News Vol. 14 | April 2026

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A note from GOAP’s Co-Chairs

Dear GOAP friends and colleagues,

2026 is a pivotal year for sustainable ocean development. We are at the midpoint of the UN Ocean Decade, and the international community is entering the critical pre-negotiation window for successor frameworks to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Decisions made now will shape global ocean governance for the decade ahead.

2025 built real momentum. Ocean accounting recognised as essential infrastructure for conservation and sustainable ocean management in the UNOC3 Political Declaration. Nineteen countries and seven organisations pledged to advance Ocean Accounts by 2030. The task for our community now is to translate high-level commitment into practical implementation.

Countries across the Global South are leading the way. In late March, participants from over 23 countries gathered in Bogor, Indonesia for the South-South Ocean Accounting Exchange — three days of hands-on account compilation, peer learning and strategic collaboration. The event was hosted by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, IPB University and Rekam Nusantara Foundation, with support from GOAP and the UK Blue Planet Fund. As Co-Chairs, we were proud to share the lessons we have learnt developing national ocean accounts in Indonesia and piloting ecosystem accounts for the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador. Throughout the Exchange, participants contributed to the Bogor Strategic Action Plan **— a practical roadmap for scaling ocean accounts across the Global South.** The Action Plan (now publicly available) addresses implementation gaps, finance pathways, institutional ownership, capacity building and sub-national accounting.

As we look ahead, we extend a personal invitation to join the Social Accounts Working Group. The Group is currently seeking contributors for the 2026 Social Account Circulars — a series of technical guidance notes covering gender equity, social inclusion, data governance and ethics that will form part of the updated Ocean Accounts Technical Guidance. This is an opportunity to help shape how people and communities are recognised in sustainable ocean development. We encourage anyone with an interest in social data or the social domain of ocean accounting to get involved by completing this short form.

On the ground, partners around the world continue to gather the data needed for evidence-based decision-making. In Fiji, waste audits gathered data that will contribute to Fiji’s National Plastics Data Inventory currently under development, and inform the design of container deposit schemes and waste infrastructure. In Sri Lanka, workshops delivered waste audit training to local council officers ahead of a national rollout of 58 Material Recovery Facilities. For ocean accounting, capacity-building workshops were held in the Solomon Islands and Maldives.

In this volume of the GOAP Newsletter, we’re proud to share ocean accounting achievements from GOAP Members around the world and invite you to engage with the new knowledge products and webinar recordings.

Thank you for your continued engagement and enthusiasm - your work continues to shape the  sustainable ocean governance our shared world depends on.

• Firdaus Agung, Directorate General of Ocean Management, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Government of Indonesia  
• César Viteri Mejia, Senior Economist, Charles Darwin Foundation

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