United Nations Regular Process - WOA

The United Nations Regular Process

The United Nations Regular Process was established by the United Nations (UN) in 2002 and is a process promoted by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea. The Regular Process aims to contribute to strengthening regular scientific assessment of the marine environment in order to improve the scientific basis for marine and maritime policy decisions. The World Ocean Assessment (WOA) is the main output of the Regular Process.

The WOA is the only integrated global ocean assessment covering social, economic and environmental aspects. A collective and ongoing effort by hundreds of experts worldwide, the WOA serves as the basis for governments and policymakers around the world to make informed decisions on ocean issues in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The different groups within the Regular Process

Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole - this group oversees the Regular Process and is composed of United Nations Member States under the leadership of two co-chairs. United Nations observers, relevant intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council are also invited to attend meetings of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole. This group meets at United Nations Headquarters to adopt recommendations to the General Assembly. Meetings of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Wholeare held biannually.

Bureau - this group has 15 members (three representing each of the geographical areas of the United Nations) and implements the decisions and guidelines of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole during intersessional periods. The Bureau normally meets once a month.

Group of Experts (GoE) - this group is composed of up to 25 experts (five from each UN geographical area) taking into account geographical and gender balance and diversity of expertise. Under the supervision of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole, the Group of Experts coordinates the work under the WOA, proposing the structure for each of the WOAs and overseeing their development through the contributions of the Pool of Experts. Meetings of this group are held monthly remotely and in person twice a year. The GoE expert database can be found here.

Pool of Experts - this is a broad set of experts with expertise in the areas to be addressed in the WOAs who support the writing of the WOA chapters. In WOAII more than 780 experts from all over the world participated. The third cycle of the Regular Process will also require a large Pool of Experts. The database of experts can be found here.

National and Intergovernmental Focal Points - National Focal Points (NFPs) and Intergovernmental Focal Points (IFPs) are designated by Member States and the secretariats of relevant United Nations agencies, programmes, funds and specialized bodies and the secretariats of related organizations and conventions, respectively, to facilitate the implementation of the programme of work under the Regular Process.

Secretariat - The United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea has been designated by the General Assembly as the Secretariat of the Regular Process. The Secretariat provides support to the institutions of the Regular Process and implements the mandates it receives from the General Assembly, including in relation to the implementation of the work program for each cycle.

Cycles of the Regular Process:

The first cycle of the Regular Process leading to the WOAI took place between 2010-2014. The second cycle of the Regular Process leading to WOAII took place between 2016-2020. The third cycle of the Regular Process, which will lead to WOAIII, started in 2021 and will end in 2025.

The World Ocean Assessments

WOAI

The result of the first cycle was the WOAI, an almost 1000-page report prepared by experts from around the world, detailing the global state of the ocean, the extent of human knowledge about the ocean and the effect of human activities on the ocean. The WOAI was released at the end of 2015 and can be found here. In it, experts warn that the ocean is facing great pressures simultaneously, with impacts so great that the limits of its capacity are about to be reached, or in some cases, have already been reached. They also point out that urgent action is needed on a global scale to protect the oceans. Four national experts took part in this report, which is considered to be the state of the global ocean benchmark.

Based on the WOAI three technical reports have been developed below(link):

Technical Abstract of the First Global Integrated Marine Assessment on the Ocean and the Sustainable Development Goals under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Technical Abstract of the First Global Integrated Marine Assessment on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction

Technical Abstract of the First Global Integrated Marine Assessment on the Impacts of Climate Change and Related Changes in the Atmosphere on the Oceans

WOAII

The WOAII is the main outcome of the second cycle of the Regular Process and was developed by 300 world experts in a collective and interdisciplinary effort. The WOAII provides scientific information on the state of the marine environment in a comprehensive and integrated manner to support decisions and actions towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 14, as well as the implementation of the societal goals of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The report can be found here. Thirty national experts participated in this report.

The Third Cycle of the Regular Process (2021-2025)

The third cycle of the Regular Process was launched by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2019, for the period 2021 to 2025. According to the work program, one of the outputs of this cycle will be the production of one or more marine environment assessments, including socio-economic aspects (WOAIII). The third cycle of the Regular Process will also provide support for other ocean-related intergovernmental processes. The third cycle will also include a capacity building component with the aim of strengthening the link between ocean science and policy at national, regional and global levels.

Portugal's participation in the Regular Process/WOA

Portugal is represented in the United Nations Regular Process in the following groups:

Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Group of Experts, through Professor Maria João Bebianno.
National Focal Points, through the Foundation for Science and Technology, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One of its functions is to guide and promote the involvement of national experts in the process, including the nomination of experts to the Pool of Experts.
Pool of Experts, in the framework of WOAII, through the participation of 30 national experts. The list of national experts involved in the Pool of Experts can be found here.

The national coordination of this process is carried out at institutional level by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and the Sea (DGPM) and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (FCT). This national coordination group also includes Professor Maria João Bebianno, CIMA, from the University of Algarve.

Process for the participation of new national experts in the process

If you are interested in participating as a national expert, please refer to the mechanism for establishing the Pool of Experts for the third cycle of the Regular Process(link) and contact the National Contact Point (see below).

Representatives:

Portuguese Delegate to the Group of Experts: Maria João Bebianno, CIMA, University of Algarve
National Contact Point: Victor Silva(vitor.silva@fct.pt), FCT

FCT Involvement:

Involvement of Portuguese experts and creation of a group of national experts contributing to the different chapters of the reports;
Support to delegates for participation in meetings.

Useful links:

Initiative accompanied by the FCT Ocean Program.

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