Oceans are public property

Oceans are an important natural resource whose actions on the livelihood of every citizen of the earth can not be ignored. In the same vein, activities of villagers far away from a river's banks affect the river's system downstream. What will eventually happen to the river may have direct results felt more by the people living at the river's bank that those far off the banks. The well being of the river therefore has to call for the cooperation of those close to the banks, those far away, those upstream and those downstream.

Rivers feed into oceans. Coastal countries do not have a monopoly over the waters in the oceans within their territories because the same waters flowed through land locked territories. In the same manner, pollutants of water bodies are not communities living in closest vicinities to the water body alone, but those far and wide within the river's catchment area. Care for the sustenance of balanced marine ecosystems is the responsibility of every global citizen.

In its wisdom, the United Nations set goal number 14 which interests itself with maritime ecosystems. The conference, co-hosted by Fiji and Sweden is themed, Our Oceans, Our future. Call for Action." In their nature, oceans are home to more life than there is on earth and every effort must be taken towards conserving such life's interest. Oceans are farms in which all nations harvest directly or indirectly from. International aquacultures put massive pressure on the production potential of the oceans. International laws must be synchronized to regulate commercial activities dependant on marine life.

Under sea mining is another threat to the lives of the oceans. The crude oil eruption into the Gulf of Mexico waters by British petroleum hit headlines for months on end a decade ago. Undersea treasure hunt should be a concern of every global citizen. Casting an unconcerned eye on this matter has debilitating effects on global economics where petroleum still plays an overarching industrial role.
 
Away from the production potential, the waters of the seas themselves are a precious resource that affects global weather patterns. Lack of international cooperation on marine activities is enough recipe for global climatic disaster. Rehabilitation from climate change outcomes consumes a huge chunk of the global purse. Only last month in Mexico, the United Nations reported that $250 billion is consumed annually globally responding to the negative effects of climate change; much of which change being sponsored by global warming.

As rightfully put across by President Mugabe in his address to the Oceans summit, he said, "the oceans and the seas are a vital resource to all of us irrespective of our geographical location on this planet. Developments around, or under the oceans affect coastal and landlocked countries alike." Oceans provide a trade highway across continents, giving a thoroughfare that does not wear and tear; neither does it require repairs as with roads, railways and airports. Goods passing this thoroughfare are destined for all nations, landlocked and coastal alike.

The sea bed is also an important communication highway useful to the ICT industry. This century has already been singled out as the ICT age, an age where information has become a powerful tool in global economics. It is a dream for every nation, coastal or landlocked to be connected to the super-fast under sea data cable which supplies high speed Internet affordably.

Seas are also defense frontiers useful for protecting a nation's territorial integrity. Unregulated sea activity is detrimental to the security of nations and mankind. In this age where terrorism is harnessing sophisticated technologies funded by huge purses to execute its mandate, manning the seas using every instrument there is becomes a global duty.

Lawlessness and criminal activity in the Somali waters are negating African trade as that route is a risky thoroughfare for maritime cargo. Financiers of the pirates may not be of African origin despite the location of their activities. Activities in the Somali waters are seeing the taking up of longer alternative sea routes which are impacting negatively on the final cost of goods on destination consumers.

Zimbabwe's nearest coast is Beira, which it has already made good use of through the construction of a pipeline transporting liquid cargo from the port to Harare at affordable costs. The Beira Corridor is a very useful transit passage connecting Zimbabwe to the seas and to the world. Therefore Zimbabwe will have vested interests on whatever happens to the Mozambican waters and any other waters, source or destination, where its trade interests are.
Zimbabwe is also home to water bodies though not oceans per se but lessons learnt from nations with coastal boundaries would be usefully harnessed to promote its water management systems. In this regard, representation of the country at presidential level exposes the country to international cooperating partners with marine interest.
 
Capping the whole landlocked-ness furore surrounding the country's participation on the oceans summit, it ought to be reckoned that Zimbabwe is a member of the international community, it belongs to the United Nations , the authors of the SDGs and is a cooperating partner in the march towards the realization of the SDGs come 2030. Expecting the country not to attend the conference because it lacks a coastal line will be comparable to a man absconding his brother's daughter's marriage ceremony because he has no daughters of his own.