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Advancing Effective Policy and Governance

Ocean–climate solutions raise complex questions of governance, responsibility, and public interest. Addressing these questions requires more than technical research. It requires decision-making frameworks that are transparent, credible, and capable of operating under uncertainty across diverse institutional contexts.

Ocean Visions’ Policy and Governance work strengthens the governance and policy conditions needed to assess, guide, and oversee ocean–climate research and innovation. This work supports institutions as they navigate legal, regulatory, scientific, and ethical questions associated with emerging ocean–climate approaches.

Why Policy and Governance

Ocean–climate solutions intersect with multiple governance domains, including climate mitigation, biodiversity protection, ocean governance, and sustainable development. These domains operate through distinct mandates, legal instruments, and institutional cultures, often with limited coordination.

As governments and institutions consider how to engage with ocean climate solutions, they face recurring governance challenges, including how to:

Assess risks, benefits, and trade offs under uncertainty  

Design safeguards, oversight, and accountability mechanisms

Align research and innovation with existing legal and regulatory frameworks

Support decision making processes that are legitimate, inclusive, and context appropriate

Our work responds to these challenges by strengthening governance readiness, supporting science–policy interfaces, and helping create conditions for responsible research, development, and demonstration.

What We Do

Our Policy and Governance work focuses on:

  • advancing governance frameworks, safeguards, and oversight approaches;
  • strengthening the use of scientific evidence in policy and regulatory decision-making;
  • promoting coherence across climate, biodiversity, ocean governance, and related sustainable development agendas;
  • supporting national and regional policy readiness for responsible ocean–climate RD&D; and
  • developing policy analysis, briefs, and decision-support tools that translate scientific, technical, and legal knowledge into accessible guidance for policymakers.

This work spans international and regional policy processes, as well as direct dialogue with governments, institutions, and expert communities involved in ocean and climate governance.

International Forums Where Ocean Visions Engages

Ocean Visions holds formal accreditation and observer status across key international policy and governance processes relevant to ocean–climate solutions. These roles enable Ocean Visions to participate in negotiations, technical bodies, and official dialogues, and to contribute evidence, analysis, and governance perspectives into decision-making forums.

Ocean Visions is accredited to or participates in processes associated with:
Ocean Visions is also a member of the following networks and coalitions:

Advancing Effective Policy and Governance within REACH

The policy and governance work is delivered through the Reach program, Ocean Visions’ platform for global engagement, policy work, and regional capacity-building. It supports governance and policy processes informed by scientific progress, regional experience, and international cooperation.

This work helps advance Ocean Visions Reduce, Remove, and Repair program priorities by strengthening the governance conditions needed for responsible ocean–climate research, development, and decision-making.