Country statement delivered by Deputy Minister Narend Singh at the Head of Delegations segment (main COP12 event) in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
Your Excellencies, the Ministers of Environment from all member states or their Delegated Representatives
Executive Director of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
Chair of the Nairobi Convention Bureau from the United Republic of Tanzania.
Distinguished Members of the Nairobi Convention.
Partners
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
All protocol observed
South Africa extends its sincere appreciation to the Government and people of the United Republic of Tanzania for hosting this important gathering. We are honoured to participate in this important discussion on the role of the Nairobi Convention to advance ocean governance and in strengthening the connection between regional cooperation and the major ocean governance processes being driven by Parties at the national level.
We meet under the powerful theme, “Towards a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Western Indian Ocean for People and Nature: A Journey of Forty Years”, which marks not only four decades of regional cooperation, but also a renewed responsibility to turn our commitments into meaningful action for our people and our ocean. At the outset, South Africa wishes to reaffirm the importance we attach to the Nairobi Convention as a country-driven and regionally owned platform for cooperation in the Western Indian Ocean.
The Convention has a particular value for our region because many of the challenges confronting our oceans do not respect national boundaries. Marine pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, illegal and unsustainable resource use, coastal degradation and pressures associated with economic development are interconnected challenges. They therefore require responses that are equally interconnected.
We commend Kenya for hosting the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa in June 2026 — the first such conference to be held on African soil. This was more than a milestone; it was a powerful affirmation of Africa’s growing leadership in shaping the global ocean agenda. The responsibility now rests with us, as Nairobi Convention Parties, to carry that momentum forward — making the Western Indian Ocean a region where global commitments are translated into collective action, where a sustainable blue economy delivers for our people, and where the health of our shared ocean is protected for generations to come.
Chairperson,
South Africa has made considerable progress in developing national approaches to integrated ocean governance. Our experience through the country’s Oceans Economy strategy demonstrated the importance of bringing together environmental sustainability, economic development, scientific knowledge, institutional coordination and social inclusion and ocean governance.
Marine spatial planning is seen as an important enabling environment for this approach. South Africa's Marine Spatial Planning framework seeks to facilitate sustainable development while supporting healthy marine ecosystems and good ocean governance.
The Convention's current Programme of Work for 2025–2028 appropriately emphasises collaborative regional ocean governance, implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14, and responses to the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. It also recognises the need to work in an integrated and cross-sectoral manner at both regional and national levels.
South Africa particularly welcomes this approach. On the implementation of the 2025-2028 Programme of Work, we welcome the several laudable achievements made in terms of delivery across the 5 strategic pillars of the Programme. We strongly congratulate the region for Finalizing the Regional Contingency Plan for Pollution Emergencies as an expression of our collective commitment to addressing transboundary pollution and our shared international obligations on emergency preparedness, cooperation and effective response. Similarly, we also welcome the adoption of the Plastic Pollution and Associated Chemicals Strategy to collectively address a threat to our marine environment and people that can no longer be considered an emerging issue.
Chairperson,
There are several areas where we believe the Nairobi Convention has and can continue to provide strategic support to Parties.
First, strengthening national and regional implementation.
The Convention can help countries bridge the gap between international commitments and national implementation by facilitating access to scientific information, technical expertise, capacity-building and examples of good practice.
This is particularly important for the region, where institutional, technical and financial capacities can vary considerably.
The principle should be simple: regional cooperation should strengthen national ownership, not substitute for it and in turn strong national policy implementation not only delivers domestic impact but also reinforces regional cooperation by fostering policy alignment, collective action, and shared prosperity across borders.
Second, strengthening science-policy interfaces to support implementation
The Western Indian Ocean is a region of enormous ecological, economic and social importance. More than 65 million people living along the region's coastline depend on marine ecosystem goods and services.
South Africa supports continued strengthening of the Nairobi Convention's science-to-policy platforms, including improved access to data, regional assessments, knowledge exchange and the mobilisation of scientific institutions.
