Norway and India Promote Integrated Ocean Management at the UN Ocean Conference
Press release | Date: 08/06/2025 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Oceans is one of the main priority areas in Norway’s strategy for cooperation with India. Norway and India have collaborated for many years on integrated ocean management and the development of marine spatial plans for the Indian coastline. The collaboration on marine spatial planning was presented today at a dedicated event aboard SS «Statsraad Lehmkuhl» during the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3). The event was opened by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon, Norwegian Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust, and India’s Minister of Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh.
‘Marine spatial planning and integrated ocean management are not only important tools for governance—they are commitments to sustainability, science-based decision-making, and inclusive governance,‘ said Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust.
Norway has a long history with integrated management of its coastal areas, based on early and broad involvement of local communities and stakeholder groups, cross-sectoral and interministerial coordination among authorities, and a strong anchoring in marine science. This experience is an active part of the cooperation on oceans between India and Norway
The Indian and Norwegian project partners have jointly developed a digital tool for marine spatial planning called SAHAV (a combination of the Hindi word for ocean, Sagar, and the Norwegian word hav), which was today launched as a Digital Public Good (DPG). It is open source and freely available through the Digital Public Goods Alliance registry. As a DPG, SAHAV meets internationally recognized standards for quality, security, and transparency. This is significant contribution digital public goods addressing Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life Below Water, but the tool can also be applied broadly to other spatial planning contexts.
‘Norway and India are increasing our cooperating on digital public goods, and this is a great example of how investing in open-source gives reusable solutions that benefit the wider public anywhere in the world,‘ said Aukrust.