The Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s (SPC) Team Leader for ocean management and literacy, Tony Kabasi, has reiterated the call by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders for Pacific countries to complete their outstanding maritime boundaries.
In the Communique of 54th Pacific Islands Forum held in Solomon Islands from 8-12 September 2025, building on the landmark 2021 and 2023 Declarations, Leaders reaffirmed their collective commitment to urgently conclude all outstanding maritime boundaries delimitations and continental shelf submissions.
Leaders reaffirmed this decisive action is crucial to securing the full legal certainty and permanence of our maritime zones in perpetuity, in the face of the existential threat posed by climate change-related sea-level rise.
Leaders emphasised that this would safeguard the region’s sovereign rights, protect ocean resources, and secure the Blue Pacific Continent for Pacific peoples and for all generations to come.
Mr Kabasi, a Solomon Islander, made the call during his presentation on “Securing 100% of Maritime Zones in the Blue Pacific Continent” at the Pacific Islands Ocean Conference in Honiara on Wednesday.
He said the Pacific region has a total of 48 shared maritime boundaries, of which 36 have already been completed.
“Roughly around 75% of the total maritime boundaries have been completed, which is much higher than the global rate of 60%,” he said.
Kabasi stressed the importance of finalising maritime boundaries, noting they form the foundation for effective ocean management.
“The Pacific needs to finalise the remaining 25% to achieve 100% maritime ocean management and the full realisation of the Blue Pacific Continent,” Kabasi said, adding that once completed, boundaries will be deposited with the United Nations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
He acknowledged challenges in the process, including technical negotiations, legal work, and the need for political will.
The Pacific Maritime Boundaries programme, coordinated by SPC with support from the Australian Government and Consortium of Partners is supporting Pacific Island countries in this effort.
In the meantime, the Forum Leaders commended the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau for the successful signing of amended treaties on maritime boundaries and called upon Pacific nations to enshrine the 2021 Pacific Islands
Forum Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the face of Climate-Change-Related Sea-Level Rise into their respective maritime agreements and legislation, as necessary.
