Informing International Policy
UN Sustainable Development Goals
There are a range of ocean policy drivers at the international level with the main overarching framework being the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where the ocean plays a vital role in achieving all of these.
One of these, SDG14, is dedicated to ‘Life Below Water’ aims to protect and ensure the sustainable use of the ocean but achieving the SDG14 targets is also crucial for delivering the other SDGs. Mobilising global capacity through the World Association of Marine Stations will support delivery of SDGs and implementation of global ocean policy objectives.
UN Ocean Voluntary Commitment
The World Association of Marine Stations submitted a voluntary commitment at the the 2022 UN Ocean Conference (2022 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development)
“Mobilising global capacity and facilitating networking and capacity building“.
The commitment aims to enable better identification of global capacity through the launch of the first Global Atlas of Marine Stations. It also aims to support capacity building and the sharing of expertise to promote equity in ocean science by identifying and developing mechanisms to facilitate access and travel between countries.
Science Diplomacy
Understanding marine processes in support of a sustainably managed ocean requires global co-operation. A key element of WAMS will be bringing together a diverse range of actors from marine stations around the world to provide capacity, expertise and advice in support of global ocean policy delivery.