A note from GOAP's Co-Chairs

Dear GOAP Friends and Colleagues,

Thank you to everyone that participated or engaged in the Global Dialogue on Sustainable Ocean Development. We were excited to meet so many members of the global GOAP Communities of Practice and take part in the key strategic discussions and knowledge sharing sessions that took place in Bali.

On the final day of the event, we shared the ambitious GOAP Co-Chair Vision Statement, which outlines our shared goals and vision for the GOAP over the next two years (view here). This includes to:

• Strengthen existing GOAP Ocean Accounting Communities of Practice (CoP) in Africa and the Pacific Islands;
• Build an Ocean Accounting CoP for Latin America and the Caribbean, providing opportunities for training and learning across the region;
• Increase the frequency and geographic distribution of south-south cooperation, within and between GOAP Communities of Practice; and
• Use ocean accounts to assist the delivery and implementation of relevant targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and sustainable development goals (SDGs).

• Firdaus Agung, Directorate General for Marine Spatial Management, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Government of Indonesia
• César Viteri Mejia, Senior Economist, Charles Darwin Foundation

Project and event highlights 

11 April 2024 | Connecting science and policy: The case accounting for the ocean | Pacific Ocean Room (Area 08), Ocean Decade Conference, Barcelona, Spain 
This satellite event highlighted that ocean accounts can compile the data needed to make key decisions in the transition towards a sustainable ocean economy. The event was led by the GOAP Secretariat and featured panelists from the World Resources Institute, IOC-Africa, iAlumbra and The World Bank. 

16 April | First Meeting of the European Community of Practice (CoP) for Ocean Accounting | Online 
54 ocean practitioners, decision-makers and leaders from 16 countries and 32 organisations across Europe joined to share updates and knowledge on ocean accounting in the region and discuss proposed functions of the Europe CoP, who will meet again in September 2024. Find out more here.

23-25 April 2024 | Space for Island Nations Conference (SINC) | Crossroads, Maldives 
Delegates from over 40 countries convened to discuss the important of Space or small island counties. Dr Jordan Gacutan from the GOAP Secretariat presented during the panel 'More Than Meets the Island - How Can Space Help Corals Protect Us?' to highlight the use of remote sensing data in natural capital accounting. 

23-24 May 2024 | Workshop: Ocean Accounts in the Pacific | Nuku’alofa, Tonga 
As the first ocean accounting workshop in Tonga, this event brought together government stakeholders to delve into the practical applications of ocean accounting in Tonga. The workshop was organised in partnership with national government, Kami Pasifiki and the GOAP Secretariat.

Recent & Upcoming Events

31 July - 1 Aug | Policy Dialogue and Workshop: Developing Natural Capital Accounts in the Philippines | Manila, Philippines 

Organised by the Asian Development Bank, this event provided a platform to highlight existing Natural Capital initiatives and frameworks in the Philippines and discuss context-specific gaps and challenges to implementation. GOAP Secretariat Director, Dr Ben Milligan, presented the GOAP Technical Guidance on Ocean Accounting as part of the Workshop on Watershed and Blue Carbon Accounting.