5.8 Ocean accounting : measuring progress towards sustainable development of the ocean
Principle 5
In August 2019 , UNSW Sydney accepted an invitation from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ( UN-ESCAP ) to co-found the
Global Ocean Accounts Partnership for Sustainable Development ( GOAP ). GOAP is developing a shared technical framework for ocean accounting to ensure the values and benefits of oceans are recognised and accounted for in decision-making about social and economic development , in line with SDGs 14 , 15.9 and 17.19 .
The first global dialogue on ocean accounting was held at UNSW in late 2019 , where UN-ESCAP and UNSW co-hosted representatives of 18 governments on campus to explore options for technical and policy collaboration . In August 2021 , as part of its Blue Planet Fund , the UK government announced a $ 1.8 million initial contribution to provide strategic support for GOAP , including scaling of pilot projects in five developing countries – in Africa and the Asia Pacific .
UNSW ’ s contributions are being led by Dr Ben Milligan , an interdisciplinary Scientia Fellow based at UNSW faculties of Law & Justice , Science and Business . Dr Milligan is director of the GOAP Secretariat . “ The ocean is one of our most precious assets and our well-being depends on a healthy ocean . This project is an exciting step towards ensuring that decision-makers around the world can account – and be held to account – for how the ocean is changing over time and how our decisions about the ocean affect society and the economy for better or worse ,” Dr Milligan said .
The project links expertise across UNSW , spanning marine science , data science , accounting and economics , and ocean law and governance . It is supported by the
UNSW Institute for Global Development ( IGD ) and
UNSW Global Water Institute ( GWI ), both of which have played key roles in delivery of work to date . Hosted by UNSW Law & Justice , it also forms a key part of the faculty ’ s new Sustainable Development Reform Hub , which seeks to codevelop a cluster of enduring change-making collaborations with external stakeholders through a consultation process and seed funding .
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