IUCN Marine and Polar Programme

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Enriched UN / Multilateral · Found: 2026-03-10 13:22

Works to conserve marine biodiversity and ensure sustainable ocean management through policy influence, knowledge generation, and direct conservation projects in partnership with various funders.

Source: https://www.iucn.org/theme/marine-and-polar

Funding Details

Funder: IUCN Marine and Polar Programme (Global Ocean Programme Component 1, EU-funded)
Funding Goal: Support countries and regional intergovernmental organizations in implementing the BBNJ Agreement (UN high seas marine biodiversity treaty) through targeted technical assistance — building legal, institutional, and scientific capacity for ocean governance.
Funding Amount: €40 million total programme budget (EU-funded, 2025–2030); no grants or financial transfers to individual applicants — technical assistance only.
Deadline: Rolling — no fixed deadline (Rolling)
How to Apply: Submit an online Technical Assistance Request at any time on a rolling basis via the programme's TA Submission Form. Individual experts apply separately through an Expression of Interest form. Contact: taf.ocean@iucn.org.
Target Region: Global (focus on DG INTPA partner developing countries)
Contact: taf.ocean@iucn.org | IUCN Headquarters: Rue Mauverney 28, 1196 Gland, Switzerland | +41 22 9990000
Last Checked: 2026-03-11 18:17

Application Checklist

Eligibility

Eligibility: Must be a DG INTPA partner country or a regional intergovernmental organization to request technical assistance.
Eligibility: Individual experts may apply separately to join the Expert Pool via an Expression of Interest form.

Project Scope

Scope: Programme provides technical assistance only — no grants, no financial transfers are available to applicants.
Scope: Assistance focuses specifically on BBNJ Agreement ratification, legal domestication, and institutional strengthening.

Required Documents

Documents: Submit an online Technical Assistance Request (TA Submission Form Template available on programme page) for country/organization applications.

Constraints

Constraints: Rolling submission — no fixed deadlines, but each request is individually assessed for alignment with national/regional priorities.

Summary

The IUCN Marine and Polar Programme is IUCN's thematic programmatic area addressing conservation of coastal, marine, and polar ecosystems. It integrates research, policy influence, and direct conservation projects across six topic areas: fisheries and aquaculture, marine ecosystems, marine species, ocean and climate change, plastic and pollution, and high seas governance. IUCN acts as an implementing agency for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), channeling funding through partner projects globally. The primary externally-accessible program under this theme is the Global Ocean Programme (GOP) Component 1 — a €40 million EU-funded initiative running from 2025 to 2030. Its central mechanism is a Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) designed to help developing countries ratify, domesticate, and implement the landmark BBNJ Agreement (the UN treaty on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction). Eligible applicants are DG INTPA partner countries, regional intergovernmental organizations, and individual experts wishing to join a specialist pool. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with no fixed deadline. Crucially, the programme does not offer grants or financial transfers to applicants. Instead, it mobilizes expert support in areas such as legal drafting, institutional strengthening, and scientific capacity development. This means it is primarily relevant to governments and regional bodies in developing regions, not to NGOs or civil society organizations seeking direct project funding. IUCN's broader marine work — addressing plastic pollution, sustainable fisheries, marine protected areas, and coral reef conservation — is carried out via partnerships with other funders rather than through open calls accessible to external NGOs under this theme page.

Historical Context

The Global Ocean Programme Component 1 is a 2025–2030 initiative with a €40 million EU budget. IUCN is a long-standing implementing agency for GEF and GCF, with a broad history of marine conservation programmes globally.

Why it was added

IUCN is a key multilateral body for marine conservation, provides project partnerships and co-funding opportunities for NGOs

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