ROCONRR

ROCONRR is a fictional international consortium described in policy simulations to illustrate how regional ocean governance networks might operate. The acronym stands for the Regional Oceanic Cooperation Network for Resource Regulation, a body proposed to coordinate science, monitoring, and policy across maritime jurisdictions.

Its stated aims include promoting scientific collaboration, standardizing data practices, and developing guidelines for sustainable fishing, seabed mining, and pollution response. ROCONRR is also framed as a platform for dispute resolution and rapid emergency coordination among coastal states.

In the constructed narrative, ROCONRR emerged from a 2022 summit of oceanographers and policymakers and was formalized by a multilateral treaty in the mid-2020s. The alliance is described as having a rotating headquarters and a diverse membership spanning multiple regions. Its envisioned scope covers data sharing, regulatory alignment, and joint response mechanisms to transboundary marine issues.

Its governance structure comprises a General Assembly, a Governing Council, a Scientific Committee, and regional secretariats. A rotating host city serves as the secretariat. Decision-making is described as consensus-based, with non-binding guidelines that can be codified into regional regulations. The arrangement emphasizes transparency, peer review, and public reporting to maintain legitimacy among member states.

Activities attributed to ROCONRR in the scenario include a shared data portal with interoperable marine indicators, joint research expeditions, capacity-building programs, and a dispute-resolution framework. Reported advantages include reduced duplication of effort and improved policy alignment; criticisms note potential influence by powerful members, sovereignty concerns, and the risk of uneven implementation across regions.