7. Small Island States

March 25th, 2020

The small island nations, referred to as SIDS (Small Island Developing States), constitute a unique entity in international maritime diplomacy. Although they are the primary stakeholders in decisions related to ocean exploitation, they are not always the most consulted. Often labeled as fearful, their representatives are, in fact, calling for international commitment to the protection of the oceans. Where is the contradiction with influential Western policies? None, at least on the surface.

Western countries have also committed to ocean protection. The only difference is that this protection is coupled with exploration that, for many, hints at exploitation (see 3. Deep Thoughts on Deep Waters). Denis Robin from the government laments that our vision, that of France, is not shared by the SIDS: "They want a moratorium prohibiting exploration to avoid a kind of post-colonial exploitation." Already at the Our Ocean conference in Malta, our association heard these concerns. So, is it a genuine concern or an unfounded controversy? The least one can say is that the SIDS' experience with Western-style ocean protection is not always positive. For instance, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Seychelles that turned into mining protected areas or military protected areas in the Chagos Islands, as denounced by Armand Quintel, have been highly disappointing. It is worth noting that the effectiveness of strict Marine Protected Areas is demonstrated in terms of biodiversity. The ambiguity is real, but let's emphasize that small island states are closest to the reality of ocean disturbances. Therefore, the societal issues of the countries involved must be given top priority in any multilateral deliberation in this field.