Regular Process

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Overview

The Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects (Regular Process) is an intergovernmental platform that periodically evaluates the state of environmental, social, and economic components of the global oceans. Its output assessments are intended to support sustainable decision making and management of the marine environment and maritime activities in congruence with international laws, including the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea. These assessments are analogous to those produced by Intergovernmental Science-policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Origins

State interest in a global reporting mechanism for the oceans first emerged during the seventh session of the Commission on Sustainable Development in 1999. Over the next two years, states and intergovernmental organizations, led by Iceland, began investigating the feasibility of implementing a global assessment process. Perhaps most notably, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in its governing council decision 21/13, requested that the executive director in association with Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IOC/UNESCO), the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), regional seas programmes, and other relevant intergovernmental organizations examine the viability of an assessment mechanism in the context of existing scientific programmes. This decision initiated UNEP’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre to conduct a survey of existing global and regional marine environmental assessments and related activities. The results were jointly published by UNEP and IOC/UNESCO in 2003 as a contribution to the construction of a regular process. UNEP also convened workshops in Reykjavik and Bremen in 2001 and 2002, respectively, to consider the feasibility and potential operations of a global marine assessment.

Discussions at the World Summit on Sustainable Development

Ongoing interest in a global marine assessment also prompted discussions at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. In the resulting implementation plan - the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation - it was recommended that a Regular Process for assessment of the marine environment be established, by 2004, under the auspices of the United Nations. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) later endorsed this recommendation under resolution 57/141. Subsequently, the General Assembly requested the secretary general, member states, and relevant intergovernmental organizations to prepare proposals for modalities of the regular process in advance of the UNGA’s 58th session in autumn of 2003. During the session’s proceedings, member state representatives considered these proposals, as well as UNEP-WCMC’s marine assessment survey, previous assessment work of the Joint Group of Experts on Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) and other input. Despite these advancements, the UNGA requested the assemblage of a group of experts to gather more expertise on modalities of scientific marine assessments and further progress the development of a global assessment process.

The Group of Experts

The Group of Experts, which was formally convened in March 2004, comprised representatives from national governments, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations as well as individuals with both scientific and policy backgrounds. They were first tasked with supporting the General Assembly and Secretary General in holding a Global Marine Assessment International Workshop in June 2004. Amongst other obligations, the Group of Experts developed a draft document for the workshop. This document consisted of options and suggestions for the regular process’ goals, scope, framework, operations, peer review procedures, institutional arrangements, capacity building and funding . The Group of Experts also recommended that an in-depth evaluation of existing marine assessments be organized to identify (1) best practices, (2) potential data sources, and (3) where the capacity of marine reporting needed to be improved. Owing to what the secretary general identified as ‘divergent views’ in workshop discussions, conclusive workshop recommendations were foregone, and the secretary general’s report was instead delivered to the general assembly for further consideration and discussion. In their resolution 59/24 in November 2004, the general assembly opted to request a second international workshop on the regular process to further consider the establishment of the process and the potential appointment of a task force to lead the start-up phase. This second workshop clearly identified that an “Assessment of Assessments” (AoA) – to appraise and take stock of existing marine assessments – would be required as part of the preparatory effort to establish a regular global marine assessment. In November 2005, the UNGA formally accepted this recommendation and launched the AoA under the oversight of an ad Hoc Steering Committee and with secretariat support provided by UNEP and IOC/UNESCO.

The Assessment of Assessments

Work on the AoA began in March 2007 and concluded by the spring of 2009 (UNGA, 2009). The final report was summarized in general assembly document (64/88), which was subsequently used as a basis for discussions about regular process modalities at the Ad Hoc Steering Group’s meeting in September 2009. These discussions ultimately led to the establishment of a specialized UNGA working group, which was tasked with deciding on a potential framework for the Regular Process . Prior to the assembly’s 65th session, the UNGA endorsed the Ad Hoc Working Group’s recommended framework, which included descriptions of the objective and scope, principles of operation, the institutional arrangement and financial support . Over the succeeding months, the member states carefully consulted and provided feedback on the proposed plan, and the modalities of operation were slowly established.

Institutional Structure

At its highest level, the Regular Process is accountable to the UNGA. The assembly has convened an Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole to specifically oversee Regular Process operations. This working group meets on an annual to biannual basis for the purposes of monitoring, adapting and governing process proceeding. Meetings generally result in the adoption of recommendations for the General Assembly. UN agencies and NGOs registered with the Economic and Social Council have the opportunity to attend these meetings as observer organizations . Between sessions of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole, the implementation of their decisions is managed by a body known as the Bureau. The Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole is composed of member state representatives and is led by two co-chairs, one from the developing world and another from the developed world. The Bureau is a team of 15 members - three state representatives from each of the five UN regional groupings.

The compilation of assessments within the Regular Process is led by a Group of Experts. This group is composed of a maximum of twenty-five experts, where each UN regional group has the potential to nominate five experts. The group is led by two joint coordinators, one from the developed world and one from the developing world. Chapter assemblage within the assessment reports is supported by a larger Pool of Experts, who are nominated on behalf of their respective countries. Technical and scientific support may be provided by relevant intergovernmental organizations such as the IOC/UNESCO and UNEP. The Regular Process is administered and coordinated by a secretariat, which is hosted by the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea (DOALOS).

