TG-0.3 Section 0: Concepts, Definitions and Front Matter Core Draft TG-0.3 Core Draft Section 0 Section 0: Concepts, Definitions and Front Matter

Circular ID	TG-0.3
Version	0.3.0
Badge	Core
Status	Draft
Last Updated	May 2026

Circular TG-0.3 · Section 0: Concepts, Definitions and Front Matter · 1 May 2026

General Acknowledgements

Acknowledges the partners, expert panel members and contributors whose work underpins the Technical Guidance on Ocean Accounting.

Version

0.3.0

Status

Draft

Stability

Core

Last updated

May 2026

Responsible officer

Dr Jordan Gacutan

Drafting

AI-assisted drafting from GOAP Secretariat source materials; source list to be published at the close of consultation.

Contents

1. 1. Requirements
2. 2. Acknowledgements
   1. 2.1 Global Ocean Accounts Partnership
   2. 2.2 Institutional Contributors
   3. 2.3 Individual Contributors
   4. 2.4 Funding and Support
3. 3. Circular Publication Information
4. 4. References

About this circular

Recommended citation

General Acknowledgements (2026) (GOAP Technical Guidance on Ocean Accounting, TG-0.3, v0.3.0). GOAP Secretariat. https://guidance.oceanaccounts.org/circulars/section-0/0-3-acknowledgements/

© 2026 Global Ocean Accounts Partnership. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

1. Requirements

¶1 None. This Circular serves as a standalone reference.

2. Acknowledgements

2.1 Global Ocean Accounts Partnership

¶1 The Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) represents a commitment to improving, harmonising, and applying ocean-related data in accordance with international standards and in keeping with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Partnership was established in response to growing recognition that no single organisation has the mandate or influence to improve how the ocean is measured, how its benefits are realised, or how it is protected. Effective ocean accounting requires collaboration across levels, countries, disciplines, and sectors. ESCAP initiated the first Asia and the Pacific Regional Expert Workshop on Ocean Accounts in August 2018 and supported pilot studies in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Samoa, Thailand, Vanuatu, and Viet Nam during 2019.

¶2 The GOAP Panel of Technical Experts comprises specialists in various aspects of ocean accounting from around the world. Its work is framed towards improving understanding of the economic and scientific factors affecting the health of the ocean, and towards generating information that will make more effective action possible. The Panel identifies new challenges in ocean accounting, provides advisory assistance to countries undertaking ocean accounts, and defines priority areas for technical guidance development. The UN Statistical Commission requested ESCAP and UN Environment to take the lead in developing guidance for ocean statistics. The Technical Guidance also provides input to, and benefits from, the revision of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) and the development of SEEA for Oceans¹.

2.2 Institutional Contributors

¶1 Founding and hosting institutions

• ¶2 University of New South Wales (UNSW) — hosts the GOAP Secretariat
• ¶3 United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) — founding partner, pilot study coordination

¶4 United Nations system

• ¶5 United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)
• ¶6 United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment)
• ¶7 Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (IOC-UNESCO WESTPAC)
• ¶8 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN-FAO)
• ¶9 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• ¶10 United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

¶11 International organisations

• ¶12 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• ¶13 World Bank
• ¶14 GRID-Arendal
• ¶15 Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA)
• ¶16 GEO Blue Planet Initiative
• ¶17 Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
• ¶18 The Pacific Community (SPC)
• ¶19 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• ¶20 Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU)
• ¶21 Conservation International
• ¶22 World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
• ¶23 AIR Centre

¶24 Research institutions and consultancies

• ¶25 Yale University
• ¶26 Stony Brook University
• ¶27 Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT)
• ¶28 Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) / Center for the Blue Economy (CBE)
• ¶29 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
• ¶30 IDEEA Group
• ¶31 International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
• ¶32 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), United Kingdom
• ¶33 University of Antwerp
• ¶34 University College London
• ¶35 University of Aveiro
• ¶36 University of Ottawa
• ¶37 European Environment Agency
• ¶38 Australian National University
• ¶39 University of Wollongong
• ¶40 University of Peradeniya
• ¶41 University of British Columbia
• ¶42 University of Malaya
• ¶43 University of Technology Sydney
• ¶44 Nanjing University
• ¶45 Dalian Ocean University
• ¶46 IPB University, Indonesia
• ¶47 De La Salle Lipa
• ¶48 Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security
• ¶49 Ocean Frontier Institute
• ¶50 Ocean Policy Research Institute
• ¶51 National Oceanography Centre, United Kingdom
• ¶52 Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-sustainability
• ¶53 The Paulson Institute
• ¶54 Climalysis
• ¶55 Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)

¶56 Government agencies and national statistical offices

• ¶57 Statistics Canada
• ¶58 National statistical offices of China, Malaysia, Samoa, Thailand, and Viet Nam (through ESCAP pilot studies)
• ¶59 National statistical offices of Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Myanmar, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu (through workshops and dialogues)

2.3 Individual Contributors

¶1 The contributors below are recorded as they appear in the First Edition of the Technical Guidance²; the Second Edition’s authors and reviewers are listed at 2.3.6.

