The ocean is a vital source of livelihoods, employment, nutrition and economic growth in Asia and the Pacific. Healthy ocean and marine ecosystems contribute to inclusive development and poverty reduction, regulate the climate and are essential for a more sustainable future. Although substantial information exists on the ocean and its resources, the countries with the greatest need have the least capacity to access or apply this information in their policy decisions, and the information is fragmented among numerous institutions at the international, regional and national levels. This project was launched to strengthen the capacity of select developing countries in the ESCAP region on ocean data and statistics to improve the sustainable management of ocean and marine resources. More specifically, the project aimed to enhance partnerships among international, regional and national stakeholders, focusing on developing guidance for standardized ocean-related statistics, and to enhance the technical capacity of beneficiary countries to regularly produce a coherent set of priority ocean accounts. The project established the first ever global partnership on ocean accounts; produced a guidance document, training materials and research studies on ocean data statistics, accounts, and governance; and strengthened national capacity through pilot studies on ocean accounts. Through this project, five pilot countries were successful in establishing or strengthening existing interdepartmental working groups to assess national ocean priorities, governance mechanisms and data availability. All countries achieved more integrated ocean-related statistics and produced new data products addressing national concerns with respect to oceans by the end of the project. Countries focused on data production for areas including harmonized ecosystem maps and carbon stock assessments; examination of food security risk under climate variability and changes in ecosystems; and better understanding linkages between tourism income, natural resource use, land-based pollution and ecosystem impacts.