Civil society groups in Fiji and across the Pacific have accused the International Seabed Authority of sidelining local voices in its current regional consultations on deep-sea mining, raising fresh concerns about transparency and who gets to shape decisions that could affect the region’s oceans and communities. The Pacific Regional Non-Government Organisations Alliance — which includes the Pacific Conference of Churches, Pacific Network on Globalisation, the Fiji Council of Social Services and Greenpeace Australia Pacific — held a press conference in Suva to lay out their grievances.
Fiji Council of Social Services Executive Director Vani Catanasiga told reporters the exclusion is baffling given the depth of work civil society has already produced on the subject. “That sort of knowledge, that sort of intelligence must be part and parcel of the conversation that is taking place right now,” she said, noting civil society groups have conducted extensive research and policy analysis on deep-sea mining that they say has been ignored in ISA-led discussions currently taking place in Fiji. Catanasiga also contrasted the ISA approach with national practice, saying the Fijian government has historically included civil society in major consultations — such as constitutional reviews — and questioned why a similar approach was not applied here.
Catanasiga framed the exclusion as raising broader questions about accountability and national agency: “We’re questioning our own sovereignty… is government allowed to include us? Because it seems ISA has gone ahead, excluding a body of knowledge needed for these conversations.” Pacific Conference of Churches General Secretary James Bhagwan added that key civil society organisations were not allowed to participate in the ISA consultations held in Suva, a move he said undermines the legitimacy of the process.
The alliance is calling for the ISA and its member states to widen participation, be transparent about who is being consulted, and ensure that Pacific expertise and concerns are formally considered as the body develops rules and guidance for seabed mining. Deep-sea mining — the extraction of mineral-bearing nodules, crusts and seafloor massive sulphides from international waters — is governed by the ISA, the UN-backed organisation charged with regulating activities in the international seabed area beyond national jurisdictions. The industry and its regulation remain highly contentious because of potential environmental and social impacts that scientists and communities fear are poorly understood.
Civil society groups argue that excluding local researchers and advocacy organisations from regional consultations risks producing rules that do not reflect the Pacific’s unique environmental, cultural and economic stakes. They say their work offers locally grounded analysis on likely impacts, governance gaps and community expectations that should inform any decision-making. Greenpeace Australia Pacific, which is part of the alliance, has previously campaigned internationally for precautionary approaches and greater public scrutiny of ISA processes.
The Suva press conference represents the latest push by Pacific civil society to be heard in global forums shaping ocean governance. The groups say immediate steps should include opening consultation sessions to accredited local organisations, publishing consultation participant lists and submissions, and committing to ongoing, structured engagement with community experts. Without such measures, they warn, decisions taken at international levels risk being perceived as externally driven and lacking regional consent.