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  We have prepared a legal note to contribute to consideration by the International Court of Justice of the request for an Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of climate change, which expands on the arguments on the relevance of marine biodiversity science and international biodiversity law shared with the International Tribunal […]

  With 84 signatories already supporting the 2023 Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), national governments and international judges are starting to consider the way forward towards implementing this ground-breaking international treaty. As part of these efforts, Hub Director Elisa Morgera was invited to reflect on fair and equitable benefit-sharing under […]

Hub research on the relevance of the human right to a healthy environment to contribute to the protection of marine biodiversity and ocean health has increasingly contributed to discussions on business responsibility to respect human rights. In November-December 2023, we contributed to a conference of the Network of African Human Rights Institutes and a call […]

 We are thrilled to share the joyous news that Empatheatre’s animated film, “Indlela Yokuphila,” has been honored with the prestigious GOLDEN ZEBU at the 18th edition of the Madagascourt Film Festival. This remarkable achievement celebrates the film’s excellence in the pan-African animation competition.  “Our heartfelt gratitude goes to our esteemed collaborators, Shells and Spells, Triggerfish, and […]

The  exhibition ‘Our Ocean is Sacred, You Can’t Mine Heaven’ – a radical “an-archive” on intangible ocean heritage and a multi-genre exhibition raising consciousness and celebrating the sacredness of the ocean – is now open for all to explore online. The exhibition premiered as part of the South African National Arts Festival and was also […]

The short film ‘Hurinin, People of the Sea’ tells how the marginalised Topnaar people in Namibia seek recognition for their ocean-related heritage, knowledge and rights. During the colonial rule, the Topnaar sub-clan known as the Hurinin (‘the sea-people’) were forced out of the coastal areas, disrupting their centuries-old reliance on ocean resources. In contemporary Namibia, the Topnaar continue […]

In November 2023, the Hub became an official partner of the Small-Scale Fisheries Resource & Collaboration Hub (“SSF Hub”), which is a platform, community and a set of supporting initiatives fosters learning, information sharing and capacity enhancement to the benefit of the community, and accelerates the implementation of the SSF Guidelines (the Voluntary Guidelines for […]

We have launched a new partnership to respond to the disparity in deep-sea research capabilities between the Global North and South. Established in 2023 under the UN Decade of Ocean Science-endorsed Challenger 150 Programme and led by Hub early-career researcher Dr Kirsty McQuaid, the African Network of Deep-water Researchers aims to connect researchers, skills, infrastructure […]

My name is Elsemi Olwage, I am an early career and post-doctoral researcher currently based at the University of Namibia (UNAM) in Windhoek. I am a social anthropologist with transdisciplinary research interests in environmental humanities and legal and political anthropology. I joined the Hub in 2023, with a focus on the politics and practices of […]