Global change as well as local pressures are driving declining coral reef health around the world, and accelerated loss of ecosystem services will increasingly affect people dependent on coral reefs in over 100 countries. In 2014 UNEP and Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (‘Regional Seas’) initiated a Global Coral Reef Partnership to support countries deliver internationally agreed coral reef commitments through ecosystem-based management of coral reefs, as called for in the Global Strategic Directions for the Regional Seas 2013-2016.