Honiara, Solomon Islands – Pacific Leaders gathered in Honiara to highlight progress on maritime boundaries and ocean management, with Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele calling for decisive action to complete outstanding boundaries and extended continental shelf submissions needed to secure the Blue Pacific Continent.
“It is now time for decisive action to complete outstanding boundaries and advance extended continental shelf submissions. Every treaty and commitment is anchored in ancestral knowledge, kinship, and the Pacific Way,” the Prime Minister said.
The side event, held under the theme “Iumi Tugeda: Act Now for an Integrated Blue Pacific Continent”, also marked the relaunch of the Pacific Maritime Boundaries Dashboard.
Hosted on the Pacific Data Hub, the updated tool provides transparent information on treaties, maritime zones, extended continental shelf submissions, and national ocean policies, making progress visible and accessible across the region.
The event also heard from provincial leaders from Vanuatu and Solomon Islands at the frontline of cultural and ocean diplomacy, building on cooperation formalized through the Motalava Treaty and Tirvau Agreement, which recognize shared kinship and cross-border ties between the two provinces.
Premier Stanley Tehiahua of Temotu in Solomon Islands said that while his province sits at the furthest edge of the country, its people remain central to regional cooperation. “Together with Torba, we are keeping the Melanesian Corridor alive as a bridge of friendship and responsibility for our communities and nations.”
President Edgar Haward of Torba in Vanuatu reinforced this message. “These treaties and agreements do not divide us; they bring us closer together, turning shared seas into shared responsibility.”
SPC Director-General Dr Stuart Minchin commended the leadership of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu at all levels. “What we are witnessing today demonstrates how culture, community, and science are bringing us closer to the goal of finalizing all of the maritime boundaries for the Blue Pacific Continent.”
Pacific Ocean Commissioner Dr Filimon Manoni highlighted the legal and diplomatic significance of completing the work. “Completing boundaries is not only about sovereignty but about legal certainty. It secures livelihoods, strengthens our collective negotiating position in global forums, and ensures the Pacific Way is recognised as a model of ocean governance.”
For more than two decades, SPC and its partners have worked with Pacific countries to define and secure maritime zones, enabling sound ocean governance, sustainable fisheries development, and climate resilience through Integrated Ocean Management. Of the Pacific’s 48 shared boundaries, 36 are now settled, with the remainder critical to completing the region’s ocean map.
Progress on Pacific maritime boundaries and ocean management has been made possible through the long-term support of the Government of Australia, the European Union, and the Government of the United Kingdom, alongside SPC, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, and the Forum Fisheries Agency.
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