The oceans are essential to life on earth. Yet, marine life is at risk from increasing pressure caused by overfishing, pollution and climate change. The Common Oceans Program is a global alliance for action in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), supporting efforts to keep the oceans healthy through the sustainable management of marine resources and the conservation of biodiversity.

The Sargasso Sea is a unique and highly biodiverse high seas ecosystem threatened by pressure from shipping, fishing, plastics and climate change. The Common Oceans Sargasso Sea project is committed to facilitating a collaborative, cross-sectoral and sustainable stewardship mechanism to put in place a comprehensive conservation framework to protect it.

The Common Oceans ABNJ Program brought together global stakeholders and partners to promote the sustainable use of fisheries and the protection of marine biodiversity in the ABNJ. The Program, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), involved the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank Group (WBG), as well as Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and other intergovernmental organizations, national governments, the private sector, civil society and academia. This report presents the results obtained by the Common Oceans ABNJ Program between 2014-2019. It highlights the value, importance and benefits of sustainably managing fisheries and biodiversity conservation in the ABNJ, and how the collateral impact of fishing is less harmful to the marine environment now than when the program started out in 2014.

The Common Oceans ABNJ Program aims to improve fisheries management and biodiversity conservation in the marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). Between 2014-2019, the Program carried out many activities that contributed to: improving tuna fisheries, tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, protecting marine life, and safeguarding marine ecoystems. This brochure presents an overview of the Common Oceans ABNJ Program's key successes.

Overview of two side events organized by the Common Oceans ABNJ Program along with partners and key speakers of the Deep Sea Project, as part of the first Session of the Intergovernmental Conference on marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), at UNHQ in September 2018.