5th Plenary of the Global Ocean Commission (GOC)

The 5th Plenary of the Global Ocean Commission (GOC) will be taking place on 17 May 2015 at the Harvard Club of NYC in New York, US. The meeting is expected to address the report of the Global Ocean Commission titled ‘From Decline to Recovery: A Rescue Package for the Global Ocean.’

The Commission’s objective is to make politically and technically feasible recommendations regarding: overfishing; large-scale habitat and biodiversity loss; effective management and enforcement; and high-seas governance. The Commission’s work also focuses on: examining key threats, challenges and changes to the ocean and identifying priority issues; reviewing the effectiveness of the existing legal framework for the high seas in meeting the challenges and threats faced; and engaging with interested parties around the world, including those with specific interests in ocean issues.

The GOC, launched in February 2013, is an independent international commission addressing the major threats facing the ocean, and originated as an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts, in partnership with the Adessium Foundation, Oceans 5 and Somerville College at the University of Oxford.