International Cooperation, Negotiation, and Strategy

The sustainable and equitable conservation, management and development of our oceans depends on more than just science-based decision-making. It fundamentally depends on effective cooperation between sovereign States and their subsequent implementation of conservation and management decisions. This requires that all parties have the capacity and agency to determine their own national interest, and participate effectively in a negotiation. Cooperation must consider history and context when negotiating conservation and management proposals. International relations occur within a geo-political, institutional, economic and trade context that has been formed by centuries of colonialism, capitalism and power disparities. Ignoring this does not make it go away. Failure to consider this history and context ignores ongoing inequities, marginalises development aspirations, undermines legitimacy, deters participation and subsequent implementation, and contradicts international development commitments.

Ocean Equity Research looks towards long term shared interests, and explore collective and innovative solutions that avoid a disproportionate burden on developing States, and ensure the long term sustainability of the fishery. We recognise that our international legal framework, and global commitments toward sustainable development, mean that sustainability and equity are intrinsically linked and mandated by our international institutions. Equity and sustainability cannot be separated from each other. An inequitable outcome is unsustainable, while unsustainable exploitation is inequitable for current and future generations. Our program researches equity and cooperation within this international sphere, exposing inequities at systemic and institutional levels, and developing solutions and capacity building programs that build agency and strategic engagement.