5th Plenary of the Global Ocean Commission (GOC)

The 5th Plenary of the Global Ocean Commission (GOC 5), took place at the Harvard Club, in New York, US, on 17 May 2015. Twelve high-level Commissioners, including former heads of state, ministers and leaders in the private sector and of international organizations, gathered to: update Commissioners on progress and developments since the release of the report; solicit Commissioners’ input into the strategy and their active participation and input for the work going forward; and discuss ways by which a Global Ocean Accountability Board (GOAB) could be established and managed once the Commission ceases to exist at the end of 2015.

In part discussions addressed the outcomes of the GOC Report “From Decline to Recovery: A Rescue Package for the Global Ocean,” focusing on the eight proposals of the report, including: adoption of a stand-alone SDG on ocean issues; steps to end fisheries subsidies that contribute to fishing overcapacity; closing seas, ports and markets to illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing; prevent plastics from entering the ocean; establishing binding global safety and liability standards for offshore oil and gas installations; establishment of a GOAB; creation a high seas regeneration zone if the monitoring shows after a period of five years that insufficient progress has been made. Climate change and oceans was also discussed.

The meeting functioned under Chatham House Rules.