UN Sustainable Development Goals

OSPAR's strength is to help our parties to maximise their achievements of their environmental objectives within the characteristics of the marine ecosystems and the social and economic realities of the geography of the North-East Atlantic. This regional level of cooperation is absolutely necessary as the ecosystems of the oceans do not resect borders. Such cooperation can also support our Contracting Parties as they implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14.

OSPAR cooperates with its regional seas neighbours, such as HELCOM in the Baltic, the Barcelona Convention in the Mediterranean and the Abidjan Convention in West and Southern Africa. This cooperation extends to our sister organisations around the globe under the United Nations Regional Seas Programme. The Sustainable Development Goals aim to to maximise social, economic and environmental objectives. Cross-sectoral cooperation helps this process; OSPAR continues to develop its cooperation with, for example, The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Organisation, the International Maritime Organization, and the International Seabed Authority.