Governance of the Global Ocean Commons: Hopelessly Fragmented or Fixable?

The perception by many that governing arrangements for the global ocean commons are fragmented and dysfunctional may be an unnecessary barrier to tangible progress aimed at sustainably reaping the benefits of the ‘Blue Economy’. A recent review of the governance of the global ocean identified 191 governance arrangements for issues affecting transboundary marine resources. We suggest that instead of simply bemoaning the status quo as being fragmented, the opportunity exists to put in place a holistic multilevel global framework for governing the world’s ocean, building on the strengths of existing arrangements. The United Nations could play a leadership role in providing the mechanism and resources needed to facilitate this.