Negotiating and litigating ocean sustainability

On 16 April, in collaboration with the Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS) and the Utrecht Center for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law (UCWOSL), the Sustainable Ocean Community organized the event ‘Negotiating and litigating ocean sustainability: challenges and opportunities’. This event explored new developments in ocean governance and the challenges and opportunities that they present for ocean sustainability from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The event brought together natural scientists, political scientists, lawyers and practitioners to share their insights on the different facets of ocean sustainability.

During the first panel, marine biologist Sabine Gollner (Netherlands Institute for Sea Research), assistant professor of international law Hilde Woker (Leiden University), and policy officer Meggie Salomonsz (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management) discussed recent regulatory developments in areas beyond national jurisdiction. They focused on the recently adopted Agreement on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction and on the ongoing negotiations for the deep-seabed mining regulations for exploitation at the International Seabed Authority.  As both processes are bound to interact, attention needs to be dedicated to the synergies that can be created. The panel therefore focused on the role of science for understanding the ecological connectivity in these areas, which will be crucial to inform an effective governance, regulatory and management framework.

During the second panel, oceanographer Erik van Sebille (Utrecht University) and three lawyers, Brian McGary (Leiden University) , Jessica Joly Hébert (Paris Nanterre University) and Walter Arévalo (Universidad del Rosario, Colombia), came together to explore the ocean-climate nexus both from a scientific angle and through the lens of the three pending advisory requests relating to climate change before the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The panelists shared their views on the science behind the ocean-climate nexus, the role that international courts and tribunals may play in strengthening the relationship between the ocean, the climate and human rights, as well as the interplay between law and science in enhancing ocean sustainability.

The event was attended by 45 participants, who exchanged actively with the panelists and organizers during the Q&A and over lunch.