At the closing ceremony of the 11th iteration of the Our Ocean Conference held in Mombasa, Kenya, Jamaica officially announced that it will welcome global ocean governance stakeholders to Montego Bay for the 13th edition of the landmark summit in June 2029. The handover of conference hosting responsibilities marks a significant milestone for global ocean protection efforts, placing Jamaica’s iconic coastal city at the center of international marine conservation dialogue once again.
Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, formally accepted the hosting mandate on the island nation’s behalf, framing the opportunity as a weighty global commitment rather than merely an event to organize. In his closing address, Samuda expressed that Jamaica takes on this role with profound gratitude, intentional humility, and a deep-seated sense of accountability to the global community. “This is more than the acceptance of an event. It is the acceptance of a responsibility to the world’s oceans, to future generations, and to the billions of people whose lives, livelihoods, food security, culture, and prosperity depend on a healthy marine environment,” he told attendees.
Samuda opened his remarks by extending gratitude to the Kenyan government and people for their warm hospitality and visionary leadership throughout the 11th conference, which operated under the unifying theme “Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future.” He went on to highlight the unique historical significance Montego Bay holds for the global ocean governance framework, recalling the city’s central role in the years-long negotiations that produced the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) — a foundational treaty that still guides international marine policy and conservation work today. “Montego Bay is not simply a beautiful coastal city. It is a place etched into the history of global ocean governance,” Samuda emphasized.
Looking ahead to the 2029 summit, Samuda outlined Jamaica’s core priority for the conference: shifting the focus from non-binding pledges to tangible, actionable implementation and measurable, verifiable conservation outcomes. “The world does not need simply another conference; the world needs outcomes,” he stated, underscoring growing global frustration with empty commitments amid accelerating marine ecosystem degradation, ocean acidification, and overexploitation of marine resources.
As the handover process moves forward, Jamaica is preparing to collaborate closely with Canada, which has been selected to host the 12th Our Ocean Conference before Jamaica’s turn in 2029. Samuda closed by extending an open invitation to all global leaders, marine scientists, non-governmental organizations, private sector stakeholders, and community representatives, saying Jamaica eagerly anticipates welcoming the global community to Montego Bay five years from now to advance collective action for healthy, resilient oceans.