The UNDP and Ocean Governance

2 A modular approach to monitoring, assessing and managing large marine ecosystems

Regional and global ocean governance share complex, co-evolutionary histories in which both regimes – among others – interacted with and used the ocean and resources therein to consolidate, expand, and express power. Simultaneously, regional and global ocean governance relations have changed continuously, particularly when we are trying to understand their differences within the logic of regionalisation, regionalism, and globalisation. The paper is generally based on deductive reasoning and reflects scholarship in security studies, political science, international law, international relation, development studies, and African studies. It delves into the critical aspect of understanding the nexus/relationship between regional and global ocean governance in critical traditional and contemporary ocean policy domains, specifically from an African regional ocean governance standpoint. Ocean governance processes that are historically confronted by globalisation, multilateralism, and post-colonisation are confronted by the rise of regionalism, especially the need for nation-states and regions to respond to and manage traditional and emerging ocean challenges. Responses to these challenges by various actors, including states, economic blocks, private sector, financial institutions, and non-governmental organisations, development partners, etc., result in different forms of relationships that refocus regions’ activities toward globally defined ocean agendas. A review of different policy domains (including maritime security, environmental, economic, and socio-political governance) critical for regional ocean governance sets a robust background for understanding the contextual factors and concerns inherent in the regional-global ocean governance nexus. These outcomes, therefore, help us to arrive at a five-fold taxonomy of different types/degrees of linkages developed around the regional-global ocean governance relationship spectrum described as (1) discrete, (2) conflictual, (3) cooperative, (4) symmetric, and (5) ambiguous. Comparatively, experience and perspective from Africa are utilised to support raised arguments about these linkages. Furthermore, this spectrum allows for the diagnosis of the utilities and most prevalent arguments that regional governance’s effectiveness is directly related to the nature of the interaction between regional governance schemes and global governance; and vice-versa. This paper’s outcomes reveal how government, institutions, actors, and researchers address the relationship between regional and global ocean governance and generate a valuable way to think about current and future global and regional ocean governance direction while outlining some logical possibilities for an effective form of ocean governance.

The Mangroves for the Future initiative (MFF) has operated since 2006 as a strategic regional and partnership-led programme working in response to the continued degradation of coastal ecosystems, which threatens the livelihoods and security of coastal communities and makes them more vulnerable to impacts from climate change. MFF follows the principle that healthy coastal ecosystems (principally mangroves, coral reefs and sea grass beds) can contribute significantly to human well-being and the resilience of man and nature to climate change. In its initial phase to 2010, MFF supported India, Indonesia, Maldives, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Thailand to deliver a targeted response to the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. Since then, country membership has expanded to include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Viet Nam and the initiative has grown towards a wider response to the current and emerging challenges for coastal management in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea regions. MFF is also engaged with Malaysia on an outreach basis; and with the Philippines as a dialogue country. Co-chaired by International Union for Conservation of nature (IUCN) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and with ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), and Wetland International (WI) as institutional partners, MFF provides a unique platform for representatives from governments, civil society and private sectors to meet, discuss and take actions together at both regional and national scales. At the regional level, MFF is governed by a Regional Steering Committee that provides strategic leadership for policy change and advocacy and also serves as a forum for country to country information exchange and discussions on emerging issues of regional importance. Within each MFF member country, a National Coordination body has oversight on the programme implementation as guided by its National Strategy and Action Plan and delivery of the small, medium and regional grant facilities. Through its inclusive partnership approach, MFF has significantly strengthened the collaboration between the key stakeholders from governments, civil society, and private sectors addressing national and regional coastal zone management issues. In particular, the MFF initiative has supported national and local governments in developing and implementing participatory and sustainable resource management strategies, and, through awareness and capacity building activities, empowered coastal communities to participate in the decision making processes relating to the management of the natural resources on which they depend for their livelihoods. The present paper elaborates successful examples of regional collaboration initiated through MFF that have contributed to better coastal governance in India Ocean region. The examples include the transboundary cooperation between Pakistan and Iran in Gawatar Bay, between India and Sri Lanka for in the Gulf of Mannar, and between Guangxi and Quang Ninh Provinces in China and Viet Nam. The paper also highlights the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially the Goal 14 and concepts like Blue Economy for sustainable ocean and coastal management in the light of the rapid development in maritime trade, race for exploration of the ocean bed for mineral resources, unsustainable exploitation of fish resources, and increasing pollution load to ocean waters from rapidly developing coastal urban growth in the IndianOcean region.

