Course Overview

SDG 14 aims to "Conserve and sustainable use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development." The Goal provides a unifying framework for all the interventions we need to make to conserve and continue using the many resources the ocean provides. This course outlines international environmental law's (IEL) contribution towards achieving SDG 14 by examining how, alongside UNCLOS, Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) form the bedrock of international cooperation to protect and preserve the marine environment and conserve and sustainably use biodiversity.

This is a survey course, covering the MEA and IEL framework of oceans governance through each SDG 14 Target. Material primarily draws from existing UN sources (in particular the 2006 UNEP Training Manual, as updated, and GEO 6), compiled and edited by UNEP and the One Ocean Hub at Strathclyde University, and with inputs from a number of MEAs.