| Acronym |
| AoA |
| Full Project title |
| UNGA Regular process “Assessment of Assessments” |
| Start Date |
| 2005 |
| Ending Date |
| 2014 |
| Contact Information |
| Link |
| Scale |
| Global, Supra-regional |
| Geographical Coverage |
| 21 Regional seas |
| Main topic |
| Marine environment assessment including socio-economic aspects |
| Thematic focus |
| The AoA represents the most comprehensive initiative undertaken to date by the UN system to better coordinate ocean governance. Its central recommendation calls for a mechanism that builds on existing global, regional and national institutions and processes while integrating all available information, including socio-economic data, on how our seas and oceans are actually being used. |
| Objectives |
| Establishing a regular process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, including socio-economic aspects (the “Regular Process”).The “Assessment of Assessments” (AoA) is a start-up phase towards a Regular Process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment that takes the WSSD decision forward. |
| Methodology |
| The method of the Assessment of AssessmentsThe Group of Experts established by the lead agencies and approved by the Ad Hoc Steering Group began work in 2006. It agreed on a strategy for examining existing assessments to identify coverage and gaps in data, information and assessments, both thematic and geographic, to examine the capacity to undertakemarine assessments and the processes used, and to consider how existing assessments could contribute to the Regular Process. The Group:❑ Identified 21 regions solely for the purpose of reviewing assessments at the regional level. ❑ Examined a range of individual assessments within each region and produced an overview of assessment practices and products in the region, together with regional summaries. ❑ Developed an additional series of “supra-regional” summaries for larger-scale assessments focusing on a particular theme, sector or assessment process.❑ In order to preserve the information collected and examined through the AoAprocess, an online database has been created by UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) known as the Global and Regional Assessments of the Marine Environment Database (GRAMED). This provides access to an extensive collection of information on assessments, scientific research studies and data holdings of relevance to the marine and coastal environment at national, regional and supra-regional scales. |