United Nations Development Program (UNDP) perspectives on global large marine ecosystems movement

United Nations development programme (UNDP) perspectives on Asian Large Marine Ecosystems

Interest in the management of the environment and its resources on an ecosystem basis has been increasing in both terrestrial and marine contexts. The emergence of the concept of large marine ecosystems (LMEs) is one important example of this development. LMEs have been examined through five linked modules: (1) productivity of the ecosystem; (2) fish and fisheries; (3) pollution and ecosystem health; (4) socioeconomic conditions; and (5) governance. The first three focus on natural systems, while the last two concentrate on human interactions with those systems. To date the first three have received the greatest attention but as attention has turned to development and implementation of management strategies, greater consideration has being given to the human dimension of LMEs represented by the latter two modules. This article focuses on governance, a matter that is of fundamental importance because it shapes the pattern of human use of the natural environment. Efforts to promote ecosystem-based management occur within different governance frameworks; these frameworks and their associated dynamics must be understood in the same fashion that the structure and interplay of the elements of the natural ecosystem need to be comprehended. Just as natural science employs baseline studies to gauge change over time, this paper asserts the need for similar studies relevant to governance aspects of ecosystem use. After identifying and describing the roles of three major and generic governance institutions, we suggest the development in each LME of a governance profile that outlines and analyzes the existing governance framework. Moreover, we propose to consider governance change over time to assess whether such shifts represent movement in the direction of greater ecosystem focus.

Global ocean governance is the concretization of global governance. Various interest groups interact with and coordinate ocean issues. Global ocean governance is inevitably linked to the new global governance landscape. In recent years, a series of new scenarios in global governance have emerged. These situations have further shaped the plurality of participants and the diversity of mechanisms in global ocean governance. Science and technology innovation and application are prerequisites and prime movers for the evolution of global ocean governance. Major worldwide crises, represented by global climate change and the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, have added great uncertainty to the future development of global ocean governance. The divergence of interests and positions between emerging countries and developed countries, as well as the reshaping of the global geopolitical landscape in recent years, has led to the stagnation or deadlock of a series of international negotiations and international cooperation platforms related to global ocean governance. With the deepening of global governance, non-state actors are not only objects of ocean governance but also bearers of legal obligations and enjoy varying degrees of legal rights, participating in agenda setting, rule construction, and monitoring implementation at different levels of ocean governance. From a critical jurisprudence perspective, in the practice of global ocean governance, the relationship between non-governmental organizations, states, and international organizations is more likely to be one of reconciliation than the “state–civil society” dichotomy of moral imagination. This new set of circumstances exposes the divisive and fragmented nature of global ocean governance. This study concludes that the new situation of global ocean governance constitutes a historic opportunity for countries to reexamine the role of the rule of law during the Anthropocene to bridge the fragmentation and gaps in mechanisms and achieve a truly integrated, holistic, and closely nested global ocean governance. The question of how to implement the rule of law requires the introduction of theoretical perspectives such as the Anthropocene, complex systems theory, and the community of a shared future for humanity to undertake a fundamental critical reflection and rethinking of global ocean governance.

The Evaluation Office (EO) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) regularly conducts a number of country evaluations called Assessments of Development Results (ADRs) in order to capture and demonstrate evaluative evidence of UNDP contributions to development results at the country level. Undertaken in select countries, ADRs focus on outcomes and critically examine achievements and constraints in the UNDP thematic areas of focus, draw lessons learned and provide recommendations for the future. ADRs also provide strategic analysis for enhancing performance and strategically positioning UNDP support within national development priorities and UNDP corporate policy directions. The Evaluation Office (EO) of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) regularly conducts a number of country evaluations called Assessments of Development Results (ADRs) in order to capture and demonstrate evaluative evidence of UNDP contributions to development results at the country level. Undertaken in select countries, ADRs focus on outcomes and critically examine achievements and constraints in the UNDP thematic areas of focus, draw lessons learned and provide recommendations for the future. ADRs also provide strategic analysis for enhancing performance and strategically positioning UNDP support within national development priorities and UNDP corporate policy directions.

Joan Brown, a college student in Atlanta, Georgia, wakes up in the morning to an electronic alarm clock before she microwaves breakfast, takes a hot shower, grabs a latte at Starbucks, and drives h...

