oceans aware: inform, inspire, involve

the more you know about the ocean the more you can do to protect and restore it

links

International organizations

BRS: Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (Secretariat), Geneva, Switzerland

CBD: Convention Biological Diversity (Secretariat), Montreal, Canada

CLCS: Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, New York, USA

CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Secretariat), Geneva, Switzerland

CMS: Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Secretariat), Bonn, Germany

DOALOS: Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the United Nations, New York, USA

FAO: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy

ICPC: International Cable Protection Committee, Lymington, UK

ICS: International Chamber of Shipping, London, UK

IEA: International Energy Agency, Paris, France

IHO: International Hydrographic Organization, Monaco

ILO: International Labour Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

IMO: International Maritime Organization, London, UK

IOC/UNESCO: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Paris, France

IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva, Switzerland

IRENA: International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

ISA: International Seabed Authority, Kingston, Jamaica

ITLOS: International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Hamburg, Germany

IWC: International Whaling Commission, Cambridge, United Kingdom

UN: United Nations, New York, USA

UNEA: United Nations Environment Assembly, Nairobi, Kenya

UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya

UNEP-WCMC: United Nations Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK

UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Bonn, Germany

UN-OCEANS: United Nations-Oceans, New York, USA

UNWTO: United Nations World Tourism Organization, Madrid, Spain

WMO: World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

WTO: World Trade Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Non-governmental organizations, foundations, ocean-related institutes

Antarctica 2020

Antarctic and Southern Ocean Commission

The Blue Carbon Initiative

Clear Seas: Vancouver, Canada

Coral reef alliance: Oakland, USA

Coral gardeners: Morea, French Polynesia

Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative

Discovery of Sound in the Sea (DOSITS): Rhode Island, USA

Friends of the Earth: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Eyesea

Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI)

Global Fishing Watch: Washington DC, USA

Global Mangrove Alliance

Greenpeace International: Amsterdam, the Netherlands

International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI): Waco, USA

MarineBio Conservation Society: Houston, USA

Mission Blue, Napa, USA

The Ocean Agency, Newport, USA

The Ocean Cleanup, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Ocean Gardeners, Bali, Indonesia

Ocean Tracking Network (OTN), Dalhousie University, Canada

Ocean Unite, Washington, USA

One Earth One Ocean, Munich, Germany

The Plastic Soup Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Plastic Oceans International, Malibu, USA

Polar Bears International, Winnipeg, Canada

Partnership for Regional Ocean Governance (PROG), Potsdam, Germany

Protected Planet (a joint project of IUCN and UNEP)

Save the Reef Foundation

SECORE International, Ohio, USA:

Seagrass Watch, Clifton Beach, Australia

Seas at risk, Brussels, Belgium

Sonic Sea

Sustainable Fisheries, Seattle, USA

World Ocean Council, Honolulu, USA

World Resources Institute, Washington, USA

World Wildlife Fund for Nature, Gland, Switzerland

WWF Protecting Whales and Dolphins Initiative, Gland, Switzerland

International agreements and conventions (dates indicate adoption/entry into force - where applicable)

Climate Change

Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1997/2005)

Paris Agreement (2015/2016)

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992/1994)

Fisheries

United Nations Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (1995/2001)

Cape Town Agreement of 2012 on the Implementation of the Provisions of the 1993 Protocol relating to the Torremolinos International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels (2012/not yet in force)  

Agreement to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas (1993/2003)

FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (1995/NA)

FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Catch Documentation Schemes (2017/NA)

FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Flag State Performance (2014/NA)

ILO Work in Fishing Convention No. 188 (C188) (2007/2017)

International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea Fisheries (2008/NA)

International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IPOA-IUU) (2001/NA)

Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA) (2009/2016)

Law of the Sea

Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone (1958/1964)

Convention on the High Seas (1958/1962)

Convention on Fishing and Conservation of the Living Resources of the High Seas (1958/1966)

Convention on the Continental Shelf (1958/1964)

Optional Protocol of Signature concerning the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes (1958/1962)

UNCLOS/United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982/1994)

Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 (1994/1996)

UN Fish Stocks Agreement/United Nations Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (1995/2001)

Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (2023/not yet in force).

Marine Environment

Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal (1989/1992)

Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972/1975)

Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention) (11971/1975)

The Honolulu Strategy: A Global Framework for Prevention and Management of Marine Debris (2011/NA)

Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity (2010/2014)

Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (1998/2004)

Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) (2001/2004)

Marine Life

Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears (1973)

CBD/Convention on Biological Diversity (1992/1993)

CCAS/Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972/1978)

CITES/Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (1973/1975)

CMS/Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (1979/1983)

Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Preservation of Sea Turtles (1996/2001)

International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (1946)

Polar regions

Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation (2017/2018)

Antarctic Treaty (1959/1961)

Madrid Protocol/Antarctic Treaty Environmental Protocol (1991/1998)

Shipping

Key IMO Conventions

Other conventions relating to maritime safety and security and ship/port interface

Other conventions relating to prevention of marine pollution

Conventions covering liability and compensation

Other subjects

Convention establishing IMO

Underwater Cultural Heritage

Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001/2009)


Marine scientific research institutes and initiatives (selection)

Marine Research Institutes worldwide

Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Bremerhaven, Germany

Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), La Spezia, Italy

French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER), Brest, France

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research (GEOMAR), Kiel, Germany

Institute of Marine Environment and Resources, (IMER), Hai Phong City, Vietnam

Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Bergen, Norway

Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS), Chester, USA

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Auckland, New Zealand

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Washington DC, United States of America

The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project

Ocean 300, Singapore

OCEANX, New York, United States of America

Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, United Kingdom

REVOcean, Fornebu, Norway

Scripps Institute of Oceanography, San Diego, United States of America

Schmidt Ocean Institute, Palo Alto, United States of America

Smithsonian Ocean, Washington, United States of America

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Falmouth, United States of America