Latest content: Oceans and natural resources

Opening Remarks by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon. Shirley Botchwey at the London Climate Action Week: High-Level Ministerial Dialogue “Riding the Wave: Ocean-Climate from Mombasa to Antalya” at Marlborough House on 25 June 2026.

Keynote Address by Commonwealth Secretary-General, Hon. Shirley Botchwey, at the Deutsche Bank ‘Deep Currents’ Conference in partnership with Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA) Blue Horizons; Investing in the Ocean, the Next Frontier during London Climate Action Week on 23 June 2026 at Deutsche Bank London Headquarters.

Ocean ministers and senior officials met today in Mombasa, Kenya, on the margins of the global Our Oceans Conference, for a high-level roundtable to review Commonwealth progress in protecting the ocean. Two critical instruments guided this review, namely the Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration and the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJ Agreement), which came into force in early 2026.

The Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan has launched two flagship projects under the COP29 Presidency - Commonwealth Fund for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), following the disbursement of an initial US$2 million from a US$10 million grant.

As global demand for critical minerals accelerates, Commonwealth countries are working to ensure that the emerging deep seabed mining industry is governed not just by opportunity but by fairness, sustainability, and shared benefits.

The Government of Mauritius, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office recently joined forces to develop a strategic partnership framework for implementing the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement that became international law earlier this year.

The Commonwealth Secretariat and Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation today announced a new partnership to accelerate ocean conservation for Commonwealth countries in Asia and the Pacific.

The Commonwealth Secretariat launched The Commonwealth Guide to Blue Bond Issuance at its inaugural environmental resilience day, held at Marlborough House. It is a practical, user-focused resource to help governments unlock innovative finance to protect the ocean while delivering benefits for people and nature.

The Commonwealth Secretariat today launched its Commonwealth Model Mining Feasibility Study Guidelines at its inaugural Environmental Resilience Day on Wednesday, 21 January.

Blog by Henrietta Wolstenholme, Project Support Officer; Dr Jane Collins, Ocean Governance Adviser; and Shevon Campbell-Roberts, Climate Research and Policy Officer, Climate Change and Ocean Directorate, Commonwealth Secretariat

Blog by Dr Jane Collins and Alison Swaddling, Advisers Ocean Governance, Commonwealth Secretariat

Water plays a key role in development, human development as well environmental and climate resilience.

By Dr Rahanna Juman, Deputy Director: Research, Institute of Marine Affairs, Trinidad and Tobago, and co-Champion of the Commonwealth Blue Charter Mangrove Ecosystem and Livelihood Action Group

By Naadira Ogeer, Head of Energy and Natural Resources; Kartikeya Garg, Assistant Research Officer, and Chilenye Nwapi, Legal Adviser for Natural Resources, Commonwealth Secretariat.

Blog by Dr Daniel Wilde, Head of Oceans, and Dr Jane Collins, Ocean Governance Adviser, Commonwealth Secretariat

The Commonwealth is playing a vital role in advancing the ratification and implementation of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), adopted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 2023, and now coming into focus as countries gather this week in Nice, France, for the UN Ocean Conference.

Commonwealth High Commissioners and other member country representatives recently met at Marlborough House for a briefing on the implementation of the Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration, adopted in Samoa at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The briefing provided member countries with a vision for the Commonwealth at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, to be held in June.