In late August, experts from government agencies, coastal authorities, civil society and the media met in the capital, Lomé, to discuss the international treaty on protecting marine life in international waters. The workshops were intended to prepare Togo's national position for the first Conference of the Parties in January 2027 at United Nations headquarters in New York.

The high seas begin where the territorial waters of coastal states end. They cover most of the world's oceans, yet until now have been subject to hardly any binding protection. The so-called BBNJ Agreement is the first international framework to set binding rules for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in these waters beyond national control. It entered into force on 17 January 2026, once enough countries had ratified it; Togo itself is still in the middle of that process. The workshop series was organised by the High Council for the Sea, with support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and a European Union-funded programme for sustainable oceans in West Africa.

For Togo, far more than environmental protection is at stake – the country depends on its coast. According to the responsible ministry, around 70 per cent of economic output is linked to the sea, with fishing alone accounting for 4.5 per cent. Those who want a say in the future rules for the high seas need to be at the table from the outset. For Togo, what is at stake includes protecting its own fish stocks, gaining access to international funding, and having a voice in global ocean governance.