2.3.1 Coordinating and Lead Authors (First Edition)

• ¶1 Michael Bordt (ESCAP)
• ¶2 Ben Milligan (University of New South Wales)
• ¶3 Kenneth Findlay (Cape Peninsula University of Technology)
• ¶4 Teerapong Praphotjanaporn (ESCAP)

2.3.2 Contributing Authors and Editors (First Edition)

• ¶1 Zeba Ali (Canada)
• ¶2 Jillian Campbell (UN Environment)
• ¶3 Lyutong Cai (ESCAP)
• ¶4 Charles Colgan (Middlebury Institute of International Studies)
• ¶5 Samy Djavidnia (GEO Blue Planet Initiative)
• ¶6 Anthony Dvarskas (Stony Brook University)
• ¶7 Eli Fenichel (Yale University)
• ¶8 Giuseppe “Joe” Filoso (Canada)
• ¶9 Jordan Gacutan (University of New South Wales)
• ¶10 Philip James (SPC / UK DEFRA)
• ¶11 Coulson Lantz (University of New South Wales and City of San Diego)
• ¶12 Essam Yassin Mohammed (IIED)
• ¶13 Ina Porras (IIED / DFID)
• ¶14 François Soulard (Canada)
• ¶15 Sanjay Srivastava (ESCAP)
• ¶16 Andy Steven (CSIRO Australia)

2.3.3 Reviewers (First Edition)

• ¶1 Jeff Adkins (USA)
• ¶2 Alessandra Alfieri (UNSD)
• ¶3 Yannick Beaudoin (GRID-Arendal)
• ¶4 Annelies Boerema (University of Antwerp)
• ¶5 Jessica Chan (UNSD)
• ¶6 Alison Fairbrass (University College London)
• ¶7 Monica Grasso (USA)
• ¶8 Gaetano Grilli (Cefas UK)
• ¶9 Rocky Harris (UK)
• ¶10 Marko Javorsek (UNSD)
• ¶11 Claire Jolly (OECD)
• ¶12 Miguel Angel Jorge (World Bank)
• ¶13 Leota Kosi Latu (SPREP)
• ¶14 Tiziana Luisetti (Cefas UK)
• ¶15 Márcia Marques (University of Aveiro)
• ¶16 Peter Meadows (Australia)
• ¶17 Sanjesh Naidu (ESCAP)
• ¶18 Carl Obst (IDEEA Group)
• ¶19 Jan-Erik Petersen (European Environment Agency)
• ¶20 Rosimeiry Gomes Portela (Conservation International)
• ¶21 Marc Saner (University of Ottawa)
• ¶22 Emily Smail (USA)
• ¶23 Michael Vardon (Australian National University)
• ¶24 Wendy Watson-Wright (The Ocean Frontier Institute)
• ¶25 Wenxi Zhu (IOC-UNESCO WESTPAC)

2.3.4 ESCAP Ocean Accounts Pilot Participants

¶1 The Technical Guidance benefited from the enthusiasm and technical excellence of the participants in the ESCAP pilot studies.

¶2 China

¶3 Chen Shang, Guo Yue, Huang Qi, Jiang Hongyou, Li Feixue, Li Li, Luo Huilin, Shi Jianbin, Tan Lun, Wang Qian, Xing Wenxiu, Yang Yang, Ye Haiyuan, Yuan Xiutang, Zhang Hongke, Zhang Qiufeng, Zhang Yunlan, Zhao Peng, Zhu Chunquan, Zhu Zuhao, Zuo Ping

¶4 Malaysia

¶5 Aziz S., Azizan Abu Samah, Husni Alhan bin Md Salimun, Illyani Ibrahim, Ismail bin Abdul Rahman, Jillian Ooi, Khazlita Adzim binti Abdol Aziz, Loh Kar Hoe, Mary George, Rizman Idid, Sahadev Sharma, Siti Zakiah binti Muhamad Isa, Sumiani Yusoff, Wafa, Wee Cheah

¶6 Samoa

¶7 Asiata Gerard Anapu, Frances Reupena, Kitiona Pogi, Leota Aliielua Salani, Papalii Benjamin Sila, Robert Ah Sam, Silafau Paul Meredith

¶8 Thailand

¶9 Arthit Kraaomkaew, Kanjana Phumalee, Katesaraporn Wimonrat, Krisada Bamrungwong, Narissara Chanpet, Pinsak Suraswadi, Ukkrit Satapoomin, Yuwanan Santitaweeroek

