Global Ocean Accounts Partnership
Ocean Accounts Diagnostic Tool

Ocean Accounts Diagnostic Tool

Technical Guidance Ocean Accounting
GOAP

The Ocean Accounts Diagnostic Tool is designed to engage and guide structured dialogue among stakeholders for strategically implementing and advancing ocean accounts.

Download the Ocean Accounts Diagnostic Tool

The Ocean Accounts Diagnostic Tool is designed to engage and guide structured dialogue among stakeholders – data users, producers, and holders – to strategically implement and advance ocean accounts.

The recommended approach (as applied in UN-ESCAP Ocean Accounts pilot studies) is to use the Diagnostic Tool outline as the structure for a more detailed scoping report. The scoping report may be coordinated by an independent consultant, the National Statistical Office (NSO) or by a government agency responsible for the ocean.

The Ocean Accounts Diagnostic Tool is designed for use in a workshop setting with prior and subsequent iteration and is made up of seven diagnostic components with underlying practical actions:

1. Statement of Strategy and Policy Priorities

  • Document national visions and priorities related to the ocean, the environment, biodiversity, sustainable development, and green/blue economy, including managing natural assets and flows of services from them.
  • Link priorities to environmental concerns, such as pollution or overfishing.

2. Institutions

  • Identify stakeholders including producers and users of related information (government agencies, academia, NGOs, international agencies), but also other groups such as civil society that can benefit from improved information.
  • Identify relevant institutional mechanisms currently in place.
  • Review the role of the National Statistical Office to highlight the advantages of integrating information and approaches across the National Statistical System.

3. Knowledge

  • Identify key national data sources that can be used as a basis for further development.

4. Progress

  • Understand what progress has already been made in developing ocean data, statistics and accounts as well as other environment statistics and accounts.

5. Context

  • Identify related statistical development activities that could benefit (and benefit from) ocean accounts initiatives.

6. Priorities

  • Determine the priorities for action to develop selected ocean accounts.

7. Constraints and opportunities

  • Assess (a) constraints to implementing specific ocean accounts and (b) opportunities for immediate actions to address these constraints.

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