Earth Today | Regional Seas gets refreshed digital platform
Published:Thursday | May 8, 2025 | 12:07 AM
THE UNITED Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has officially launched the new-look website for its flagship Regional Seas Programme that provides improved access to their work to tackle the problems affecting the world’s oceans and coastal areas through a ‘shared seas’ approach.
The ‘shared seas’ approach fosters multiple-stakeholder collaboration to protect and manage marine ecosystems.
The redesigned platform was launched last month during the 10th staging of the Our Ocean Conference in Korea.
“[It] enhances access to critical information on ocean governance, marine conservation, and regional cooperation, aligning with the conference theme, ‘Our Ocean, Our Action’, and its special agenda on ‘Digital Oceans’,” UNEP said in a release to the media, shared earlier this month.
“Over the past year, Regional Seas Branch has been working with the Regional Seas Conventions and Actions Plans to update the new website that better reflects Regional Seas’ work and impact and improves navigation for users,” it added.
The site now features updated and insightful content on the programme, which is celebrating a half a century dedicated conservation work that responds to the prevailing challenges of climate change, nature loss and pollution.
Available new content includes an in-depth look at its Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans as well as its work in ocean governance, land- and marine-based pollution, and the sustainable blue economy, among other areas.
New additions also include a section on Regional Seas partners, latest news and updates, meetings and events, in addition to publications and reports.
An action-oriented programme, Regional Seas implements region-specific activities that bring together diverse stakeholders – from civil society actors to governments, scientific and local communities, as well as indigenous people. This is with the goal to get ahead of the degradation of the world’s oceans and coastal areas through the ‘shared seas’ approach.
The programme covers 18 regions, most of which have adopted a regional action plan that is supported by a regional convention and associated protocols on specific issues.