GloFouling Partnerships Project, Biofouling Management Capacity Building

The GloFouling Partnerships Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the IMO, supports developing countries in strengthening biofouling management to prevent invasive marine species transfer (GEF, UNDP and IMO, n.d.). It worked with 12 Lead Partnering Countries, including Indonesia and the Philippines, and supported national assessments, stakeholder engagement, and policy development. It was launched in December 2018 and closed in May 2025 (IMO, n.d.; GloFouling Partnerships, 2025).

Project activities include, among others, national status assessments of biofouling pathways and existing regulatory frameworks, capacity building workshops for port authorities and marine regulators, development of national biofouling management strategies, stakeholder engagement with shipping industry and port service providers, and knowledge products supporting implementation of IMO biofouling guidelines.

The project aligns with the IMO 2023 Guidelines for the Control and Management of Ships' Biofouling, which provide updated guidance reflecting experience from early implementation of the original 2011 guidelines (IMO, 2023). The GloFouling Partnerships Project builds on the earlier GloBallast Programme (focused on ballast water), addressing the two major vessel related pathways for marine invasive species transfer.