Webinar. Integrating social data into ocean accounts

30 October 2025, 14:00 - 15:00 GMT
This webinar aims to:
- Promote awareness of Social Accounts as an essential component of Ocean Accounts
- Introduce the Social Accounts data audit tool and demonstrate its practical application across diverse contexts and launch the accompanying technical report.
- Share experiences and insights from countries exploring the use of social data in Ocean Accounts and using the data audit tool across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia.
Ocean Accounts compile and present structured data across environmental, social and economic domains. But, to date, there has been limited focus on the social domain and how Social Accounts can be developed and implemented in practice.
To overcome this gap, the GOAP Secretariat established the Social Accounts Working Group, which provides a structure for diverse individuals and organizations with a common interest in ensuring that social, cultural and equity data are appropriately accounted for in Ocean Accounting and decision-making processes.
During this webinar, the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) and World Resources Institute (WRI) will launch a comprehensive data audit approach for identifying available social data in countries for use in integrating social domain into ocean accounts.
Agenda
Presentations from
Dr Philip James
GOAP Secretariat, UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform
Rachel Thoms
World Resources Institute
The template and methodology developed to assess national data systems, along with high-level findings from initial audits conducted across eight countries.
Panel discussion exploring how this approach can be implemented in-country to ensure coastal communities are visible in national decision-making processes.
Resources

- Briefing paper on Social Accounts
- Briefing paper Towards Social Accounts_Rethinking How We Understand and Use Social Information
- Report- Ocean Accounts for Sustainable Ocean Plans: Enabling Decision-Makers to Measure Progress
- Expert insight on The importance of Social Accounts on the pathway towards Ocean Equity
- Expert insight on The Vital Role of Data in Inclusion, Equity, and Justice in Coastal Communities