Ocean health underpins food security, climate stability, coastal livelihoods, and the survival of small island nations—yet progress remains worryingly off track and critically underfunded. The last year, however, has seen growing global momentum for ocean governance, including with the Third United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in June 2025 and the Third Session of the Preparatory Commission for the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). As the international community works to accelerate implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 ahead of the 2030 deadline, attention is increasingly turning from ambition to action.
To that end, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) New York Office—in partnership with the Permanent Missions of the Republic of Fiji, France, and the Republic of Palau to the United Nations—convened a High-Level Lunch Roundtable on June 10 on Fostering Partnerships with Small Island Developing States for Strengthened Ocean Governance. The event marks the third in a series in cooperation with Fiji that spotlights the urgent challenges for small island developing states (SIDS) in the maritime domain, opportunities for them to shape multilateral maritime security cooperation and ocean governance, and avenues for partnerships with European and like-minded countries.
The roundtable kicked-off with introductory remarks by H.E. Mr. Filipo Tarakinikini, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Fiji to the United Nations (UN); H.E. Mr. Jay Dharmadhikari, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the UN; and H.E. Ms. Ilana Victorya Seid, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Palau to the UN. The event also featured a panel discussion on recent developments in ocean governance and the law of the sea, featuring Dr. Peter Haugan, Policy Director of the Institute of Marine Research; H.E. Mrs. Janine Coye-Felson, Permanent Representative of Belize to the UN; Amb. François Alabrune, Ambassador of France to the Netherlands and French candidate to the International Court of Justice; and Mr. Vladimir Jares, Director of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea at the UN Office of Legal Affairs.
The roundtable brought together representatives from the UN system and Member States to examine the key obstacles faced by SIDS in achieving SDG 14—specifically, limited capacity and resources—and how global ocean commitments can be translated into increased financing and partnership opportunities for SIDS, as well as stronger multilateral governance overall.
Key takeaways from the discussion included:
- Ocean governance remains highly fragmented among many disconnected frameworks, institutions, and national approaches. Greater coordination, cooperation, coherence, and compatibility is needed among these disparate elements for a more harmonized and systematic approach to ocean governance.
- The entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement was a landmark achievement, showing the international community’s willingness to reach consensus on environmental concerns, even in a time of heightened geopolitical tensions. However, its entry is not the end game. Much more needs to be done to broaden support for the Agreement and increase the number of ratifying countries.
- Effective implementation of the BBNJ must build on the representation and inclusion of all stakeholders; to ensure fairer, more equitable ocean governance, the transfer of marine technology, research, and data to SIDS is paramount, taking into account their vulnerabilities as “large ocean states.”
- Building SIDS’ capacities to implement the BBNJ remains critical; here, partnerships with European and other like-minded countries can help small island developing states deliver outcomes for stronger ocean governance.