by Tusi Tala, Staff Writer
In a significant development for Pacific Islands like Tuvalu, which face the risk of rising sea levels, Commonwealth nations announced on Saturday that a country’s maritime boundaries will remain unchanged even if climate change leads to the submergence of small island states.
During a summit in Samoa, representatives from the 56 Commonwealth countries, which have ties to Britain, issued the organization’s first Ocean Declaration.
The declaration asserts that Commonwealth leaders “confirm that members can uphold their maritime zones” under international maritime law, ensuring that the rights associated with these zones remain intact, irrespective of changes caused by climate-related sea level rise.
By maintaining fixed maritime boundaries, atoll nations can continue to benefit economically from their extensive fishing areas, even if many residents are forced to relocate due to diminishing land.
This decision follows Tuvalu’s efforts to secure everlasting statehood under international law, as 60 percent of its population lives on an atoll that scientists predict will be partially submerged by 2050.
In July, the U.N. International Law Commission expressed its support for the idea that statehood could persist even if a nation’s land is completely or partially submerged due to climate change-induced sea level rise, with a report on the topic expected next year.
Among Commonwealth members, 49 have coastlines, and 25 are classified as small island developing states.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland remarked that the declaration “will provide genuine hope to many who are anxious and feel overlooked.”
Samoa’s Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa noted that the Commonwealth’s inaugural ocean declaration was established in a region where climate change poses the most significant security threat.
