A new partnership has been developed that links the coast and oceans activities of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The joint initiative incorporates NOAA’s Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) assessment and management approach, using LMEs as operational/management units for translating the Regional Seas Programme into concrete actions. This will assist countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America & the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe to restore and sustain resources, coastal environments and linked watersheds.