¶10 Viet Nam

¶11 Dang Thi Phuong Ha, Hoang Viet Anh, Kim Thi Thuy Ngoc, Le Thi Le Quyen, Ngo Nhu Ve, Nguyen The Chinh

2.3.5 Workshop and Dialogue Participants

¶1 Asia and the Pacific Regional Expert Workshop on Ocean Accounts, Bangkok, August 2018

¶2 Zeba Ali (Canada), Atifah Binti Mohd Alwi (Malaysia), Wycliff Bakeo (Vanuatu), Om Bhandari (Thailand), Caridad Canales (ESCAP), Narissara Chanpet (Thailand), Youjin Choe (UNITAR), Ratana Chuenpagdee (Canada), Daniel Clarke (ESCAP), Elisa Maria da Silva (Timor Leste), Faviana Bosco De Sousa (Timor Leste), Sangita Dubey (UN-FAO), Maria Corazon Ebarvia (PEMSEA), Mark Elisha Eigenraam (IDEEA Group), Achmad Fahrudin (Indonesia), Giuseppe “Joe” Filoso (Canada), Eugenia Merayo Garcia (IIED), Mary George (University of Malaya), Gaetano Grilli (Cefas UK), Kavinda Gunasekara (AIT), Rikke Munk Hansen (ESCAP), A.K. Enamul Haque (Bangladesh), Ampai Harakunarak (Thailand), Natalie Harms (ESCAP), Shanaka Herath (University of Wollongong), Jeremy Hills (Climalysis), Asaad Irawan (Indonesia), Md. Rafiqul Islam (Bangladesh), Philip James (The Pacific Community), Soparatana Jarusombat (Thailand), Thitiwat Kaew-Amdee (Thailand), Ahmed Khan (IIED), Sooyeob Kim (ESCAP), Thi Thuy Ngoc Kim (Viet Nam), Praewpan Kongprakhon (Thailand), Alan Frendy Koropitan (IPB Indonesia), Bimlesh Krishna (Fiji), Carolyn Kumul (Papua New Guinea), Anastasia Rita Tisiana Dwi Kuswardani (Indonesia), Feixue Li (Nanjing University), Jian Liang (China), Xinming Liu (China), Yilun Luo (ESCAP), Ilham Atho Mohamed (Maldives), Essam Mohammed (IIED), Jose Luiz Moutinho (AIR Centre), Putri Ari Hendra Murti (ASEAN), Aminath Mushfiqa Ibrahim (Maldives), Sanjesh Naidu (ESCAP), Elizabeth Nguyen (AIT), Vivienne Rhea Padura (De La Salle Lipa), Jingjue Pei (ESCAP), Zhao Peng (China), Xuan Luong Pham (Viet Nam), Kanjana Phumalee (Thailand), Rosimeiry Gomes Portela (Conservation International), Somyod Prajunban (Thailand), Ismail Bin Abdul Rahman (Malaysia), Insang Ryu (Republic of Korea), Yuwanan Santitaweeroek (Thailand), Roger Sayre (USA), Christina Schönleber (APRU), Sri Setyarini (Indonesia), Gerald Singh (University of British Columbia), Sirod Sirisup (Thailand), Vong Sok (ASEAN), Suthasinee Sontirat (Thailand), François Soulard (Canada), Sanjay Srivastava (ESCAP), Andy Steven (Australia), Sarah Taylor (SOLSTICE-WIO), Kelera Lawenitekini Tokalau (Fiji), Christopher Charles Tremewan (APRU), Engr. Md Waji Ullah (Bangladesh), Gemma Van Halderen (ESCAP), Michelle Voyer (Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security), Katinka Weinberger (ESCAP), Janaka J Wijetunge (University of Peradeniya), and Frank Yrle (AIT).

