By: His Excellency Ambassador Daven Joseph, Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda

Every year, as the International Whaling Commission meets, Antigua and Barbuda is targeted by a well-funded campaign designed to influence our public opinion.

The message is always the same: “protection good, sustainable use bad.” And the insinuation is always the same: “Antigua and Barbuda only takes this position because we are being paid.”

Let us address that directly.

The Principle of sustainable use of ocean resources   Stands, With or Without Aid.

Antigua and Barbuda supports science-based management of ocean resources.

Japan is no longer even a member of the IWC. Whether Japan provides us development assistance or not, our position will not change. Because our position is based on law, on science, and on the right of Small Island Developing States to develop and benefit from our marine resources.

The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was created for the conservation and the orderly development of the whaling industry. Sustainable use is written into the convention.

The united nations  law of the sea convention (UNCLOS), affirms the sovereign right of coastal states to manage living resources in their EEZ responsibly.

We do not  support unregulated  whaling. We support  regulated,  science-based, sustainable  use. Protection that ignores people and their way of living leads to poverty. Sustainable use that respects science leads to food security and livelihoods.

Secondly, on aid. We have no apologies for receiving grants from Japan,  from China, from  the United States, or from the European Union.

Developed countries are duty-bound to finance SIDS. We are paying the price for a climate crisis and an economic system we did not create. Development finance is not a gift, it’s certainly not a bribe, It is an obligation.

To suggest  that  our sovereign vote  at the IWC, or anywhere  else, is “bought”  by development assistance is insulting. It assumes Antiguans and Barbudans have no minds of our own.

We are students of ocean use and marine science. We know what is right and wrong for our waters. It is deeply offensive when international NGOs, and their local counterparts, suggest that we do not have the intellectual capacity to determine how our resources should be managed.

Over 70% of our economy is ocean-based. Tourism, fisheries, marine  transport, cruise, and the potential of oil and gas must benefit Antiguans and Barbudans.

We cannot build a homegrown Blue  Economy if every time we assert our sovereign rights, foreign funded campaigns try to delegitimize us. The implication is clear: Caribbean people cannot be trusted to manage our own ocean.

That is unacceptable. The ocean must deliver tangible benefits, jobs, and prosperity for our people. Not just for NGOs based thousands of miles away.

Antigua and Barbuda’s Position is Clear, we stand for a healthy ocean. We also stand for a wealthy Caribbean people.

We stand for conservation and we also stand for development.

Our position at the IWC is based on science, law, and the right to development. Not on who gave us a grant last year.

We will continue  to advocate  for sustainable  use  within the framework of the IWC.  We will continue to build a Blue Economy that is for the people, by the people.

Let no campaign, however well-funded, convince Antiguans and Barbudans that we must choose between our environment and our economy. With science, with strong laws, and with Caribbean ownership, we can have both.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Sustainable Use, Not Empty Slogans: Defending Antigua and Barbuda’s Right to Our Ocean.