Paris, 11 September 2025 – The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, and the United Nations Development Programme launched a joint Call for Partnerships.

The Call is intended to provide scientific and technical support for the project “Strengthening stewardship through cooperation in an economically and biologically significant high seas area – the Sargasso Sea.” 

The Sargasso Sea is one of the world’s most unique and ecologically important marine ecosystems. It plays a critical role in global ocean health, supporting biodiversity, carbon cycling, and migratory species of ecological and economic significance. Yet, the Sargasso Sea is increasingly under pressure from a wide range of human activities. These growing threats highlight the weaknesses of existing governance mechanisms in addressing cumulative impacts on areas beyond national jurisdiction.

The project, approved in June 2020 as part of the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Common Oceans ABNJ programme and financed under the GEF’s International Waters focal area, is implemented by UNDP with the IOC as joint implementing partner. With a budget of nearly USD 3 million over four years, it focuses on the Sargasso Sea — an economically and biologically significant high seas ecosystem. Its objective is to facilitate a collaborative, cross-sectoral, and sustainable stewardship approach by strengthening the scientific knowledge base and improving frameworks for cooperative governance. By aligning its work with the recently adopted Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), the project serves as a practical example of how science, governance, and international cooperation can converge to sustain biodiversity and resources in ocean areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of any one State. Learn more here.

Through this Call for Partnerships, IOC and its partners seek to secure high-quality scientific and technical expertise to support the finalisation of the Socio-Ecosystem Diagnostic Analysis (SEDA), the development of the Ecosystem Valuation and Cost-Benefit Analysis, and the preparation of a Strategic Action Programme for the Sargasso Sea. This work will also include defining ecosystem quality objectives, identifying monitoring requirements, and establishing partnerships to sustain long-term observation and conservation efforts.

By contributing to the scientific and technical foundations of this project, selected partners will play an instrumental role in advancing international cooperation for high seas governance. The outcomes will not only strengthen the stewardship of the Sargasso Sea but will also provide a replicable model for other areas beyond national jurisdiction, directly supporting the implementation of the precautionary approach under UNCLOS and contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 14.

The Call for Partnerships remains open until 13 October 2025 at 17:00 CEST. Full details on eligibility, scope, and application procedures are available at the following link. 

Originally published at IOC UNESCO.