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Applying coherently the human rights-based approach to small-scale fisheries for achieving multiple Sustainable Development Goals

“Small-scale fisheries operate in inland and marine waters, providing nutritious food, income, jobs, and a social and cultural identity for millions of coastal and rural communities around the globe. Small-scale fishers represent more than 90 percent of the capture fisheries workforce globally, about half of which are women (FAO, 2022a). While progress has been made […]

The complexity of evaluating, categorising and quantifying marine cultural heritage

“Despite the growing recognition that ecosystem-based management approaches to ocean governance need to recognise and integrate cultural dimensions to remain relevant, efficient, inclusive and equitable, the difficulty of meaningfully integrating these in ecosystem-based ocean management remains a challenge. This is particularly due to i) the difficulty of quantifying marine cultural heritage and cultural connections, ii) […]

Pathways to integrate Indigenous and local knowledge in ocean governance processes: Lessons from the Algoa Bay Project, South Africa

“The Introduction of this paper argues that current coastal and ocean management approaches like marine spatial planning (MSP) often do not adequately acknowledge and integrate Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK). This is problematic because how humans value and perceive coastal and marine resources is integrally linked to how they use and manage these resources, especially […]

A blueprint for integrating scientific approaches and international communities to assess basin-wide ocean ecosystem status

“Ocean ecosystems are at the forefront of the climate and biodiversity crises, yet we lack a unified approach to assess their state and inform sustainable policies. This blueprint is designed around research capabilities and cross-sectoral partnerships. We highlight priorities including integrating basin-scale observation, modelling and genomic approaches to understand Atlantic oceanography and ecosystem connectivity; improving […]

Ocean defenders and human rights

“Two pressing and overlapping marine policy issues are related to human rights in the ocean and the situation of ocean defenders. Human rights issues and violations are on the rise in the ocean due to the ongoing, rapid and unchecked escalation of anthropogenic activities in marine and coastal environments, which increasingly undermine the fundamental, civil […]

Strengthening Intergenerational Equity at the Ocean-Climate Nexus: Reflections on the UNCRC General Comment No.26

“The 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact brought the ocean into the international climate regime, and the 2022 Sharm el-Sheikh COP27 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has finally ushered the world into a special fund to respond to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including on the human […]

The ocean, sustainable development and human rights

“Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions’ was the theme of the second United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference, which took place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 27 June to 1 July 2022. 1 The resulting political declaration contains a commitment to transformative change with […]

Strengthening Intergenerational Equity at the Ocean-Climate Nexus: Reflections on the UNCRC General Comment No.26

“The 2021 Glasgow Climate Pact brought the ocean into the international climate regime, and the 2022 Sharm el-Sheikh COP27 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has finally ushered the world into a special fund to respond to loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including on the human […]

The implications of seabed mining in the Area for the human right to health

“As the prospect of seabed mining in the Area looms closer, much of the debate to date has focused on the prospects of economic gain versus environmental harm. This article contends that potential human health implications must also be considered, including threats to food safety and security and acceleration of global climate change. Through analysis […]