Cooperation – a key for successful ocean governance

Man is dependent on clean and healthy seas and oceans, but also on their use in many ways such as maritime shipping, living and non-living resources, generation of renewable energy, tourism, desalination, carbon capture and storage. Using the seas implies massive threats to the marine environment. In applying the principle of sustainable development, a balance between protection and use of the seas has to be achieved by effective and successful ocean governance. This requires close cooperation of states, international organizations and civil society calling up a wide range of difficult aspects, including the areas of cooperation, the actors, how to organize cooperation, the powers of international organizations, the capacity of states to contribute to cooperation, and the financing of cooperation. As collaboration is done by humans it is ultimately crucial to build up good personal relationships of trust and appreciation, which is one of the great achievements of the World Maritime University.