Maritime Spatial Planning Goes Global: European Commission and IOC-UNESCO to develop new international guidelines

The European Commission and IOC-UNESCO have launched MSPGlobal, a new joint initiative to promote cross-border maritime spatial planning.

Planning human activities at sea so they happen safely and sustainably is a pre-requisite to good ocean governance. This requires a high level of coordination, not just within a same country but also across borders. This is why since 2017 the European Commission (DG MARE) and IOC-UNESCO have been working hand in hand to develop transboundary maritime spatial planning.

This month, as a follow-up action to their Joint Roadmap to accelerate Maritime/Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) processes worldwide, the two have launched #MSPGlobal.

MSPGlobal is a new three-year long initiative that will call on regional experts to

• develop guidance on international cross-border planning
• perform two pilot projects in the West Mediterranean and the South-East Pacific
• communicate and disseminate all results

By 2030 the results of MSPGlobal, combined with the other 9 actions of the Joint Roadmap, are expected to triple the area of territorial waters that benefit from an effectively implemented MSP system.

MSPGlobal is co-financed by the European Commission through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

Title: SUPPORTING INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED MARITIME SPATIAL PLANNING GUIDANCE

Duration: from 1.11.2018 to 31.10.2021 (36 months)

EC contribution: EUR 1,400,000

Total cost: 1,750,000

Partners: DG MARE and IOC-UNESCO