Publication of the EU International Ocean Governance (IOG) Forum Recommendations

The IOG Forum published it's final recommendations from the stakeholder consultation process during the 3rd IOG Forum online event on 20th April 2021. The document 'Setting the Course for a Sustainble Blue Planet: Recommendations for Enhancing EU Action' sets the course for a clean, healthy, productive, resilient and understood ocean by providing recommended actions for updating the EU's IOG Agenda. Increased global ambition for conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of marine ecosystems and biodiversity; integrated sustainability goals within the blue economy; a 'whole of ocean governance approach' to combating climate change; adoption of nature-based solutions; and increased coordination for ocean observations are among the key recommended actions.

The European Commission (EC) with the European External Action Service (EEAS) launched the European Union (EU) International Ocean Governance Forum (IOG Forum) in 2020. It was created as a platform for ocean stakeholders within and beyond Europe to share knowledge, experiences and good practices on ocean governance, and to support the further development of the EU’s International Ocean Governance Agenda (IOG Agenda). The IOG Forum enabled the online engagement of experts and stakeholders from Europe and beyond via webinars, online workshops and a targeted public consultation throughout 2020 to help identify key actions that could be implemented by the EU to improve international ocean governance and help set the course for a sustainable blue planet. Contributions obtained have been compiled by the consortia of scientific institutions and think tanks (including the European Marine Board, TMG Think Tank for Sustainability, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Aceton Environment, Freshthoughts Consulting) supporting the European Commission. Through a co-creative process with experts from the EC and the EEAS, these contributions were turned into recommendations for priority EU Actions and proposed implementation pathways.

The final recommendations can be downloaded here.