The end of the year is an appropriate time to review joint endeavours and to reaffirm our collective engagement to the cooperation mechanism which is at the core of the OSPAR Commission.
In spite of the overwhelming challenge of finalising and launching the Intermediate Assessment in June 2017, OSPAR was able to successfully respond to the regular amount of work whilst adapting to emerging issues, simultaneously engaging with the regional and international community, thereby affirming its growing relevance and mandate to the global oceans’ agenda. This was possible thanks to the collective work, commitments and all contributions from Contracting Parties, Committees, Intersessional Correspondence Groups, NGOs, and other OSPAR partners, where all personal endeavours contributed to make a difference.
It is fundamental that OSPAR continues to reaffirm the essential role of oceans for life on Earth. OSPAR’s intergovernmental mechanism and products are key to the assessment and to the protection of the North-East Atlantic marine environment.
A strong commitment to efficiency and effectiveness will pave the way for collective achievements and enhanced performance of OSPAR as a relevant organisation in the future demanding times.
In that regard it’s worth recalling the African saying “If you want to go fast, go alone, (but) If you want to go far, go together”.
Best wishes and season’s greetings!
Susana Salvador (OSPAR Executive Secretary) |
 | | OSPAR welcomes Susana Salvador | | In August 2017, OSPAR welcomed Portugal's Susana Salvador as its new Executive Secretary. | 
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| |  | | Sweden's Laura Piriz elected OSPAR Chair | | At its meeting in June 2017, OSPAR elected Sweden's Laura Piriz as its new chair | |
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 | | OSPAR becomes Arctic Council observer | | At the 10th Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska in May 2017, OSPAR was one of seven new Observers admitted by Ministers. | |
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| |  | | New assessment of marine species and pollution in the North-East Atlantic | | OSPAR has published its latest assessment of the marine environment | |
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 | | OSPAR and HELCOM release online ballast water risk assessment tool | | A new online risk assessment tool for invasive non-indigenous species transfers via the ballast water of commercial ships has been released jointly by HELCOM and OSPAR | |
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| |  | | OSPAR and underwater noise | | OSPAR experts met for the first time with their HELCOM colleagues from the Baltic to discuss common challenges with monitoring both impulsive and continuous underwater noise | |
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 | | Our Oceans Conference in Malta | | Laura Piriz , the Chair of OSPAR, and Deputy Secretary Jo Foden from the Secretariat attended the 4th Our Ocean Conference in Malta, October 2017, hosted by the European Union. | |
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| |  | | United Nations Climate Change Conference - Bonn 2017 | | The Secretariat participated in a French side event at the COP 23 UN Climate Change Conference held in Bonn (Germany) | |
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 | | Latest meeting of OSPAR's marine litter group | | OSPAR meets in Brussels to discuss marine litter | |
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| |  | | Building International Partnerships to Enhance Science-based Ecosystem Approaches | | International governance meeting in Cape Town, South Africa | |
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 | | Sustainable Development Goals in the Arctic - Local and Global Perspectives | | The Executive Secretary attended the International High-Level Conference on “Sustainable Development Goals in the Arctic - Local and Global Perspectives”, held in Copenhagen on the 1st of December. | |
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| |  | | Water and Marine Directors meeting | | The meeting of Water and Marine Directors took place in Tallinn, Estonia on the 4/5 December 2017 | |
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 | | Senior Arctic Officials meeting | | The Secretariat participated in the Senior Arctic Officials meeting in Oulu, 25-26 October 2017. | |
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| |  | | Developing data streams and datasets | | Monitoring data provides the foundations of OSPAR assessments which in turn inform Contracting Parties on the measures that need to be taken. | |
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