A note from GOAP's Co-Chairs
Dear GOAP friends and colleagues,
This past quarter has seen the growth and strengthening of ocean accounting Communities of Practice in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe as well as national workshops in Maldives, Sri Lanka, Belize and Costa Rica. In this edition of the newsletter, you will find an overview of these events as well as upcoming events in 2025 and new knowledge products from the global community. We thank the UK Government for their support for this work.
We commend the decision adopted at COP16 to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) that, for island biodiversity, ‘further efforts are needed... to enhance the use of ocean accounting and marine spatial planning to conserve and manage marine and coastal biodiversity in islands’ (Decision 16/1, Paragraph 2.(f)). Aligning ocean accounts with biodiversity targets enhances policymakers’ ability to guide and measure progress, develop effective conservation strategies, and ensure the sustainable use of marine resources.
In late November, the GOAP Africa Community of Practice convened 50+ experts from 7 coastal nations to advance ocean accounting for sustainable development. Participants explored methods to integrate ocean accounts into governance, blue financing, and social accounting frameworks. This workshop reinforced the Africa Community of Practice's leadership in driving the adoption of ocean accounting across the continent, supporting national priorities and international environmental commitments.
We are also excited to share that the Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management in Belize Signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the GOAP Secretariat in November 2024 to Advance Ocean Accounting for Sustainable Development in Belize. As one of the first examples in the Caribbean to promote data-driven-decision making, we commend this project and its advancement of GOAP’s Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) strategy. We look forward to future knowledge exchanges for regional cooperation in sustainable ocean governance.
Continuing the leadership in ocean accounting in Latin America and the Caribbean, at COP16 to the CBD, Costa Rica re-affirmed their ambition to produce ocean accounts by 2030 and called for other countries to do the same. The announcement was made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Costa Rica, Arnoldo Andre Tinoco during the closing ceremony of COP16’s Oceans Day on 27 October. As Co-Chairs, we look forward to supporting Costa Rica and the GOAP Secretariat with this ambition.
We invite all countries to participate in the upcoming Ocean Accounts Exchange – "Building a Blueprint for Action", taking place in Costa Rica, March 2025. The event will foster dialogue on advancing the use of ocean accounts for evidence-based policy-making and encouraging a voluntary joint pledge on advancing ocean accounts by 2030 to be presented at UNOC 2025 in Nice, France. Being an invite-only event, we encourage you to write an expression of interest to the GOAP Secretariat at m.feoli_martinez@unsw.edu.au.
In late November, over 3,200 delegates convened in the Republic of Korea for the fifth round of negotiations (INC-5) for the internationally legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Amongst attendees were several GOAP Members including World Resources Institute Indonesia and Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and a team from the GOAP Secretariat. The GOAP Secretariat attended to ensure strong provisions on transparency, accountability and reporting were included in the potential text. We see potential for the ocean accounts framework to be extended to provide a spatial approach that could be used to understand the distribution and potential sources of plastic pollution in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Find out more about INC-5 below from the GOAP Secretariat team on the ground.
The GOAP Secretariat has also written multiple Expert Insights exploring how ocean accounts inform key policy priorities for sustainable ocean development, including more sustainable tourism, disaster risk resilience and the US$24 trillion opportunity of the sustainable blue economy.
Wishing you a safe and happy holidays,
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Project update: Advancing Ocean Accounting in Belize
In November, the Ministry of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management, Belize Signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the GOAP Secretariat to Advance Ocean Accounting for Sustainable Development in Belize.
The Project Steering Committee was established at its first meeting in September 2024, where Belizean representatives from government, academia, and marine co-managers guided the project in line with national blue economy goals.
Over the next two years, the project aims to:
To develop capacity for ocean accounting in Belize, several workshops were held in November where participants gained an understanding of data requirements for ocean accounting, reviewed data collection protocols in Belize and developed strategies for data-sharing among contributors and collaborators.
