By Melino Maka

Across the Pacific, a powerful narrative has emerged — one of collective stewardship, shared responsibility, and a “Blue Pacific Continent” committed to protecting the world’s largest ocean. Regional civil society networks have played a visible role in promoting this vision internationally, including through engagement in global ocean governance initiatives such as the High Seas Treaty.

At the national level, recent developments in Tonga have prompted renewed discussion about how effectively this vision is reflected in domestic civic engagement and public accountability.

The decision by the Tongan Parliament to grant a deep-sea mining licence to an international mining company has raised concerns among environmental observers and community advocates, particularly regarding transparency and long-term environmental risk. Publicly available information indicates that the agreement includes provisions that limit the company’s liability for potential future impacts — a matter of significant public interest in an island nation whose economy, food security, and cultural identity are closely tied to the ocean.

As of the time of writing, there has been no public statement from Tonga’s main civil society umbrella body addressing the licence or calling for the public release of the agreement’s full terms. The absence of publicly available commentary has led to questions about the role, capacity, and operating environment of national civil society organisations when major environmental and economic decisions are made.

The situation also highlights broader structural challenges faced by civil society in small island states. These include political sensitivity around major development projects, reliance on external funding, and the close social and institutional relationships that can make public advocacy complex and, at times, constrained.

Several substantive questions remain unanswered in the public domain. It is not clear whether independent environmental, economic, or social impact assessments were conducted on the potential effects of deep-sea mining on whale migration routes, tuna stocks, tourism, and coastal livelihoods, or whether any such assessments were made available for public review prior to parliamentary approval. The lack of accessible information has prompted calls from some quarters for greater transparency and more inclusive consultation processes.

The situation in Tonga has also sparked reflection among international donors and development partners that support civil society capacity-building across the Pacific. While funding for institutional development, training, and governance initiatives remains important, there is increasing recognition that effectiveness should ultimately be assessed by an organisation’s ability to engage constructively and visibly on decisions of national significance.