Marine Regions Forum takes the next step

Regional action across boundaries, actors, and sectors is key to conservation and sustainable use of the ocean. Sweden is stepping up its engagement by funding the Marine Regions Forum – a dialogue and learning platform for the world’s marine regions in support of ocean governance.

The Marine Regions Forum brings together experts and actors from decision-making, academia, the civil society, and industry to discuss pressing ocean issues, develop recommendations, and build collaborations for effective ocean action.
The Marine Regions Forum, originally launched in 2019 and co-hosted by Germany and the European Commission, will now receive further funding by the Government of Sweden (Ministry of the Environment). The European Commission and the Federal Government of Germany are still supporting the Forum, together with the Government of France and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Marine Regions Forum operates in three areas: support for development of the marine regions, fostering of dialogue between marine regions, and providing regional ocean governance with a voice in global processes.

By the end of 2022 or early 2023, COVID-19 pandemic allowing, the second edition of the Marine Regions Forum conference will be organized in the Western Indian Ocean in cooperation with the Nairobi Convention. The meeting will showcase progress, challenges and future opportunities in ocean governance and aims to accelerate transformative action in that region. Moreover, the forum will enable dialogue and exchange between regional and global actors.

Delivering on a Voluntary Commitment made at the UN Ocean Conference, the Marine Regions Forum is organized by the Partnership for Regional Ocean Governance (PROG) – a collaborative science-society-policy initiative by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), and TMG – Think Tank for Sustainability.