Pacific Small Island Developing States Regional Workshop on Deep Seabed Sustainable Blue Growth Initiative

19 May 2026 - 21 May 2026

The Pacific Small Island Developing States Regional Workshop on Deep Seabed Sustainable Blue Growth Initiative will be held at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji, from 19 to 21 May 2026 building on the achievements of the Abyssal Initiative for Blue Growth.

Hosted by the International Seabed Authority in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the workshop will focus on the following:

• The official launch of the (i) Toolkit on the Roles and Responsibilities of States Sponsoring Activities in the Area, and (ii) Guidelines for Negotiations and Contractual Dealings with Sponsored Entities.
• Operationalizing the Sponsoring States Toolkit for the Roles and responsibilities of States Sponsoring Activities in the Area.
• Technical training on regional environmental governance and data management.
• Strengthening human capital and identifying future initiatives.

The workshop forms part of the official visit of the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority to the Pacific and will bring together representatives of Pacific sponsoring States (the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga) and other Pacific Small Island Developing States (Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Niue), alongside regional and institutional partners, including the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Pacific Community, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, the University of the South Pacific, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and relevant national authorities such as the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority.

Over three days, the workshop will combine high-level policy sessions, technical presentations, case studies, practical demonstrations, moderated discussions, breakout group work and a closing plenary.

Pacific Data Repository Workshop

The Office of the Ocean Pacific Commissioner (OPOC), in collaboration with the Pacific Deep Seabed Minerals (DSM) Informal Working Group, will also organize a 1-day workshop on 22 May 2026 in which Pacific SIDS and partners will have an in-depth discussion on the development of the Pacific Data Repository. The ISA Secretariat, with its expertise in data management through the DeepData database, has been invited to attend this workshop to provide technical guidance.