News Vol. 13 | December 2025

Dear GOAP colleagues and friends, 

As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect on the strides taken in sustainable ocean development this year. We celebrate the first formal recognition of ocean accounting in a UN Declaration (the UNOC3 Political Declaration) in June, when Ocean Accounts were noted as essential infrastructure to accelerate ocean conservation and sustainable ocean management. Already, 19 countries and 7 organisations have joined The Pledge to Advance Ocean Accounts by 2030, signalling growing international ambition. These achievements were made possible by you, the global community of practice, who continue to ​​develop, implement and collaborate on Ocean Accounts.

Regional momentum has been equally transformative. The adoption of the Ha Long Consensus on Ocean Accounting for Sustainable Development in South and Southeast Asia (March 2025) established a shared regional commitment to integrate ocean accounts into national decision-making. We’ve seen this translate into action through national workshops in Indonesia, Viet Nam, Maldives and Malaysia.

By COP31 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in November, 85 countries had included ocean-based climate solutions in their latest Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted under the Paris Agreement. Momentum is set to continue with 17 countries joining the Blue NDC Challenge to integrate ocean-climate solutions into national plans. The use of Ocean Accounts to track the social, environmental and economic impacts of climate action and country progress against global commitments will be crucial.

The year ahead presents critical opportunities to advance the uptake of Ocean Accounts globally. The alignment of the 2026 Ocean-Climate Dialogue, COP31 to the UNFCCC, and COP17 to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity presents an opportunity to bridge climate, biodiversity and ocean agendas.

This volume of the GOAP Newsletter shares progress from India’s new Ocean Ecosystem Accounts Framework, Mozambique’s first pilot blue economy satellite accounts and knowledge exchange between Indonesia and Viet Nam. We feature new tools including the Social Data Audit Tool from the Social Accounts Working Group and Ocean Account Calculator platform from Indonesia, alongside practical guidance on Ocean Economy Satellite Accounts.

We thank all GOAP Members who shared their news, project updates, and activities for this newsletter and throughout this transformative year. Your contributions reflect the breadth and innovation happening across the global community of practice. We encourage all Members to continue sharing their work—your insights and progress inspire collaboration and strengthen our collective impact. We look forward to continued collaboration into 2026 as we work to protect the ocean we need for the future we want.

Happy reading,

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

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