Connecting IPLC knowledge to the BBNJ Agreement through stories, meanings and practices

Date: Thursday, 28 August 2025

Time: 1:15 to 2:30 p.m.

Venue: Conference Room 2 (at the UN)

The sustainable management of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction requires the meaningful participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), recognition of their rights, and the incorporation of their knowledge - together with science - in management measures. This side event explores why the deep sea and open ocean matters to IPLCs, how they are connected to it, and the various meanings, cultural connections and values these areas hold to them. Through stories from South Africa, the Pacific Islands, and the Caribbean, the first part of the event explores the many ways in which communities are connected to ABNJ.

The second part of the event is a panel discussion exploring the challenges, opportunities and lessons learned from different regions and policy processes with the aim to i) support equitable participation of IPLCs in the BBNJ Agreement, and ii) provide respectful co-creation of best available knowledge through the weaving of multiple knowledge systems.

Speakers

Alumita Sekinairai, Ocean Voices Programme – introduction to the side event (3 minutes)

Setting the science through presentations: why ABNJ matters to Indigenous Peoples and local communities:

Mpume Mthombeni, Empatheatre, South Africa – Indlela Yokuphila: The soul’s journey (15 mins)

Setareki Ledua, traditional navigator, Fiji – Voyaging and our connection to the high seas (15 mins)

Kathryn Audroing, Turtle Village Trust, Trinidad & Tobago – Leatherback turtles linking communities to ABNJ (10 mins)

Renee Richa Hill-Lewenilovo, Ocean Voices, Fiji – Migratory species stories from the Pacific (10mins)

Panel discussion in response to the presentations: How can IPLC voices  best contribute to implementation of the BBNJ Agreement:

Talei Cavu, Government of Fiji

Olive Vaai, High Seas Alliance 

Ramson Karmushu, My Indigenous Knowledge In Action (MIKIA), Kenya

Clement Yow Mulalap, Government of the Federated States of Micronesia 

Organizing partners

Government of Fiji, University of Edinburgh Ocean Voices Programme, Emphatheatre, High Seas Alliance, Oceans North, GRID Arendal, Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI)