Jamaica Bidding to Host International Climate Conference

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica has submitted a bid to host the “Our Ocean Conference”  next year, Water, Environment, and Climate Change, Matthew Samuda, has said.

Samuda said that Montego Bay is globally significant in ocean governance, primarily as the birthplace of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), often called the ‘Montego Bay Convention’, which established the legal framework for ocean activities.

“For us, returning to Montego Bay for this important environmental forum to look at how we sustainably grow the blue economy for all is a particularly important exercise,” Mr. Samuda affirmed.

The annual conference brings together governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector and the academic community to identify action-based solutions and make tangible commitments to address key ocean issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, food security and pollution.

It was first convened in Washington, United States, in 2014 and the 11th edition is scheduled to be held from June 16 to18, 2026 in Kenya.

Meanwhile, the Minister noted that Jamaica sees itself as an ocean state as its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is approximately 24 times its land mass.

“It is an incredible environmental asset that must be protected. Jamaica is pursuing the development of its sustainable ocean management plan, and we expect to complete that some time next year,” Samuda added.