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Fifteen countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific adopted the Mombasa Declaration during the 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC) 2026 in Mombasa, Kenya, to strengthen global efforts against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing.

What is the Mombasa Declaration?

The Mombasa Declaration is a multilateral commitment adopted by 15 countries to enhance transparency, strengthen international cooperation, and improve governance in the fisheries sector to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Named after the host city of Mombasa (Kenya), the declaration seeks to improve monitoring of fishing activities by promoting greater access to information on fishing vessels, ownership, licensing, and cross-border data sharing.

Objectives

The declaration aims to:

• Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• Improve transparency in fisheries governance.
• Strengthen international cooperation and information sharing.
• Enhance monitoring, compliance, and enforcement mechanisms.
• Protect marine ecosystems and ensure sustainable fisheries.

Key Features

The declaration calls upon participating governments to:

• Improve access to information on fishing vessels, ownership, and licensing.
• Strengthen data sharing among countries for better monitoring of fishing activities.
• Modernize vessel registries and publish fishing authorizations.
• Support the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency, which contains 10 policy principles for improving fisheries governance through low-cost institutional reforms.

The declaration was signed by Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, the Dominican Republic, France, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and South Korea.

Why is IUU Fishing a Concern?

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing undermines sustainable fisheries management by depleting fish stocks, damaging marine biodiversity, distorting markets, and threatening the livelihoods and food security of millions of people dependent on fisheries. It also causes significant economic losses and weakens maritime governance.

Our Ocean Conference (OOC)

The Our Ocean Conference (OOC) is a global platform launched in 2014 by the U.S. Department of State under the leadership of former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. It brings together governments, international organizations, businesses, civil society, and academia to mobilize commitments for ocean conservation and sustainable use of marine resources.

The conference focuses on six priority areas:

• Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
• Sustainable Blue Economy
• Climate Change
• Maritime Security
• Sustainable Fisheries
• Marine Pollution

Since its inception, the conference has generated over 2,600 commitments worth more than USD 160 billion.

The 11th Our Ocean Conference (2026) was held in Mombasa, Kenya, marking the first time the conference was hosted on the African continent, under the theme "Our Ocean, Our Heritage, Our Future."