Connecting global frameworks to local implementation — empowering communities, industries, and waste management systems worldwide.
While global frameworks like the BBNJ Agreement establish universal standards, meaningful implementation ultimately depends on local action. The GMAA must bridge the gap between international governance and grassroots reality by establishing local action networks that embed ocean stewardship in communities, industries, and waste management systems worldwide.
This "glocal" approach—thinking globally, acting locally—recognizes that the health of the high seas is inextricably linked to activities on shorelines and coastal waters.
Empowering communities, industries, and waste systems
Local fishing communities are at the front lines of ocean conservation. The GMAA's local action networks should empower coastal communities, connecting them to the broader GMA framework and providing resources for data collection, enforcement reporting, and capacity building.
Waste workers and recycling cooperatives play a crucial role in tackling plastic pollution at its source. The GMAA can partner with waste management actors to improve port reception facilities, develop circular economy solutions for fishing gear, and create economic incentives for waste collection.
Local maritime industries—from shipping and tourism to aquaculture and fisheries—must be engaged as partners in ocean governance. The GMAA can facilitate the development of industry-specific "glocal" action plans that align business practices with GMA standards.
As UNESCO's African Ocean Literacy Dialogues emphasized, there is a need to "decolonize narratives" and embrace diverse cultural and traditional knowledge in ocean governance.
The discussions underscored the significance of "decolonizing narratives, advocating for a new storytelling approach that celebrates resilience, cultural abundance, and the deep connections communities share with the ocean through their traditional ecological knowledge."
The health of our ocean is inextricably tied to the stories around it.
— UNESCO Ocean Literacy Dialogues, 2023Knowledge exchange, best-practice sharing, and coordinated action
The African edition of the Ocean Literacy Dialogues "strengthened discussions on the need to leverage Ocean Literacy, blue education and the blue curriculum into high-level government priorities."
The meeting reinforced the importance of using Ocean Literacy as "a diverse and inclusive tool" that can be applied and adapted to diverse cultures and contexts among ocean professionals from Africa.
Research and reports informing the Local Action Networks framework
From flag States to the home States of individuals and corporations conducting activities at sea. Marine Policy, 194, 107245.
View SourceUnited by the Ocean, Empowered by Knowledge: Advancing Ocean Literacy in Africa. UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.
View SourceEnvironmental Impact Assessments under the BBNJ Agreement and the Removal of Existing Marine Plastic Pollution. Coastal Management.
View SourceGlobal Ocean Governance Enters the "Deep Water" Zone. Available at: en.ghub.org.cn
View SourceBe part of the movement connecting global frameworks to local implementation. Together, we can embed ocean stewardship in communities worldwide.