Expert Workshop: Towards a Research Agenda for Ocean Governance

UNEP is participating in the Expert Workshop: Towards a Research Agenda for Ocean Governance, Brussels, 5 May 2015.  This workshop is organised by the Institute of Advanced Sustainability Studies IIASS) and German Consortium of Ocean Research.  UNEP, IASS and Institut du Developpement Durable et des Relations Internationales launched the Partnership of Regional Ocean Governance and UNEP hopes that through its participation, more European stakeholders may be interested in participating in this Partnership.

The focus of the workshop:

Investments from the EU and its member states into the Blue Economy continue to be on the rise. To turn the “blue wealth” of the ocean and seas into an asset with long-lasting economic, social and environmental benefits, future ocean governance has to respond to the risks associated with a growing world population, profound pressures on ecosystems, rapid technological advances and the complexity of fragmented governance systems. What the consequences of new ocean and deep sea activities such as deep sea mining or bioprospecting will be and how they ought to be regulated requires research, debate, and ultimately a governance response, not least to provide actors in the blue economy with a clear and stable regulatory framework for investments and innovation. 

This workshop will explore the interplay of current trends and challenges – be they political, economic, social, technological, environmental or legal – and discuss their implications for the adaptation of the global ocean governance system and seek to identify critical needs and priorities for ocean governance research in Europe.