.S. Department of State and former Secretary of State John Kerry, the OOC is a major international platform that unites governments, businesses, NGOs, and academic institutions to drive ocean-related action and ambition.
- The conference focuses on six critical areas:
- Marine protected areas.
- Sustainable blue economy
- Climate change
- Maritime security
- Sustainable fisheries
- Marine pollution.
- 2026 OCC: Mombasa (Kenya) - Marking the first time the global summit was held on African soil, themed "Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future"