Ecosystem-based management is the paradigm favored by states worldwide for natural resource management. The burgeoning concept of large marine ecosystems (LMEs) provides a model framework for achieving ecosystem-based management of marine natural resources. Through the promotion of the Global Environment Facility, many states have adopted the LME concept for their own natural resource needs. The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem Project (BCLME) in Southern Africa represents a nascent effort to implement LME-based management. The present study examines how the three Southern African states of Namibia, South Africa and Angola have sought to implement an LME-based management framework to manage their shared resources in the Benguela Current and to elucidate the prospects and obstacles the states face in their collective effort. In order to determine the project's prospects for future resource management in the region, an examination of institutional, societal, economical, and political obstacles are evaluated. The lessons learned from the BCLME offer insights that may provide valuable information to other states seeking to implement LME-based management in their own regions

The issue of the appropriate leadership style to adopt in United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abuja has lingered as far as the inception of the organization in Nigeria. Most employees of the organization have ascribed their dwindling commitment to work, productivity and morale to the autocratic style of leadership in the organization. The study examined the effects of leadership style on employee’s performance in United Nations Development Programme, Abuja, Nigeria. The following hypotheses were formulated in null form, they are Leadership style has no significant effect on employee’s commitment to work in United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abuja. Leadership style has no significant effect on employees’ productivity in United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abuja. Leadership style has no significant effect on employee’s morale in United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abuja. The survey research design was used in the study. Data was collected from primary source with the use of questionnaire. The duration of study was between 2013 to 2022. Ordinary Least Square was adopted and findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between Leadership style and employee’s performance in United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abuja.

This article contributes to a growing body of research on the Large Marine Ecosystems Concept. It particularly shines the light on the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem (GCLME), a biodiverse maritime domain providing essential ecosystem services for the survival of a large population while at the same time under intense pressure from both anthropogenic and natural factors. With the need for coordination and cross-border ocean management and governance becoming imperative due to the magnitude of challenges and maritime domain, we examine the factors that underpin ocean governance and those key elements necessary for cross-border ocean governance cooperation in the region. The research draws on qualitative data collected from peer-reviewed literature and documents sourced from different official portals. Three countries in the region (Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon) are selected as the descriptive and comparative case studies to examine: (i) the factors that drive ocean governance (including geographical features, maritime jurisdictions, political framework, maritime activities, and associated pressures), and (ii) key enabling factors for cross-border ocean governance and cooperation in the GCLME (including marine and coastal related policy and legal framework convergence from international to national including, and shared experiences, common issues and joint solutions). We show that the biophysical maritime features, the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), otherwise known as the Law of the Sea (LOS), inherent political characteristics and the relics of colonization, and increasing ocean use and pressure on the ecosystem make ocean governance challenging in the region. Our analysis also reveals a varying level of convergence on international, regional and national legal, policy and institutional frameworks between the case studies on ocean-related aspects. Significant convergence is observed in maritime security, ocean research, and energy aspects, mostly from countries adopting international, regional and sub-regional frameworks. National level convergence is not well established as administrative and political arrangement differs from country to country in the region. These different levels of convergence help reveal procedural and operational shortcomings, strengths, weaknesses, and functional capability of countries within a cooperative ocean governance system in the region. However, experience from joint-implementation of projects, pre- and post-colonial relations between countries and the availability of transboundary organizations that have mainly emerged due to sectoral ocean challenges would play a crucial role in fostering cross-border ocean governance cooperation in the region.

The international community has developed several concepts that provide status and enhanced regulation for environmental protection throughout large of the high seas and exclusive economic zones. These concepts include special areas under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78), High Seas Marine Protected Areas (HSMPAs) and the nascent concept of Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs). Since the advent of the first Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1990, PSSAs have become ubiquitous. Any IMO member government may propose a PSSA for any area of the marine environment it considers in need of protection because of the area's significance due to ecological, socio-economic or scientific attributes. Keywords: High Seas Marine Protected Areas (HSMPAs); international community; international maritime organization (IMO); large marine ecosystems (LMEs); Law of the Sea; MARPOL; particularly sensitive sea area (PSSA)

4 Governance profiles and the management of the uses of large marine ecosystems

Regional ocean governance: Polycentric arrangements and their role in global ocean governance