However, a significant number of other countries have not started the process due to lack of awareness among policymakers and/or limited capacity to address the issue. Laws and policy issuances remain largely sectoral and fall short of addressing cross-sectoral and multiple-use conflicts. The sectoral orientation relates to the institutional landscape that likewise fails to recognize the interconnectedness of environmental, social and economic concerns.

Global: The development, adoption and testing of methodologies and indicators for assessing social and economic contributions of coastal and marine areas/sectors provides a means for generating awareness and appreciation among policymakers, regionally and globally, for national policies and reforms for sustainable coastal and ocean governance. New policies and policy reforms will maintream the objectives and targets of international conventions and agreements, such as UNCLOS, Agenda 21, and GPA, into strategies and programs at the national and local levels.

Domestic: National interagency and mutlti-sectoral coordinating mechanisms facilitate the development of 6-year country programs with time-bound targets for restoration and rehabilitation of habitats and arresting coastal and marine pollution from land and sea-based activities. Increased investments will be leveraged from national governments, industry and the private sector in support of agreed targets and initiatives.