Regional Seas Indicators Working Group Meeting

The Regional Seas Programme (RSP) is convening an Indicators Working Group workshop to revise and update the set of Regional Seas Indicators, which track the state of marine and coastal environments across the Regional Seas Programme. The indicators provide a common framework for monitoring ecosystem health, pollution levels, biodiversity, and socio-economic dimensions, enabling Regional Seas member countries to measure progress and compare results at the national, regional and global scales.The workshop will bring together the 18 Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (Regional Seas) and representatives of relevant global frameworks. The updated indicator set and a prioritization plan are expected to be presented to the Seventh United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7).

Expected outcomes

1. A consolidated and updated list of Regional Seas indicators.
2. Consensus on which Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans will monitor and report on specific indicators, based on current adoption and regional relevance.
3. Clear alignment of the indicators with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Sustainable Development relevant goals, and other Multilateral Environmental Agreements, ensuring political relevance and global visibility.
4. Agreement on linking prioritized indicator tiers and resource needs clarifying how financing and capacity-building support can be mobilized and distributed among Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans.

In preparation for the meeting, two online technical sessions took place. The technical sessions included discussion of the proposed procedure for assessing the current Regional Seas indicators adopted in 2016 and agreeing on a revised set of indicators to be adopted by all Regional Seas.

The online technical sessions took place on 7th and 16th October 2025