A number of organisations are set up as a part of the United Nations or as satellite organisations. A few of these organisations are indirectly important to the marine environment.
• UNEP: the United Nations Environment Programme is an organisation of the United Nations that coordinates the environmental activities of the UN.
• IMO: the International Maritime Organisation is a specialised organisation of the United Nations that lays down agreements between the participating member states at international level to make the shipping as safe and environment-friendly as possible.
• ISA: the International Seabed Authority is an autonomous organisation that has been established under UNCLOS and oversees the organisation and the control of the mining activities in the high seas (exploitation of solid, gaseous or liquid mineral resources from the seabed). UNCLOS assumes that the seabed in the high seas is a common heritage.
• NEAFC: the North East Atlantic Fishery Commission is one of the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations responsible for the management of the fish stocks in the part of the high seas of the Northeast Atlantic Ocean.
• FAO: the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations is a specialised institution with the general goal to combat hunger in the world. FAO develops important guidelines with regard to sustainable fisheries and the protection of marine ecosystems.