Sound decisions require sound science. Science must not only tell us what is happening in the ocean; it must help policymakers determine what practical action is required, where it should take place, and how progress can be measured.
Decisions must be coupled with effective implementation to ensure that policies move beyond intent and create meaningful benefits for communities, livelihoods, and long-term development.
Third, supporting coherence among and inclusive ocean governance processes
Our region is engaging simultaneously with a number of global and regional processes, including the Sustainable Development Goals, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, and other relevant multilateral environmental agreements.
The Nairobi Convention can provide an important regional space for Parties to exchange experiences on how these commitments are being translated into national policies, legislation, strategies and implementation programmes.
This is particularly relevant to the implementation of the BBNJ Agreement, where national institutional preparedness, scientific capacity, area-based management and access to information will all be important.
We see significant value in strengthening cooperation on marine spatial planning and other area-based management approaches.
The Nairobi Convention can facilitate regional learning in this area, particularly where marine ecosystems, species, fisheries and economic activities cross national boundaries.
The development of the Western Indian Ocean Regional Ocean Governance Strategy is an important contribution in this regard.
South Africa also wishes to emphasise the importance of inclusive ocean governance. A healthy ocean is not an objective separate from development.
For coastal communities, the ocean is a source of food, employment, cultural identity and economic opportunity. Consequently, conservation and sustainable use must be pursued in ways that support livelihoods and address inequality.
A key ocean economy priority is the implementation and support of the small-scale fisheries sector through a co-management approach, strengthening the participation of fishing communities in governance and decision-making while supporting sustainable livelihoods and stewardship of marine resources. South Africa supports aquaculture development as a complement to capture fisheries, provided that expansion is environmentally sustainable, supported by appropriate biosecurity and spatial planning, and contributes to employment, enterprise development and the economies of coastal communities. This also requires appropriate infrastructure, technical support, research and investment suited to national circumstances.
Our national experience has reinforced the importance of bringing communities, small-scale fishers, researchers, industry, civil society and government into ocean governance processes.
South Africa believes that the next important step is to ensure that regional strategies are connected to national implementation and measurable outcomes.
We believe the Nairobi Convention can provide an important platform for sharing these experiences across the Western Indian Ocean.
Fourth, financing and capacity-building remain critical
We should be frank that ambitious ocean governance commitments cannot be implemented through policy declarations alone.
Developing countries like ours require access to predictable and additional resources, appropriate technologies, scientific expertise and institutional capacity.
The Nairobi Convention has demonstrated the value of partnerships through programmes such as the Western Indian Ocean Strategic Action Programme. The WIO-SAP, for example, supported national and regional action involving South Africa and other countries of the region to address land-based sources of pollution and sustainably manage critical coastal and riverine ecosystems.
These experiences should inform the next generation of regional programmes.
We should increasingly focus on implementation partnerships that connect countries with development partners, financial institutions, scientific organisations, the private sector and civil society.
Chairperson, Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates
As we look ahead, South Africa would encourage the Nairobi Convention to focus on these practical priorities. In addition, emerging blue economy areas where we would like to see more investment, sharing of best practice, and practical implementation, include supporting of coastal communities, restoration of degraded ecosystems, blue carbon ecosystems, coastal climate adaptation, natural capital accounting, and innovative solutions to address marine plastic pollution.
South Africa believes that the Nairobi Convention is particularly well placed to help us achieve these objectives because it brings together countries that share the same ocean space, interconnected ecosystems and many common development challenges and opportunities for a sustainable ocean economy.
South Africa stands ready to continue working with Contracting Parties, the Nairobi Convention Secretariat, UNEP, regional organisations, scientific institutions and development partners to strengthen this important regional platform.
We remain committed to a Western Indian Ocean that is healthy, productive, resilient and sustainably managed, and to an ocean governance approach that supports both environmental integrity and sustainable development.
I thank you!
For media queries, contact:
Zolile Nqayi
Cell: 082 898 6483
E-mail: znqayi@dffe.gov.za
#GovZAUpdates
