relevant parts of the 2030 Agenda and of other associated global agreements, the
UN frameworks; how do these arrangements work? What kind of changes and
adjustments or improvements need be done to make the existing arrangements more
efficient? The call by the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN that the UN “should
press for greater collaboration among international scientific networks” seems very
pertinent. The same holds for the UN and its various Agencies.
A hierarchically organized reporting and coordinating chain is not the most
efficient, as demonstrated by the process organized after UNCED 1992, which
involved the steps: from the specialized agencies, to and through the Advisory
Committee on Coordination (ACC), the Subcommittee on Oceans and Coastal
Areas, the Inter-Agency Committee for Sustainable Development, and the Commission for Sustainable Development to the General Assembly (see e.g. Holland
and Pugh 2010) This process requires much agency time for reporting and the
output of the intermediate bodies have little influence on the work of the reporting
Agencies.
The structure of the UN system makes an efficient coordinated implementation
difficult to achieve. In particular there is no accepted focal point or body which
could serve as a focus for coordination and action. The efforts to address this issue
have so far not been successful. There is a need for an innovative approach or an
enforcement mechanism. This should address and deal with the structural inadequacies of the UN system. Streamlining the structures, mandates, programmes and
operations of the relevant elements of the UN system ought to be pursued with the
aim of strengthening the ability to meet the needs of the present and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda as well as related agreements. Perhaps the idea of ad hoc
alliances between organizations addressing specific tasks could be pursued. This
cannot be left to the Governments, the agencies need come forward with ideas.
The major players in relation to ocean affairs in the UN system are IOC, WMO,
IMO, FAO, IAEA, UNEP and UN through UN-DOALOS, and possibly also the
ISA. These also include strong support from UNDP and GEF The bathymetrical
charting is under the auspices of the International Hydrographic Organization, in
cooperation with IOC. The large importance of the marine environment and the
ocean in the tourism industry should likewise be recalled, and possibly dialogue be
established with the World Tourism Organization. One aim of consultations
between the organizations could be to derive a coherent and well coordinated
ocean programme as a result of cooperation and agreements between these major
players. This could build on the ocean parts of the 2030 Agenda, but needs also to
address social and economic aspects and interactions with the other compartments
of the planet, and could be one outcome of an ocean science decade.
The problems at the international level are reflected at the national level. There is
often a lack of a coherent, integrated policy on the ocean and marine affairs at the
national level. This may need to be adjusted in view of the increasing role of the
ocean and marine resources beyond the coastal zone for the socio-economic
development, including support to the most vulnerable areas and populations.
This concerns food production, transport, tourism, extraction of many resources
like oil, gas, minerals and diamonds, various biological material for
32 Development of International Cooperation in Oceanography: Incentives from. . .
543
UN frameworks; how do these arrangements work? What kind of changes and
adjustments or improvements need be done to make the existing arrangements more
efficient? The call by the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN that the UN “should
press for greater collaboration among international scientific networks” seems very
pertinent. The same holds for the UN and its various Agencies.
A hierarchically organized reporting and coordinating chain is not the most
efficient, as demonstrated by the process organized after UNCED 1992, which
involved the steps: from the specialized agencies, to and through the Advisory
Committee on Coordination (ACC), the Subcommittee on Oceans and Coastal
Areas, the Inter-Agency Committee for Sustainable Development, and the Commission for Sustainable Development to the General Assembly (see e.g. Holland
and Pugh 2010) This process requires much agency time for reporting and the
output of the intermediate bodies have little influence on the work of the reporting
Agencies.
The structure of the UN system makes an efficient coordinated implementation
difficult to achieve. In particular there is no accepted focal point or body which
could serve as a focus for coordination and action. The efforts to address this issue
have so far not been successful. There is a need for an innovative approach or an
enforcement mechanism. This should address and deal with the structural inadequacies of the UN system. Streamlining the structures, mandates, programmes and
operations of the relevant elements of the UN system ought to be pursued with the
aim of strengthening the ability to meet the needs of the present and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda as well as related agreements. Perhaps the idea of ad hoc
alliances between organizations addressing specific tasks could be pursued. This
cannot be left to the Governments, the agencies need come forward with ideas.
The major players in relation to ocean affairs in the UN system are IOC, WMO,
IMO, FAO, IAEA, UNEP and UN through UN-DOALOS, and possibly also the
ISA. These also include strong support from UNDP and GEF The bathymetrical
charting is under the auspices of the International Hydrographic Organization, in
cooperation with IOC. The large importance of the marine environment and the
ocean in the tourism industry should likewise be recalled, and possibly dialogue be
established with the World Tourism Organization. One aim of consultations
between the organizations could be to derive a coherent and well coordinated
ocean programme as a result of cooperation and agreements between these major
players. This could build on the ocean parts of the 2030 Agenda, but needs also to
address social and economic aspects and interactions with the other compartments
of the planet, and could be one outcome of an ocean science decade.
The problems at the international level are reflected at the national level. There is
often a lack of a coherent, integrated policy on the ocean and marine affairs at the
national level. This may need to be adjusted in view of the increasing role of the
ocean and marine resources beyond the coastal zone for the socio-economic
development, including support to the most vulnerable areas and populations.
This concerns food production, transport, tourism, extraction of many resources
like oil, gas, minerals and diamonds, various biological material for
32 Development of International Cooperation in Oceanography: Incentives from. . .
543