Function

The Regular Process is recognized by the United Nations as the “global mechanism for reviewing the state of the marine environment, including socioeconomic aspects, on a continual and systematic basis by providing regular environmental, economic and social aspects”. It is intended to support sustainable management of the marine environment in line with international law, including UNCLOS. By addressing this mandate, the Regular Process aims to promote capacity building, technology transfer and international cooperation.

The Regular Process operates in cycles, where each cycle involves an assessment of the state of the global marine realm and the development of a subsequent assessment report. The timeline of these cycles is independently established for each iteration, yet so far, they have tended to span 4-5 year periods. The origins of the assessment reports stem from outlines prepared by the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole. These outlines are developed with input from the Group of Experts and must be approved by the UNGA. Regional Workshops were convened during the first two cycles to support certain aspects of the planning process and identify relevant information sources to consider. Writing teams, which comprise members of the Group and Pool of Experts, are convened to elaborate on the topic of each designated chapter of the assessment outline. The subsequent draft chapters may then undergo several rounds of rigorous review and editing from internal reviewers, the Group of Experts, the Secretariat, and independent editors. For many rounds of this review process, the writing teams must respond to the questions and comments of the reviewers and craft the requested amendments. The scope of the assessments and there are stringently regulated by the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole and its Bureau.

Many intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and regional bodies have made efforts to support the assessments proceedings under the Regular Process. However, at times, this enthusiasm to contribute hasn't always been reciprocated or honoured by the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole.

Finances

The Regular Process is financially supported by a voluntary trust fund. Through the first cycle, this fund was administered by DOALOS, however, at the general assembly’s 68th session, it was decided that this fund would thereafter be administered by the Secretary General. Numerous member states as well as several intergovernmental organizations have contributed to this fund through the first two cycles. While members of the Group of Experts either contribute to the Regular Process voluntarily or with the support of a parent organization, the voluntary trust fund has been critical to covering the travel costs of experts from developing countries. The trust fund has also supported a Special Scholarship Fund for training programmes in developing countries. The cost of convening regional workshops has typically been covered by host countries and intergovernmental organizations.

First Assessment Cycle

The First Global Integrated Marine Assessment, also known as the First World Ocean Assessment, was produced by the first cycle of the Regular Process. Running from 2010-2014, the first cycle saw 22 experts nominated to the Group of Experts and approximately 600 nominated to the Pool of Experts. Eight regional workshops were conducted. Host countries included Chile, China, Belgium, the United States, Mozambique, Australia, Côte D'Ivoire, and India. The summary of the First World Ocean Assessment was approved by the UNGA in July of 2015. The final assessment report was printed in 2016 and comprised over 900 pages, 55 chapters and seven parts. The goal of the First World Ocean Assessment was to set a baseline assemblage of ocean information at the global level. The assessment concluded that “the ocean is facing major pressures simultaneously with such great impacts that the limits of its carrying capacity are being or in some cases have been, reached… Urgent action on a global scale is needed to protect the world’s oceans from the many pressures they face”. After publishing the First World Ocean Assessment, the Group of Experts was tasked with compiling three technical abstracts relating to the ‘Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction’, ‘the Ocean and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals under Agenda 2030’ and the ‘Impacts of Climate Change and Related Change in the Atmosphere on the Oceans’. In particular, the United Nations through their various channels stressed the importance of the First World Ocean Assessment in addressing Sustainable Development Goal 14 from the 2030 Agenda. While the goal of the Regular Process is to contribute to sustainable management efforts, the First World Ocean Assessment did not engage in a discussion on possible policy or management actions, but was instead restricted to the presentation of science-based ocean information.

Second Assessment Cycle

The UNGA commenced the second cycle of the Regular Process in 2016, with the programme of work schedule to run between 2017 and 2020. A total of 19 experts formed the Group of Experts, while the Pool of Experts attracted nearly 800 nominations. In 2017, member states were also invited to designate national focal points to assist with nominations to the Pool of Experts, facilitate communication between state capitals and the Regular Process, and contribute to awareness raising activities. 67 national focal points were nominated during the second cycle. Twelve regional workshops were convened over two rounds. Host countries included Portugal, New Zealand, Brazil, Thailand, the United Republic of Tanzania, Ecuador, Ghana, Qatar, Indonesia, Ukraine, Malta, and Palau. The Summary of the Second World Ocean Assessment was finalized at the end of 2020, while the entire assessment report is expected to be published in 2021. The scope of the second world ocean assessment was expanded from the first to include an evaluation of trends and identification of knowledge gaps. The release of the second world ocean assessment will be accompanied by four tailored output reports in support of: the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the ongoing negotiations for an international legally binding instrument for biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Informal Consultative Process. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the working groups of the second world ocean assessment were forced to convene meetings and correspondence through virtual platforms for 2020 and much of 2021.

References

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