¶3 First Global Dialogue on Ocean Accounting, Sydney, November 2019

¶4 Ethan Addicott (Yale University), Umaira Ahmed (Maldives), Rear Admiral (Retd) Mohammad Khurshed Alam (Bangladesh), Gerard Tuii Anapu (Samoa), Nafha Aujaaz (Maldives), Khazlita Adzim Abdol Aziz (Malaysia), Zak Baillie (Australia), Anthony Bennie (Australia), Frances Brown (Samoa), Peter Burneth (Australian National University), Mario Cabral (Timor-Leste), Wee Cheah (Malaysia), The Chinh Nguyen (Viet Nam), Charles Colgan (Center for the Blue Economy), Estefânia Luís Simon da Costa (Timor-Leste), Bikash Kishore Das (Bangladesh), Subramanyam Divvaakar (ESCAP), Jose Ferrer (UNSW), Ken Findlay (Cape Peninsula University of Technology), Keldi Forbes (Canada), Mary George (University of Malaya), Yimnang Golbuu (Palau), Acácio Guterres (Timor-Leste), Rikke Munk Hansen (ESCAP), Shanaka Herath (University of Technology Sydney), Michael Huang (Ocean Policy Research Institute), Vivian Ilarina (Philippines), Siti Zakiah binti Muhamad Isa (Malaysia), Musrat Meh Jabin (Bangladesh), Philip James (Independent marine economist), Hongyou Jiang (China), Wenjia Jin (IUCN), David Keith (UNSW), Arthit Kraaomkaew (Thailand), Bimlesh Krishna (Fiji), Fredrick Kuelinad (Papua New Guinea), Thaung Kyaing (Myanmar), Glenn-Marie Lange (World Bank), Chhan Lay (Cambodia), Feixue Li (Nanjing University), Phuong Loan Dang (Viet Nam), MD Abdul Mannan (Bangladesh), Laurence McCook (World Wide Fund for Nature), Alistair McIlgorm (Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security), Reiss McLeod (IDEEA Group), Paul David Meredith (Samoa), Ben Milligan (UNSW), Pakeer Mohideen Amza (Sri Lanka), Niyangama Balasooriyage Monty Ranatunge (Sri Lanka), Shafiya Naeem (Maldives), Sanjesh Naidu (ESCAP), Thi Thuy Ngoc Kim (Viet Nam), Kien Nguyen (Viet Nam), Ngo Nhu Ve (Viet Nam), Eduardo Pereira (Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-sustainability), Stephanie Perkiss (University of Wollongong), Kanjana Phumalee (Thailand), Kitiona Pogi (Samoa), Prapasri Pongwattana (Thailand), John Lourenze Poquiz (Philippines), Ismail bin Abdul Rahman (Malaysia), Yesheng CUI Raymond (UNSW), Russel Reichelt (Australia), Rear Admiral Ruwan Perera (Sri Lanka), Leota Aliielua Salani (Samoa), Husni Alhan Md Salimun (Malaysia), Robert Ah Sam (Samoa), Azizan Bin Abu Samah (Malaysia), Yuwanan Santitaweeroek (Thailand), Ukkrit Satapoomin (Thailand), Nelson Shem (Vanuatu), Jianbin Shi (The Paulson Institute), Papali’i Benjamin Sila (Samoa), Rodolfo Soares (Timor-Leste), François Soulard (Canada), Andy Steven (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), Pinsak Suraswadi (Thailand), Sarah Taylor (National Oceanography Centre), Tony Harrison Tevi (Vanuatu), Van Thanh Nguyen (Viet Nam), Gemma Van Halderen (ESCAP), Michael Vardon (Australian National University), Katesaraporn Wimonrat (Thailand), Peng Zhao (China), Peng Zheng (Dalian Ocean University), and Ping Zuo (Nanjing University).

2.3.6 Second Edition Authors and Reviewers

¶1 [To be completed upon finalisation of all circulars.]

2.3.7 Consultation Contributors (Second Edition)

¶1 The global consultation on the Second Edition invites comment from anyone who produces, checks or uses ocean accounts. Two lists will be published here when the consultation closes.

¶2 Consultation respondents — everyone who commented under their own name and asked to be recognised, listed alphabetically with their organisation, with no comment attributed to any individual.

¶3 Named contributors to a circular — respondents whose comments were accepted and substantively changed a circular are additionally named on that circular itself, in its contributor list, and are carried in its citation. The threshold, per circular, is one accepted substantive comment that supplied the replacement wording or a supporting reference, or three or more accepted substantive comments; a substantive comment is one that changes a definition, method, classification, recommendation, data source, numeric value or factual claim, as distinct from a typographic or formatting correction. Anonymous comments carry no identity and cannot be credited. Every entry is confirmed with the person before it is published. The full criteria are set out in How to comment.

¶4 [To be completed upon closure of the global consultation.]

2.4 Funding and Support

¶1 The GOAP Secretariat is hosted by the University of New South Wales (UNSW), which provides institutional support for the coordination of partnership activities and the development of this Technical Guidance. The ESCAP pilot studies in China, Malaysia, Samoa, Thailand, and Viet Nam were funded by ESCAP.

¶2 [Additional funding acknowledgements to be confirmed.]

3. Circular Publication Information

Role	Contributors
Author	[To be confirmed]
Reviewers	[To be confirmed]

4. References

Footnotes

1. ¶1

   United Nations et al. (2021). System of Environmental-Economic Accounting — Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA). United Nations, New York. Available at: https://seea.un.org/ecosystem-accounting ↩

2. ¶2

   GOAP (2021). Technical Guidance on Ocean Accounting for Sustainable Development (First Edition). Global Ocean Accounts Partnership. Available at: https://www.oceanaccounts.org/ ↩