KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaica has submitted a bid to host the “Our Ocean Conference” next year, Water, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Matthew Samuda said.
Samuda said that Montego Bay is globally significant in ocean governance, primarily as the birthplace of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), often called the ‘Montego Bay Convention’, which established the legal framework for ocean activities.
“For us, returning to Montego Bay for this important environmental forum to look at how we sustainably grow the blue economy for all is a particularly important exercise,” Mr. Samuda affirmed.
The annual conference brings together governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector, and the academic community to identify action-oriented solutions and make tangible commitments to address key ocean issues, including climate change, biodiversity loss, food security, and pollution.
It was first convened in Washington, United States, in 2014, and the 11th edition is scheduled to be held from June 16 to 18, 2026, in Kenya.
Meanwhile, the Minister noted that Jamaica sees itself as an ocean state, as its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is approximately 24 times its landmass.
“It is an incredible environmental asset that must be protected. Jamaica is pursuing the development of its sustainable ocean management plan, and we expect to complete that sometime next year,” Samuda added.
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