The STRONG High Seas project, together with Germany, the Secretariats of the Abidjan Convention and Permanent Commission for the South Pacific (CPPS), and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) hosted a workshop titled ‘Building Capacities for Regional Ocean Governance: Marine Genetic Resources and Area-based Management Tools’ on 25 August 2019 on the side-lines of the third session of negotiations for an international agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (IGC 3) in New York, USA. Read more STRONG High Seas ‘Building Capacities for Regional Ocean Governance’ Workshop

New policy brief – Keeping an Eye on the High Seas: Strengthening Monitoring, Control and Surveillance through a New Marine Biodiversity Treaty is now available. Effective monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) is critical for the success of marine conservation and management measures. Whereas States have the exclusive right to manage the marine resources within their national jurisdiction, areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) are subject to a complex patchwork of international rules and regulations.

Read more Keeping an Eye on the High Seas – Strengthening Monitoring, Control and Surveillance through a New Marine Biodiversity Treaty

From 30 – 31 May, the PROG Marine Regions Forum project attended the UN Meeting of the Communities of Ocean Action (COAs) in Incheon, South Korea. The Meeting brought together the Voluntary Commitments (VCs) made at the 2017 UN Ocean Conference – a growing list that now includes more than 1,500 commitments for action to advance the implementation of SDG 14. Read more PROG at Meeting of the Communities of Ocean Action “From Commitments to Action: Implementing SDG14,” 30-31 May 2019, Incheon