Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office              GME0062

Supplementary written evidence submitted by Baroness Chapman of Darlington, Minister for International Development, Latin America and the Caribbean, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Dear Toby,

Thank you for your committee’s helpful and constructive feedback during the oral evidence session on Governing the Marine Environment on 2 April. Further to that session, please find below the additional information I committed to sharing with the committee.

"What will the governance arrangements be, and how will the MPA be governed in the area around Diego Garcia once they have been set up?"

The government’s primary objective in negotiations with Mauritius concerning the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory has been assuring the continued operation and security of the military facility on Diego Garcia. We are also committed to protecting the unique environment of the Chagos Archipelago. The agreement negotiated with Mauritius achieves both of these objectives.

On Diego Garcia and its surrounding waters, the UK will continue to uphold the established environmental standards across the island, including management of the ecologically important Ramsar site. We will continue to work closely with the US to ensure that the environmental management of the military facility meets international environmental standards, preventing harm to the coral atoll and its surrounding waters. The UK takes full responsibility for maintaining these high standards.

More broadly, the agreement will also enable an enhanced partnership between the UK and Mauritius under which the UK will support Mauritius’ ambitions to establish a Marine Protected Area (MPA) that protects the globally significant ecosystems across the wider Chagos Archipelago. Both parties have also agreed to ensure the environment remains protected throughout any transitional period as Mauritius implements its MPA.

The UK and Mauritius will also cooperate on other matters relating to protection of the environment across the archipelago, including from oil and other spills and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

More detailed arrangements around this partnership will be established in the period after Treaty signature and before the deal comes into effect.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington

Minister for International Development, Latin America and the Caribbean

May 2025