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UNSW experts lead global effort to protect oceans

UNSW Sydney

An international framework on sustainable development promoted by UNSW researchers received enthusiastic support at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in France. 

Eighteen nations have signed the Pledge to Advance Ocean Accounts by 2030, a landmark framework designed to improve how nations measure and manage ocean health. The Pledge was developed by Costa Rica and the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP), an initiative hosted by UNSW’s Centre for Sustainable Development Reform.

 

Countries including the UK, Mexico, Indonesia, Fiji and Canada, along with a number of international organisations, have committed to the Pledge at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference.

 

Co-Director of UNSW’s Centre for Sustainable Development Reform, Eliza Northrop, said the signatories to the Pledge have shifted from ambition to action.

 

"This is a significant step forward,” Ms Northrop said. “It represents the first time that a group of countries have committed, at such a high level, to advance Ocean Accounts and integrate them into ocean decision making."

 

The Pledge represents a pivotal step forward in global efforts to protect marine environments and advance sustainable development. Its framework allows signatories to align their contributions with national priorities while collaborating on global goals for ocean sustainability.

 

Australia did not adopt the Pledge, with Environment Minister Murray Watt telling the conference that his government plans to protect 30% of the country’s oceans by 2030.

 

What is the Ocean Accounts Pledge?

 

As ocean health declines and demands on marine ecosystems increase, countries need better information systems to manage ocean use, protect biodiversity, and address climate impacts. Ocean accounts are a critical tool for understanding the holistic health of marine environments and delivering a future that supports people, nature and a liveable climate.

 

Ocean accounts make connections between human wellbeing, ecosystems and economic sustainability to provide governments with the tools to make informed, long-term decisions about ocean resource management. The accounts draw on data including:

 

• environment assets, such as extent/condition of mangroves
• economic activity, including fish sales
• social conditions, like coastal employment.

 

In signing, countries and organisations have agreed to consider ocean account data in their planning, policies and monitoring, and collaborate globally by sharing knowledge.

 

Leading the way to a sustainable future

 

Co-Director of UNSW’s Centre for Sustainable Development, Dr Phil James, said the pathway forward was both ambitious and achievable. “Ocean accounts serve as an indispensable tool in the transition to a sustainable blue economy, providing the comprehensive environmental, social, and economic data essential for informed decision-making,” he said. “The Ocean Accounts framework moves beyond traditional economic indicators, capturing the multifaceted contributions of marine and coastal assets.”

 

Costa Rica’s Minister of Environment and Energy, Franz Tattenbach, said the science was clear and nations must act to safeguard the ocean. “We have less than a decade to reverse ocean degradation trends. Yet we also have unprecedented opportunities through advancing ocean science, innovative financing mechanisms, and growing political recognition of ocean importance,” he said. “Costa Rica's Ocean Accounts ambition represents our contribution to seizing this moment.”

 

Fiji’s Minister for Fisheries and Forests, Alitia Bainivalu, welcomed the adoption of framework. “Ocean Accounts can give us the power to choose wisely where to fish, where to protect, where to invest, where to let nature breathe,” she said. “It is how we build an economy that is blue, but also true to our people, to our traditions, and to our future.”

 

Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica in the city of Nice, this year’s Conference centred on the theme ‘Accelerating action and mobilising all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.’ This was the third UN Ocean Conference, building on previous summits hosted by Sweden and Fiji in 2017 in New York and by Portugal and Kenya in 2022 in Lisbon.

 

About The Global Ocean Accounts Partnership

The Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) brings together governments, international organisations, and research institutions to build a global community of practice for ocean accounting. It is a multi-institutional initiative enabling stakeholders to measure and manage progress toward ocean-based sustainable development and climate action. The GOAP Secretariat is hosted by the Centre for Sustainable Development Reform at UNSW.

 

About UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform

The UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform (CSDR) was established in 2022, connecting people and research to produce legal, policy and governance reform towards sustainable development. The CSDR takes an applied interdisciplinary approach to link a global network of decision-makers across government, international institutions, local communities, and the private and non-profit sectors.

Contact details:

Interviews and stills available on request. Please contact:

Ashleigh Steele
Communications Officer, UNSW Sydney
0421 308 805
[email protected]