Jamaica to host 2029 Our Oceans Conference in Montego Bay

Jamaica has been chosen to host the 13th Our Oceans Conference in Montego Bay, likely in June 2029, with the final date still to be confirmed, Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuels told a post-Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.

Samuels said the gathering is among the largest global forums on marine protection and the blue economy outside the UN Ocean Conference. Officials expect more than 5,000 delegates, at least a dozen heads of government, and roughly 50 ministerial-level delegations. Montego Bay was selected for its room stock, convention facilities, and its historical link to ocean governance, including the adoption of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea there.

A planning secretariat will be established over the coming year. Samuels, who represented Jamaica at Our Oceans 11 in Mombasa, Kenya, last week, said the country has joined the Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism, the Ocean Acidification Alliance, the Action in Blue regional network targeting 30% protection of the Caribbean Sea, and the Mangrove Breakthrough initiative. He also noted Green Climate Fund approval of an additional US$2.1 million grant, managed through the 5Cs, to strengthen Jamaica's climate response mechanism.

Samuels rejected opposition claims that water projects are distributed along political lines, citing CDB-backed work and the J$11 billion Western Resilience Project serving constituencies held by both sides. He also pushed back against calls to merge the NWC, NIC, Rural Water Supply Limited, and the Water Resources Authority.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett outlined Tourism 3.0, targeting 10 million visitors and US$10 billion in earnings over 10 years. He detailed worker housing programmes, pension coverage for more than 10,500 tourism employees, plans for 20,000 new hotel rooms, and ten strategic pillars including market diversification, cruise expansion, inland destination development, and a proposed new tourism authority.

In questions, Bartlett said tourism workers earning at least 30% of income from the sector may qualify for new housing, and that Jamaica expects about 1.5 million cruise passengers this year. Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon urged parents with PEP placement concerns to review student reports and contact regional ministry offices for guidance.