Underwater noise pollution is increasingly recognized as a major threat to marine ecosystems, yet policies that directly target reductions in overall noise levels remain limited. In the North-East Atlantic, the OSPAR convention has taken a pioneering role by committing its 16 contracting parties to reduce anthropogenic underwater noise by 2030, as articulated in Strategic Objective 8 of the North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy. Here, the progress toward that commitment is reviewed, focusing on the development of the OSPAR Regional Action Plan (RAP-Noise), adopted in 2025. Since 2022, the RAP-Noise has been shaped through extensive stakeholder engagement and the work of OSPAR’s technical group on noise (ICG-NOISE), resulting in eight actions to address overall levels of noise pollution and specific noise sources, alongside initiatives to strengthen stakeholder participation. While European policy has largely centered on defining and assessing Good Environmental Status under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the UK Marine Strategy, the RAP-Noise and complementary initiatives such as the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan demonstrate a growing shift toward implementing concrete noise mitigation measures informed by emerging scientific evidence.