Ocean Diplomacy: The Pacific Island Countries\u27 Campaign to the UN for an Ocean Sustainable Development Goal

In this article we examine how Pacific Island Countries (pics) successfully championed a stand-alone Ocean Sustainable Development Goal (sdg) goal at the United Nations (un). We analyse how the un Post-2015 development process provided pics with a unique opportunity to use their experience with collective diplomacy and regional oceans governance to propose this international goal. In this article we establish how pics\u27 national and regional quest to strengthen their sovereign rights over marine resources motivated their diplomatic efforts for an Ocean sdg. The campaign was a significant political achievement, positioning these Large Ocean Island States (lois) as global ocean guardians. We critically evaluate the effectiveness of the pics\u27 diplomatic campaign to secure an international commitment for an Ocean sdg. The pics\u27 advocacy for Goal 14 under Agenda 2030 has enhanced their political effectiveness in the un by improving their recognition by other States as leaders in oceans governance. We suggest their Ocean sdg campaign forms part of a distinct and continuing brand of oceans diplomacy from Oceania

New laws for the high seas: four key issues the UN talks need to tackle

United Nations negotiations begin today in New York on the elements of an international agreement to govern the conservation and sustainable use of the high seas

Maritime security and the Blue Economy: intersections and interdependencies in the Indian Ocean

Maritime security is essential to supporting the Blue Economy. Many maritime security forums have been key supporters of the Blue Economy concept, particularly in the Indian Ocean region (IOR). This paper will explore the co-evolution and co-dependence of Blue Economy and maritime security agendas, with a particular focus on the IOR. It identifies two primary interactions between Blue Economy and maritime security interests. Firstly, maritime security is an enabler of the Blue Economy, for example, through safeguarding navigation routes, providing important oceanographic data to marine industries and protecting rights over valuable marine resources and activities within claimed zones of maritime jurisdiction. Secondly, an often overlooked role that maritime security plays in the Blue Economy is by being itself a source of economic development and growth. An expanded Blue Economy will create greater demand for maritime security capabilities, and this, in turn, will trigger increased investment and growth in these capabilities. The enhanced and increasingly diverse role that maritime security will continue to play in the Blue Economy can be seen across all sectors in the IOR

Cooperation, competence and coherence: The role of regional ocean governance in the South West Pacific for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction

UNGA Resolution 69/292 requires that the development of an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea should not undermine existing relevant legal instruments and frameworks and relevant global, regional and sectoral bodies. The South West Pacific regional oceans governance framework is reviewed, highlighting the importance of dedicated mechanisms for cooperation in the integration of regional institutions and in collective diplomacy for the development of an ILBI. It is argued a sufficiently inclusive description of existing arrangements under an ILBI is needed to not undermine the competence or integration of the regional architecture for oceans\u27 governance. Shared governance principles between an ILBI and existing regional governance architecture could play an important role in preserving coherence and contribute to ensuring regional standards for conservation of BBNJ are not diminished

Electing Australia\u27s Marine Protection Legacy

The first day of July 2018 marked a shift in national practice for Australia with an unprecedented change in the level of protection available to the national network of marine protected areas (MPAs) from extractive activities.1,2,3 In Australia, marine areas inside the seaward Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundary to 3 nautical miles (NM)4 are defined as matters of national significance5 and their protection is a highly contested national issue that can form part of national election platforms.6 This article examines the political contours of marine protection in Australia and illuminates emerging legal aspects of the obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment to better understand what is at stake in the forthcoming national election7 for Australia\u27s marine protection legacy

Shades of blue: what do competing interpretations of the Blue Economy mean for oceans governance?

The ‘Blue Economy’ is an increasingly popular term in modern marine and ocean governance. The concept seeks to marry ocean-based development opportunities with environmental stewardship and protection. Yet different actors are co-opting this term in competing, and often conflicting ways. Four conceptual interpretations of the Blue Economy are identified, through examination of dominant discourses within international Blue Economy policy documents and key ‘grey’ literature. The way the Blue Economy is enacted is also examined, through an analysis of the Blue Economy ‘in practice’, and the actors involved. Finally, the scope of the Blue Economy is explored, with a particular focus on which particular marine industries are included or excluded from different conceptualizations. This analysis reveals areas of both consensus and conflict. Areas of consensus reflect the growing trend towards commodification and valuation of nature, the designation and delimitation of spatial boundaries in the oceans and increasing securitization of the world's oceans. Areas of conflict exist most notably around a divergence in opinions over the legitimacy of individual sectors as components of the ‘Blue Economy’, in particular, carbon-intensive industries like oil and gas, and the emerging industry of deep seabed mining