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Ocean accounting leadership in Africa – updates from the Africa Dialogue
The Africa Dialogue in November brought together over 50 scientists, economists, statisticians, and public servants from 7 coastal countries (including Kenya, Mozambique, Madagascar, Zambia, Ghana and Tanzania) to progress ocean accounting as a key governance instrument for ocean sustainable development in Africa. Over four days attendees (in-person and virtual) discussed innovative methods and approaches to strengthen the uptake of ocean accounts for ocean governance and ocean sustainable development, blue financing, social accounting, among others.
The workshop further strengthened the Africa Community of Practice’s ocean accounting leadership on the continent, which will continue to drive uptake of ocean accounting into governance processes in support of ocean sustainable development aligned with relevant national priorities, and regional and global and multilateral environmental agreements.
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Data-driven decision making for managing plastic pollution: Updates from global plastic treaty negotiations in November
In late November, over 3,200 delegates convened in the Republic of Korea for the fifth round of negotiations (INC-5) for the internationally legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Amongst attendees on the ground were several GOAP Members including World Resources Institute Indonesia and Cape Peninsula University of Technology and a team from the GOAP Secretariat and UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform.
GOAP Members and the Secretariat hosted and participated in several events in the sidelines of negotiations that explored the challenges, lessons learnt and resources available for collecting and compiling data on plastics for decision-making. Find out more about the events below.
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Paving the way for improved environmental-economic statistics in the Maldives
The Maldives Bureau of Statistics (MBS) has established a roadmap for environmental-economic statistics, which identifies ocean accounts as one of the short-term priorities. The roadmap was developed in collaboration with key government agencies and institutes with support from previous GOAP Co-Chair, UN-ESCAP.
Since 2017 the Maldives has embarked on an effort to improve environment statistics in accordance with the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), including the pilot implementation of accounts for water, solid waste and land following the SEEA Central Framework, as well as the natural capital accounts in Laamu Atoll (read more about this project here).
This roadmap aims to further strengthen the country’s overall sustainable development policies and the data need thereof, by identifying:
- Four short-term priorities / five SEEA accounts for immediate implementation by 2024-2025
- Five medium-to-long term priorities / eight accounts to be accomplished by 2030.
- Institutional mechanisms, roles and responsibilities of national stakeholders in the compilation and use of statistics derived from the priority accounts.
The roadmap was endorsed and signed by the Minister of Climate Change, Environment and Energy, Minister of Tourism, Minister of Housing, Land and Urban Development and MBS on 5 June 2024 in conjunction with the country’s celebration of the World Environment Day.
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Highlight: upcoming in 2025
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Hosted by Costa Rica’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Environment, Costa Rican Council of Environmental Accounts, and the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership, with support from the UK government’s Blue Planet Fund, the event will bring government representatives, key international organisations, finance bodies, relevant NGOs and global leaders committed to ocean sustainable development to join them in this critical endeavour to create healthier, more resilient oceans for generations to come. The event aims to:
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Inspire International Action: Share experiences and lessons to encourage countries to adopt ocean accounting as a tool for sustainable ocean management, and support Costa Rica's commitment to ocean accounting at UNOC 3 in Nice, France, 2025.
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Secure Global Commitments: Mobilise financial and technical support from donors, philanthropists, and technical organisations to advance ocean accounting efforts, with significant commitments to be announced at UNOC 3.
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Develop a Comprehensive Implementation Plan: Collaborate with experts, world leaders, and technical organisations to outline the steps required for Costa Rica to achieve its national ocean accounting ambition by 2030.
Learn more on the official event page here. This is an invitation only event, if interested in attending, please send an expression of interest to Marianne Feoli at m.feoli_martinez@unsw.edu.au
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Recent events
8-10 Oct 2024 | Global Nature Positive Summit, Ocean Dialogue | Sydney, Australia
The Ocean Dialogue, held during the Global Nature Positive Summit, provided a focused forum for discussing Australia’s draft Sustainable Ocean Plan (SOP). Moderated by Director of the UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform and Co-Director of the GOAP Secretariat, Eliza Northrop, the event highlighted the priorities and challenges in implementing Australia's SOP, including collaboration, data and knowledge production. Realising the plan's vision will demand a concerted effort from all stakeholders and the success will depend on ongoing engagement, adaptive management, and a shared commitment to a healthy, productive, and sustainable ocean future. Read the expert insight on the topic here.
