MONTREAL — Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. used his keynote address at the World Ocean Summit this week to reaffirm his nation’s opposition to deep-sea mining without robust environmental safeguards, while calling for greater access to affordable technology to help small island nations monitor and protect their ocean territories.
Speaking in Montreal on Thursday, Whipps said technological solutions for Small Island Developing States must be affordable, reliable, interoperable and accompanied by local capacity building. He highlighted digital surveillance tools and unmanned aerial systems as cost-effective options for monitoring vast ocean spaces, freeing up limited government resources for climate adaptation priorities.
Whipps noted that Palau was among the first nations to ratify the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, known as BBNJ, and called for continued regional cooperation across the Blue Pacific.
On deep-sea mining, Whipps was direct: Palau supports a precautionary approach until robust environmental safeguards are in place. The World Ocean Summit is hosted by The Economist. Whipps’ appearance comes ahead of Palau’s hosting of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in early September 2026, where ocean governance and climate resilience are expected to be central agenda items.
