OSPAR Commission

The OSPAR Commission for the protection of the marine environment of the North East Atlantic is an intergovernmental regional sea organisation. We help our 16 Contracting Parties (including the European Union) cooperate with each other as they seek to conserve and protect the marine environment. This regional level of cooperation is absolutely necessary as the ecosystems of the oceans do not respect borders. Governments therefore have to cooperate in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in the sea. The SDGs and the call for action should therefore apply to our joint activities as regional seas organisations in order to add extra impetus for us all to help achieve of the environmental, social, and economic objectives of the goals. This implies cooperation between regions and across the globe, cooperation across sectors and organisational structures. OSPAR has already started on this process and stands ready to help support our Contracting Parties in their national responsibilities under the SDG. We already cooperate with organisations in other sectors and with neighbouring regions (Baltic, Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast of West, Central and Southern Africa) but we will need to further develop and extend this cooperation in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 14 in particular. Thank you