Marshall Islands President calls for seabed mining moratorium and UN apology

Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine addressed the United Nations General Assembly to call for a moratorium on seabed mining and an official apology regarding historical nuclear testing.

Heine warned that ocean governance decisions must be driven by science and adequate safeguards, stating that “there are no do overs” regarding the potential irreversible consequences of seabed mining. The Marshall Islands has joined 45 other nations in seeking a moratorium, expressing alarm alongside Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau.

Additionally, Heine urged the United Nations to acknowledge and apologize for the harm caused by 67 nuclear weapons tests conducted in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958. She noted that while the UN trusteeship system was intended to protect the wellbeing of the Marshallese people, the tests resulted in generations of displacement, illness, and contamination.