5-7 Nov 2024 | Ocean Accounts Data Pathways and Visualisation Tools | Belize
26-27 Nov 2024 | Africa Community of Practice Dialogue | Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), South Africa
26 Nov | Seminar 'Data-driven decision making for managing plastic pollution' at INC-5 | Busan, Republic of Korea
Co-hosted by UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform and GOAP Secretariat featuring experts from GOAP Member organisations WRI Indonesia and Cape Peninsular University of Technology, South Africa, as well as experts from Indonesia National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) and Our Sea of East Asia Network (OSEAN).
26 Nov | Panel Discussion on 'Navigating a Just Transition to Deliver Global Plastic Treaty in Indonesia' - part of the Korean Government's "Rethinking Plastic Life" event at INC-5 | Busan, Republic of Korea
Hosted by WRI Indonesia and Indonesia NPAP, this panel brought together representatives from multiple organizations including IUCN, GPAP, WEF, and industry partners.
28 Nov | Seminar 'Developing national data systems to drive decision-making for the global plastic treaty and beyond' at INC-5 | Busan, Republic of Korea
As part of the Korean Government's "Rethinking Plastic Life" event, GOAP and UNSW CSDR hosted this seminar, which featured presentations and panel discussion from WRI Indonesia (GOAP Member), Indonesia NPAP, Earth Action, OSEAN and Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
27 Nov | Dinner event 'Enhanced Readiness of the Southeast Asian Region in Addressing Plastic Pollution under Plastic Treaty: Regional Collaboration to Address Plastic Pollution Across its Lifecycle' at INC-5 | Busan, Republic of Korea
Hosted by WRI Indonesia and Indonesia NPAP, this formal dinner event was held to convene practitioners and decision-makers in the Southeast Asian region to share knowledge products, lessons learnt and opportunities in managing plastic pollution.
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This new publicly available platform can support countries to assess the availability and reliability of national data on plastics throughout the lifecycle. The Data Tracker was created through a rapid assessment in the leadup to the fifth round of negotiations for the global plastic treaty (INC-5), where it was launched in Busan, South Korea. As treaty negotiations continue into 2025, it is clear that national data systems, and adequate financing and capacity building support to support them, are critical to a successful regime that ends plastic pollution.
Read the expert insight into the Data Tracker by Helena Dickinson here.
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Expert insight: Ocean Protection Gets a Legal Boost - What the ITLOS Advisory Opinion Means for Climate and Nature
A groundbreaking decision from the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) could change the way States will include areas within and beyond national jurisdiction in their national biodiversity action plans (NBSAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for climate.
Read the expert insight by Angelique Poupponeau and Bella Charlesworth here. Image credit: Ken Findlay.
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Expert Insights from the ground at CBD COP16: Side Events Sour While Negotiations Stall
Ocean policy experts landed in Cali, Colombia ready to highlight that ‘nature is also blue’ at COP16’s Ocean Day. The enthusiasm at Ocean Day side events was tangible, however it was not transferred to ambitious text in the negotiations. So, how do we translate the ambition and action of the side event space into the negotiations?
Read the expert insight by Angelique Poupponeau here. Image credit: IISD.
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Expert insight into the sustainable blue economy as a US$24 trillion opportunity
The sustainable blue economy has the potential to address the planet’s triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. This expert insight identifies the actions needed to unlock this potential including innovative financing models, particularly for SIDS, implementing debt for nature swaps and blue bonds, developing Sustainable Ocean Plans for holistic ocean management and using ocean accounts as a framework to compile data for evidence-based decision making and management.
Read the insight by GOAP Secretariat finance experts Jessica Bridgland, Angelique Pouponneau and Arlette Schramm here.
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Ocean accounting projects around the world
Belize • Costa Rica • Maldives • Norway • Social accounts
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Belize
Ocean accounts to accerlate the blue economy.
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Maldives
Natural Capital Accounting in Laamu Atoll, the Maldives
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Costa Rica
Costa Rica's progress to 2030.
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Norway
Ocean accounts for the sustainable development of Oslofjord, Norway
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