Mombasa Declaration

Number of countries in Kenya to adopt the Mombasa declaration-THE HINDU 

15 Fifteen countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific adopted a declaration to step up efforts to combat illegal fishing. 

Mombasa Declaration

• The Mombasa Declaration was adopted by 15 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific to strengthen global action against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• It urges governments to improve transparency in the fisheries sector by ensuring better access to information on fishing vessels, ownership details, licensing and authorisations. It also calls for stronger data sharing to track fishing activities and enforce regulations more effectively.
• The declaration is named after Mombasa, Kenya, which hosted the 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC). Out of more than 30 countries represented at the summit, countries such as Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, France, Ghana, Liberia, Panama, Peru, Somalia and South Korea signed the agreement.
• The declaration aims to protect marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of millions dependent on fisheries. It also supports the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, which lays down 10 policy principles for better fisheries governance through low-cost reforms such as modern vessel registries and public disclosure of fishing authorisations.

Our Ocean Conference 

• The Our Ocean Conference (OOC) was launched in 2014 by the U.S. Department of State and former Secretary of State John Kerry.
• It brings together governments, businesses, NGOs and academic institutions to promote ocean conservation and sustainable ocean governance.
• The conference focuses on six areas: marine protected areas, sustainable blue economy, climate change, maritime security, sustainable fisheries and marine pollution.
• Since its launch, it has generated over 2,600 commitments worth more than $160 billion.
• The 2026 OOC was held in Mombasa, Kenya, marking the first time the summit was hosted on African soil.
• The theme of the 2026 conference was “Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future.”