When I arrived in Nairobi for UNEA-7, I carried with me the hopes of a country whose identity is woven into the ocean. I also carried a responsibility to help advance a resolution that could bring the world closer to understanding the deep-sea not through politics, but through science.
For two weeks, we negotiated in good faith. We simplified the text, held bilateral meetings across regions, and responded to every concern raised. And we were lifted by extraordinary cross-regional voices who understood what was at stake – Norway, the EU, Switzerland, Japan, Chile, Costa Rica, Uruguay, the UK, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Singapore, the Dominican Republic, and fellow Pacific countries like Fiji, Tuvalu, Palau.
