Maritime Synergy and the Era of Information: How ASEAN is Tackling Ocean-Related Problems

Written by Vicent Llorca Mascarell, Journalist, LIMUN 2026

The ASEAN committee discussed data-sharing among their countries in order to provide better results in some areas, concretely those related with environmental protection for the ocean, the successful development of economic activities such as fishing, and protection of the seas and coastal communities.

An Unexpected Consensus

Most of the countries aligned with the idea of data-sharing, considering it a necessary step on improving all the aforementioned areas of diplomatic, political and economic development. The member states of ASEAN all concluded that ‘current data sharing is limited, fragmented’ as Singapore expressed. Thailand lamented that ‘there is no ASEAN database’, arguing that with an ASEAN database they would ‘have the facts that drive our solutions.’

But ASEAN countries are not the only ones posing their points of view. Also China, the US and India made their own statements either promising technological and economic aid for the countries, or marking out the deficiencies in data sharing and governance.

In fact, the South-East Asian region is one of the most dynamic currently, both economically and politically. But the threats they pose to each other and problems such as climate change all crystallise in the road that unites them all, the ocean. Will these nations find cooperation over waters? Will we see perhaps a realignment of countries' policies in this committee? We remain expectant.