A note from GOAP's Co-Chairs

Dear friends and colleagues,  

We are thrilled to introduce ourselves as the new Co-Chairs of the Partnership, elected at the GOAP Members Meeting, December 2023. We are strongly committed to supporting the development and use of ocean accounts for sustainable ocean development. We are proud that the GOAP is now co-chaired by organisations from two developing economies and look forward to driving global collaboration and knowledge sharing.  

We thank the previous GOAP Co-Chairs, UNESCAP and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, for their leadership over the past four years, under which the Partnership has grown to over 30 Members, significantly increased global engagement with ocean accounting, and has held many collaborative events. Their leadership and vision have driven the success to date and, as we take over as Co-Chairs, we look forward to working with all Members to build on this valuable work.  

Over the next two years we aim to strengthen the GOAP regional Communities of Practice and expand their coverage to welcome all interested stakeholders in Africa, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America. We will continue to work with the Partnership to explore the practical utility of ocean accounting for broader sustainable ocean development processes—for example implementation of Sustainable Ocean Plans, Marine Spatial Planning, ocean-based climate action, and sustainable finance. We also strongly support the global agenda for biodiversity under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We look forward to optimising communication and international collaboration with regional and international organisations. We are working closely with the Secretariat to produce a two-year Agenda outlining our ‘vision’ for the Partnership during our time as Co-Chairs. This will be shared shortly. 

Preparations have begun for the Global Dialogue on Sustainable Ocean Development, the 5^th Global Dialogue from the GOAP, which will take place in Bali, Indonesia from 1-5 July 2024. Full registration will open 12 February.  We welcome your ideas for side events, plenary discussions and training workshops. All event details can be found here. 

The GOAP Secretariat and partners continued to engage in discussions and workshops across the globe including presentations on the use of ocean accounting to monitor blue carbon projects in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and account for marine and coastal natural capital in Sri Lanka, Latin America, Norway and the Western Indian Ocean region. For more details, see the ‘recent events’ section below.   

Thank you for your continued support and happy reading,   

•  Firdaus Agung, Directorate General for Marine Spatial Management, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Government of Indonesia  
• César Viteri Mejia, Senior Economist & Co-Principal Investigator of the Galapagos Fisheries Think Tank, Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador 

Projects

Recent project milestones for the Global Community of Practice include a workshop on ocean accounts and governance for blue carbon ecosystems in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, as well as continued work to mainstream the use of natural capital accounting (NCA) in decision-making. Read more below.

Upcoming Events

13 February 2024 | Webinar Episode 1: Advancing Sustainable Ocean Governance: Updates from 2023 and Directions for 2024 | Online 
The first episode of the Sustainable Development Reform Hub webinar series will unite experts from across the globe to provide reflections on regional progress made in 2023 and strategies for advancing sustainable ocean development in 2024. Register and find out more about this webinar and the SDR Hub’s monthly webinar series here. 

12 February - 30 April | Registration opens for the Global Dialogue on Sustainable Ocean Development | Bali, Indonesia
The Global Dialogue will take place from 1-5 July 2024 in Bali, Indonesia. Registration is open from 12 February - 30 April (see here). The GOAP Secretariat is also seeking abstracts for training sessions and side events. Please submit your 250 word abstract to the Secreatariat at info@oceanaccounts.org. More details and the draft Agenda can be found above and on the official event page here.

Recent Events

17-18 October 2023 | Workshop on Ocean Accounts and Governance of Blue Carbon Ecosystems | Novotel Bogor Golf Resort and Convention Center, Bogor, Indonesia and Virtual 
This two-day workshop united government and non-government stakeholders with recipients of the Blue Carbon Accelerator Fund (BCAF) from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia. The event aimed to advance collaboration on ocean accounts and its links to the management of blue carbon ecosystems (mangrove, salt marsh and seagrass) in these regions. Learn more. 

30 October 2023 | UN-ESCAP Sixth Asia-Pacific Day for the Ocean | Bangkok, Thailand and Online 
This conference provided a platform for [UN-ESCAP] Member States and key stakeholders to engage in systematic and inclusive dialogue on priority areas and challenges in Asia-Pacific. The event featured three thematic interactive dialogues on (A) Transitioning to a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Asia-Pacific, (B) Governance for Sustainable and Resilient Port Development and (C) Ocean-based Climate Actions. Representatives from the GOAP Partnership, K.S. Kavi Kumar from Madras International School of Economics, India and Annisya Rosdiana from Rekam Nusantara Foundation, Indonesia showcased the utility of ocean accounts in dialogues A and C. Learn more and read the event report here. 

6-10 Nov 2023 | 4th International ESP Latin America and Caribbean Conference | La Serena, Chile 
This week-long conference, themed ‘Sharing knowledge about ecosystem services and natural capital to build a sustainable future’, provided a platform to share regional knowledge and expertise on ecosystem services and strengthen the regional network. Maria Granada Alarcon Blazquez from the GOAP Secretariat presented “Ocean accounting as an approach to track progress towards sustainable development” and GOAP Director, Philip James, demonstrated the use of ocean accounting to help governments go beyond GPD and account for nature. Learn more here. 

7-9 Nov 2023 | Marine Regions Forum 2023 | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania  
This conference explored how to enhance cooperation and coordination to advance ocean governance within the Western Indian Ocean region and beyond. Program Lead of the GOAP Africa Community of Practice, Ken Findlay, chaired the session about information management. At the same session, Secretariat representative, Dr Taina Goncalves Loureiro presented "Sailing through Data Complexity: Data governance for Enhanced Ocean Stewardship". Learn more here. 

29 Nov 2023 | Mangrove Symphony: Harmonizing Blue Carbon, Climate Resilience & Sustainable Finance in the Indo-Pacific | Kolkata, India and Online 
This one-day hybrid workshop focused on the critical relationship between climate change and mangroves, particularly emphasizing their role as blue carbon reservoirs in the Indo-Pacific region. Secretariat representative, Dr Taina Goncalves Loureiro presented during the thematic session 'Devising Integrated Coastal Management Strategies', where she discussed balancing the conservation of blue carbon ecosystems with socio-economic development goals in the region. See event details here.