Blueprint for Ocean and Coastal Sustainability

The ocean is an integral part of our planet, and is an absolutely essential component of human lives, livelihoods and the environment that sustains us. Use of ocean space and resources has been an essential component of global economic growth and prosperity.

The concepts and objectives of ‘sustainable development’ and ‘Green Economy’ make sense only if the ocean is fully incorporated. Sustainable development is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Sustainable development is the approach recognised by the international community to deal with environmental, social and economic issues the world has faced in the past 20 years. Nevertheless we still find the ocean in peril, coastal communities unable to cope with existing and emerging issues, and all levels of government unable to effect the institutional change required to address these issues.

This Report reflects largely a voluntary group effort, and was developed under the coordination of IOC/UNESCO, building on the inputs from various experts residing within the Report’s sponsor agencies and programmes. For drafting and editing this report, we would like to acknowledge Nigel Bradly.

We also want to thank Colin Moorhouse for preparing the Summary for Decision-makers. We express our gratitude to the following UN agencies for their contributions:
- Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of FAO,
- Ocean and Water Governance Programme of UNDP,
- Marine Environment Division of IMO,
- Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO,
- Section for Small Islands and Indigenous Knowledge of UNESCO.

Blueprint for Ocean and Coastal Sustainability