Pacific Civil Society Condemns Exclusion from Deep-Sea Mining Workshop in Fiji

Pacific civil society organizations, represented by the Pacific Regional Non-Government Organisations (PRNGO) Alliance, have voiced strong condemnation over their exclusion from a crucial International Seabed Authority (ISA) workshop held in Suva, Fiji. This exclusion, occurring as the workshop on the “Deep Seabed Sustainable Blue Growth Initiative” commenced, is seen as a deliberate sidelining of Pacific voices in decisions with profound implications for the region's future, its people, and its ocean governance.

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We are here to perhaps share our concerns around the exclusion of civil society organisations in the discussions that are currently taking place.

Organizations like the Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS), Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC), Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), and Greenpeace Australia Pacific expressed deep disappointment. Vani Catanasiga of FCOSS highlighted that while civil society has a history of meaningful participation in national policy consultations in Fiji, they were shut out of this formal regional process. She stressed that Pacific peoples are not external stakeholders to be merely consulted; they are intrinsic to the ocean and must be present in the room where decisions are made.

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Our government has always opened the space for civil society to meaningfully contribute to these discussions… So we’re disappointed that civil society has been sidelined in this conversation.

The workshop's focus on deep-sea mining is particularly sensitive for Pacific island nations. Reverend James Bhagwan of the PCC articulated that the ocean is far more than a mere resource; it is a sacred entity, a provider, an ancestor, and a climate regulator, deeply intertwined with the identity and spirituality of Pacific peoples. He warned that deep-sea mining represents a moral and spiritual failing, a wound to the life system that sustains their islands and future generations, and that the current ISA process risks narrowing the critical discussion to mere regulatory readiness.

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We want to remind the ISA that Pacific people… they’re not stakeholders to be consulted with. We are supposed to be in that room having a conversation.

This exclusion is particularly galling given the historical and cultural significance of the ocean to Pacific islanders. Unlike Western nations that may view the ocean primarily through an economic or geopolitical lens, for Pacific peoples, the ocean is their home, their heritage, and their very existence. The Post-Courier, reporting on this issue, underscores the unique perspective of the Pacific where the ocean is inseparable from identity and survival. The failure to include these voices in ISA discussions is not just an administrative oversight but a profound disrespect to the people who are the custodians of this vast marine environment, raising serious questions about the legitimacy and equity of the deep-sea mining governance framework being developed.

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It is a question of ethical leadership, of ocean guardianship, justice and spiritual responsibility.