A new political alliance against deep-sea mining in the Pacific will be launched on Wednesday to coincide with the first day of the 7th Our Ocean Conference in Palau.
Ralph Regenvanu, leader of the opposition in Vanuatu. Photo: Hilaire Bule
The Pacific Parliamentarians' Alliance on Deep Sea Mining - or PPADSM - will be a collective of Pacific leaders who share strong concerns about "large corporations" and "powerful governments" plans to exploit the ocean floor for minerals.
The Alliance will be chaired by Vanuatu's opposition leader Ralph Regenvanu and include MPs from Aotearoa New Zealand, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, Guam, Fiji, French Polynesia, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau.
They'll also release "Our Ocean Call" - a statement to protect the Pacific Ocean.
Regenvanu said as leaders and custodians of the Pacific Ocean they're obliged to preserve the ocean for the sake of future generations and for all living and non-living things.
The Alliance will be launched virtually on Wednesday morning.