“At Africa’s First Our Ocean Conference, a Test of Global Will on High Seas Protection and Deep-Sea Mining”

“At Africa’s First Our Ocean Conference, a Test of Global Will on High Seas Protection and Deep-Sea Mining”

By James Alix MichelVICTORIA, Seychelles, Mar 23 2026 (IPS) When the 11th Our Ocean Conference opens in Mombasa and Kilifi, Kenya, from June 16-18, 2026, it will mark the first time this influential meeting has been held on African soil. For coastal and island nations across the continent and the wider Indian Ocean – and for the Global South more broadly – the stakes could not be higher: the promises and commitments made there will help decide w…