Partnership is essential to achieve the Common Oceans Program’s objectives and contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by FAO the Program brings together the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and more than 60 partners from regional fisheries management organizations, national governments, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, civil society and academia.
By working together, the partnership will maximize its impact and keep the oceans healthy through sustainable management of marine resources and biodiversity conservation in the areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).
Tuna fisheries
In collaboration with: Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP), BirdLife International (BLI), Conservation International (CI), INFOPESCA, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF/ISSA), International MCS Network (IMCSN), International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF), International Whaling Commission (IWC), Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Pacific Community (SPC), Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), PEW Charitable Trusts, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The Ocean Foundation (TOF), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Deep-sea fisheries
Sargasso Sea
Cross-sectoral cooperation
“The Common Oceans Program is a powerful partnership and an excellent example of the integrated approach needed to tackle the complex balance between sustainable exploitation and biodiversity conservation in the high seas.” Manuel Barange, FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division.
Manuel Barange, FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division
In close alignment with the Ocean Decade, the Common Oceans Program will allow for a science-led stewardship approach for the Sargasso Sea to be developed - which we hope will inform how similar initiatives can be implemented in other high seas systems."
Andrew Hudson, Head of the Water and Ocean Governance Programme, UNDP