Going Live at 7PM......State of the Union of Pacific Indigenous Knowledge
Like speed dating with 21 Pacific Indigenous scientists, voyagers, diplomats, youth, activists, etc.
I interrupt my flow to share this important message with you.
I'm writing this from the BBNJ negotiations. Day 5 of Preparatory Commission 2. I've delivered interventions almost every day this week, to write global policy in real time.
But tonight? Tonight is different.
Tonight we're hosting the most important meeting of this entire process. The State of the Union on Pacific Indigenous knowledge. And we're doing it in a format that actually works.
Here's What's Going On
While I've been in these negotiation rooms, I keep falling into the same pattern: Creating these amazing opportunities at the international level, but no one’s walking through the door. Its a “where the rubber meets the road” kind of thing.
That ends at the BBNJ.
And it starts with tonight.
Forget panels where five people talk past each other for 90 minutes. We're doing speed-dating with Indigenous knowledge.
21 leaders. 10 minutes each. One question: "Where is Pacific Indigenous knowledge going right now?"
No gotcha questions. No interruptions. Just space for their voice to move the conversation where it needs to go.
Why 10 minutes? Because it's long enough to go deep, short enough to stay sharp. And it clips perfectly for social media, which means these ideas actually travel beyond conference rooms.
The Lineup
Let me paint you a picture of who's showing up tonight:
Uncle Sol from Hawaii, carrying Queen Lili'uokalani's vision 132 years after the overthrow. The man who translates creation chants for climate action.
Jessica Wegener, Ngiyampaa mentor, who unlocks deeply embedded ancestral wisdom and guides people back to traditional knowledge that saves countries.
Julianna Rapu, who belongs to two homes (Rapa Nui and Hawaii) and understands "umanga" (sharing of resources) like breathing.
Brandon Makaawaawa, Vice President of the Nation of Hawaii, carrying forward the kuleana his Kupuna passed down.
Frances Vakauta from SPC, leading Pacific Culture for Development and actually advising on traditional knowledge in these BBNJ negotiations I'm sitting in.
Dr. George Carter, Samoan educator whose scholarship bridges Pacific heritage with the global politics happening in this building.
And 18 more leaders spanning from Papua New Guinea to Aotearoa, from Guam to Fiji. Each carrying stories, painpoints, frustrations, and ideas but also knowledge systems that survived colonization and are now solving problems Western frameworks can't touch.
Why Tonight Matters
Here's what I want to consolidate into one livestream that people can binge-watch: Indigenous knowledge isn't some nice-to-have cultural consideration.
Ocean governance? We wrote the manual.
Climate adaptation? We've been doing it for millennia.
Sustainable resource management? Please.
This isn't just content. This is a State of the Union.
We're getting 21 Indigenous leaders from across the Pacific onto one platform. Each speaking directly to where our knowledge is heading right now.
Here's where this fits into the 4-part interplay I outlined last week: This livestream is our point of departure.
Also.
Do you remember that before PrepCom 1, the International Indian Treaty Council published a policy brief based on broad inter-regional consultations I hosted? One of the key outcomes was recommending a Standing COP Agenda Item on the Status of the Oceans. This because the BBNJ Agreement doesn't establish formal entry for systematic inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in ocean governance discussions.
Solution: Create a permanent "Stocktake on the Status of the Oceans" agenda item that would provide dedicated, regular dialogue drawing on scientific assessments AND Indigenous observations, knowledge, and insights on ocean health, species distribution, ecosystem dynamics.
Tonight's livestream? Think of it as a taste of what that systematic inclusion actually looks like.
What You'll Actually Get
You won't leave with more information to file away. You'll leave understanding why Pacific Indigenous knowledge isn't the future, it's the present. And why global governance isn't leading us, it's catching up to us.
You'll see patterns the negotiation rooms miss. You'll hear solutions that should be driving these conversations. You'll meet the leaders whose knowledge systems are solving problems faster than any government framework.
Your Invitation
I'm writing this before today’s BBNJ session starts. Later today I'll be hosting the most important conversation about ocean governance that isn't happening in an official meeting room.
The livestream goes live tonight at 7PM NYC time. No registration.
Watch live on Youtube here: