The ocean has critical functions including carbon storage and habitat provision that support life on earth. These functions are under threat from pollution, over-exploitation of marine resources, and climate change. However, there are practical avenues to better manage environmental pressures on the ocean and marine ecosystems.

The OECD helps governments address the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution including plastics in the ocean and growing water risks faced by regions. It supports them in scaling up regulatory and economic policies to address these pressures and expanding finance mechanism for the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean, while considering the importance of renewable energy.

In addition to providing natural resources and ecosystem services that are essential for human well-being, the ocean is a crucial source of jobs for millions of people. To enhance ocean economy sustainability, three key elements are necessary: scientific evidence, robust ocean economy measurement, and scaled up and interlinked policies from subnational to national and international levels.

The OECD provides governments with evidence on science and innovation systems to improve understanding of the ocean and its sustainability, contributing to the UN Decade on Ocean Sciences, as well as improved ocean economy measurement methods and statistics. In addition to recommending scaling up environmental regulatory and economic policies, it also promotes circular economy mechanisms for resilient, inclusive, and sustainable blue cities and regions, and creates specific guidance for developing countries

Fisheries and aquaculture provide food for billions of people and play an important role in the local economy and cultural life of coastal communities around the world. Fish products are among the most traded foods and their exports are essential to the largest fishing nations, especially in Asia. But fish stocks and marine ecosystems are under stress from illegal fishing, excessive fishing pressure, pollution and climate change.

The OECD's decades-long work on fisheries and aquaculture tracks and examines how policies to support fisheries, such as subsidies and fisheries management systems, can maximise the contribution of fisheries to global food security while ensuring fish stock health and environmental sustainability.

Global maritime transport and trade underpin the global economy and rely on shipbuilding, shipping, and ports infrastructure. However, maritime transport faces many challenges including shipbuilding market volatility and excess capacity, the imperative of greening and decarbonising ships and ports, as well as geopolitical disruptions. 

The OECD provides evidence on the decarbonisation efforts of countries and the ways to support a level playing field for the global shipbuilding sector and maritime transport.

A sustainable ocean economy is intrinsically linked to poverty reduction and tackling some of the biggest global challenges including energy transitions, food security, greening of ocean economy sectors, and preserving the ocean’s capacity to regulate the climate and support biodiversity.

However, at present not all countries benefit equally from the ocean economy. Developing countries are on average the most reliant on ocean economy sectors – such as tourism and fisheries – for jobs, foreign exchange, and income, and yet, they capture only a small fraction of the global value added from the ocean economy. Challenges in accessing data, evidence, financing and innovation significantly constrain countries’ ability to harness new sustainable opportunities from the ocean economy and to foster resilience. 

The OECD Sustainable Ocean for All Initiative provides original evidence and policy advice to help developing countries foster sustainable ocean economies as a driver of sustainable development and maximise the impact of international co-operation in this area.