Ocean Regions Programme

Oceans regions are playing an increasingly important role in the 21st Century. No longer confined to the fringes and margins of affairs, oceans are now being increasingly recognised as having an importance that extends far beyond being mere lanes of transport and communication. For example, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has recently incorporated the Indo-Pacific into its Strategic Concept, while the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as other countries, amongst them the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Japan, France and Indonesia, have all adopted outlooks or strategies on the Indo-Pacific. Other ocean spaces are also attracting attention, with the Indian Ocean becoming increasingly militarised and the Eastern Southern Atlantic experiencing increasing piracy, maritime terrorism and "blue crimes". Undoubtedly, governance of ocean regions will continue to be a top priority for regional and international organisations, as well as for African states as they try to position themselves in this rapidly expanding environment.

Within this context, this page features project activities and relevant resources. In particular, the cross-cutting themes fields this programme is interested in include:

South African and African perspectives on oceans regions
Bi-oceanic governance
The Indo-Pacific
The BRICS
Global development in maritime affairs

This page will regularly provide updates on developments, member activities, relevant news, and short articles related to the above-mentioned. The following link can be followed to the programme LinkedIN page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ocean-regions-programme/.

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