Alan Evans

Alan is Head of Marine Policy and a Marine Science Policy Adviser at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK, where his role includes engaging with the global marine community by way of participation at international fora, bi-lateral relationships, project collaborations, engaging with national and foreign governments and their agencies, the UK Overseas Territories and regional organisations with an interest in the marine environment.

He has significant experience in the technical application of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), in particular: Part II, in defining territorial sea baselines and maritime zones; Part VI, delineation and delimitation of continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles; Part XI  in relation to the mandate of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) to ensure effective protection of the marine environment whilst enabling equity of participation in the work of the ISA: Part XIII in relation to enabling marine scientific research and using the knowledge generated to support his role in developing and implementing ocean governance frameworks; and Part XIV in supporting the transfer of technology in accordance with the IOC Criteria and Guidelines on the transfer of marine technology.

Alan is the Alternate Head of the UK Delegation at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) and a member of the UK BBNJ Delegation, participating at the Intergovernmental Conference and the second Preparatory Commission. He is a member of the IOC BBNJ Working Group and a Steering Committee member of the UN Ocean Decade Capacity Development Facility. Alan is the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC-UKRI) representative at the European Marine Board and a member of the UK National Decade Committee.

As an advocate for equitable participation in ocean gocernance, Alan has held a number of position in support of developing capacity development initiatives, including as Chair of the IOC Group of Experts on Capacity Development, a technical expert on the ISA Partnership Fund Board, an Advisory Board Member of the the ISA/UN-OHRLLS Women In Deep-Sea Research Project (WIDSR) and supervisor on the UN DOALOS Nippon Fellowship programme.