The Clean and Healthy Ocean Integrated Program (CHOIP) actively participated in the 25th Annual Large Marine Ecosystems Consultative Meeting (LME25), held on 7–8 July 2026 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. Organized by IW:Learn,...

On the front line of the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, fisheries inspectors in Dakar are being put through their paces at Senegal’s main port through the Common Oceans program.

The Central Asia Water-Land Nexus programme launched its implementation phase at the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Funded by the GEF and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the regional programme brings five countries together to advance integrated approaches to land and water management in Central Asia.

Deepwater sharks live at depths hundreds of meters below the surface and research on their identity and whereabouts is far from comprehensive due to their challenging location. A new tool promises to make identification and monitoring much easier: the digital shark identification key developed by the Common Oceans Deep-sea Fisheries Project.

Four examples of solutions that rethink and rebuild our agrifood systems sustainably.

Tuna is a vital source of food and nutrition for millions of people around the world and demand is on the rise. World Tuna Day recognizes the need to protect marine biodiversity and strengthen science-based conservation efforts to ensure a sustainable future for fisheries and the communities that depend on them. Skipper workshops bring together scientists, fishers, and crew to develop bycatch mitigation tools and techniques through a participatory approach.
FAO, and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation or ISSF, with funding from the Global Environment Facility, are working together to tap into the know-how of tuna fishers, while giving them a say in how to balance the demands of the sector with sustainable practices.

Countries in Central Asia are bound together not just by their long and storied history but by the environmentally important landscapes they share. The Central Asia Water-Land Nexus Program takes an integrated approach to land and water management, recognizing that water, agriculture, and natural ecosystems are all interlinked and must be considered and managed together rather than in isolation. 

The Nansen research vessel gathers data for sustainable use and conservation of marine biodiversity. This latest Nansen research voyage, supported by the GEF Common Oceans Deep-Sea Fisheries project, sought to investigate fisheries resources, map vulnerable ecosystems, identify little-known deep-sea shark species and more.

A recent transboundary analysis from the Ma and Neun-Ca shared river basins in Viet Nam and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic highlights key threats to the shared region, including fish kills likely linked to agricultural pollution and flash flooding driven by more intense tropical storms. The Ma and Neun-Ca project addresses these threats by strengthening transboundary cooperation, enhancing water security, environmental sustainability and forecasting ability. 

The UN-flagged research vessel R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen has completed a landmark scientific mission to the high seas of the southwest Indian Ocean, shedding new light on mysterious deep-sea ecosystems and strengthening the science needed for sustainable ocean management. Organized by FAO’s Common Oceans Deep‑Sea Fisheries Project, the FAO EAF‑Nansen Programme and its partner the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), and Norway, the three-week expedition wrapped up just before the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (BBNJ) entered into force, calling for robust data to guide conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in international waters.

Rome and online - As adoption of management procedures (MPs) expands worldwide, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will host a global webinar to highlight its new e-learning course series: Management procedures for sustainable tuna fisheries, designed to help meet growing demand for technical training and capacity building.

The BBNJ Agreement, also known as the High Seas Treaty, recently came into force to protect marine biodiversity in the Ocean Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. FAO stands ready to support Parties and relevant institutions in implementing the Agreement, drawing on its expertise in fisheries governance, marine genetic resources, and the data and systems that will be critical to achieving its objectives.

The last sprint toward 2030, the GEF-9 cycle will implementing the agenda for the world’s family of funds for the environment.

The forthcoming ratification by 60 countries of the BBNJ (Biodiversity ...

Accelerated by land-based nutrient runoff, Marine Hypoxia is creating dead zones in the oceans, which have grown by 4.5 million km² in the last 50 years, threatening fish stocks, coastal livelihoods, and diets. The FAO-led GEF-8 Clean and Healthy Oceans Integrated Program (CHOIP) is tackling this phenomenon by curbing nutrient pollution at its source to benefit 10 major large marine ecosystems.

The Coastal Fisheries Initiative (CFI) is a global effort to preserve marine resources, making sure fishing is done in a way that keeps the environment healthy. To date, the CFI has helped save 700 hectares of mangrove forests in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal. In Indonesia, they're teaching people how to fish responsibly in areas that cover over 1.6 million square kilometers of ocean. We can only bring about such transformation if we work together.

“Onboard observers enable you to know what’s happening in a fishery and what the impact on the ecosystem is going to be.” Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the project promotes responsible deep-sea fisheries management and biodiversity conservation in the high seas.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has helped 22 countries unlock $68 million in financing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to address biodiversity loss, groundwater management,  climate change, land degradation, and pollution.

 The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), along with four partner agencies, has been tasked with leading the Clean and Healthy Oceans Integrated Program, a source-to-sea initiative that will direct up to $115 million in grants to help countries curb land-based pollu...