Mr W. Aucamp: Address on the occasion of the 7th Ministerial Conference of the Benguela Current Convention

13 May 2026, Luanda, Angola

Honourable Chair of the Conference;  
Fellow Ministers and Deputy Ministers;  
Heads of Mission and members of the Diplomatic Corps;  
Distinguished Development/dialogue Partners;  
Executive Secretary of the Benguela Current Convention;  
Members of the Commission; Distinguished delegates;  
Senior Officials, Ladies and Gentlemen;

On behalf of the South African delegation, I am delighted to participate in this important meeting of the Benguela Current Commission. I commend our Commissioners and Senior officials for their hard work in preparing for this Ministerial Conference meeting, without their dedication and support, none of us would be able to meaningfully provide strategic guidance to strengthen efforts of collaborations for the implementation of this Convention. 

As you are all aware, this Convention, which is one we all take pride in, is the first legal framework in the world to be based on the large marine ecosystem approach to ocean governance. Through this framework, we have a unique opportunity to remind the rest of Africa and the world, just what a powerhouse Africa can be if we use our resources to work collaboratively, with the intent and purpose to protect our natural resources while providing opportunities for the growth and development of our people. 

Through this Ministerial Conference, it is South Africa’s hope that this important, structured mechanism can continue for the pursuit of our shared commitment toward strengthening regional policies and management frameworks to realise transboundary benefits and mainstream the transboundary priorities within our national policy frameworks for better management of the Benguela Large Marine Ecosystem. We believe that through strengthened coordination, transparent decision-making, and the revitalization of our institutional processes, the Convention will continue to deliver meaningful impact for the region. 

Honourable Chair 

My delegation extends gratitude to the government of Angola and all its people for hosting us and welcome you, Minister Carmen do Sacramento Neto dos Santos, as the chairperson of the BCC Ministerial Conference. We assure you of South Africa’s full cooperation, as we continue our collective responsibility under the Convention. I have learnt of the long period in which the Namibian Government, through the BCC Focal point Ministry, held the line and sustained the Convention since taking over in 2016, and I thank you for such stewardship. 

Colleagues, 

I am told that there has been progress in implementing certain decisions and commitments made in the last meeting of the Ministerial Conference and I therefore look forward to the progress report of the Secretariat and the Commissioners that will be shared later in today’s program. 

In 2017, Ministers called for strengthening of scientific cooperation through joint research and shared resources, securing sustainable financing for the Commission, building regional capacity, and intensifying efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, while ensuring that emerging marine activities are guided by sound science. It is particularly important that our predecessors highlighted a need to promote inclusive participation of youth and women in the oceans sector, enhance regional oil spill preparedness and response, and develop mechanisms through which the region’s marine wealth can sustainably support the long-term work of the Convention. 

South Africa reaffirms these commitments, in that, we strongly support deepened scientific cooperation, including structured research vessel-sharing arrangements and coordinated ecosystem monitoring. Science must remain the foundation of our transboundary co-management. 

We emphasize the urgency of securing sustainable financing for the Convention. Reduced dependence on external funding will enhance institutional stability, ownership, and long-term resilience. Practical, equitable, and transparent self-funding mechanisms must now move from concept to implementation. 

In confronting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, we must intensify cooperation in monitoring, control and surveillance, and enforcement coordination. Protecting our fisheries safeguards food security, livelihoods, and economic growth. 

As offshore and seabed activities expand, our decisions must remain guided by rigorous science and the precautionary principle. Economic opportunity must not compromise ecosystem integrity. 

We also reaffirm our commitment to empowering youth and women in marine science, governance, and the blue/ocean economy. Inclusion strengthens innovation and resilience.

Finally, enhanced regional collaboration on oil spill preparedness which involves private sector, is essential in the context of increasing maritime and offshore activity. 

Some of these priority aspects and commitments are expected to be further articulated and operationalized in the Strategic Action Programme that will be presented for consideration, following this Ministerial segment of the agenda. The Strategic Action Programme is a mechanism to translate our shared commitments into structured actions, timelines, and measurable outcomes to guide coordinated regional implementation. 

South Africa strongly supports the continued expansion of the BCC’s scope to fully address non-living marine resources and emerging ocean uses. 

Excellencies, our regional efforts unfold within a rapidly evolving global ocean governance landscape shaped by the targets of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, the transformative agenda of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and the new framework established under the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, to mention few of initiatives in the global space. As negotiations advance toward a legally binding global instrument to end plastic pollution, and as the world accelerates action to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and address climate-driven ocean change, the work of our Convention remains both regionally important and relevant to meet this global ambition. These global frameworks and targets validate the direction of the Benguela Current Convention’s strategic priorities, therefore must gauge of our efforts. 

Distinguished Delegates, the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem is one of the most productive marine systems in the world. We must optimize its use to sustain livelihoods, support economic growth, and anchor the ecological balance of our region. 

Colleagues, while our meetings here today have reinvigorated the high-level convening of this trilateral convention, it is equally important for us to monitor and evaluate the results of our investment. As South Africa, we believe that this is an important element of our work going forward to ensure that we are able to track our progress and remain accountable to the peoples of our countries and our partners. 

Our collective role is to ensure that its riches benefit our people today, while preserving its integrity for the future generations. 

South Africa stands ready to work with Angola and Namibia in our shared responsibility to advance the full implementation of the Convention. 

I thank you