IOC Time Line, 1988 - 1998

1955-1965; 1966-1976; 1977-1987; 1999-2010

1998 
International Year of the Ocean (IYO) was proclaimed by the UNGA in response to the proposal of IOC adopted by the 27th General Conference of UNESCO. IOC was charged with the coordination of the Year related activities. Ocean Charter was developed and signed by hundreds of thousands of people.

18 - 24 July 1998, Maputo, Mozambique. Pan-African Conference on Sustainable Integrated Coastal Management (PACSICOM). The Conference developed an original and epistemological framework for coupling science with sustainable integrated coastal area and ocean management for Africa - the African Process.

22 May - 30 September 1998. EXPO'98 was organized in Lisbon under the theme "The Oceans: a Heritage for the Future", with the IOC contribution to the Pavilion of the Future and the UN Pavilion. More

Publication of the study "Towards Operational Oceanography: the Global Ocean Observing System; the Strategic Plan and Principles for GOOS; the GOOS 1998 - A Perspective". Implementation started with the development of GOOS Agreements.

1997
Conclusion of the field phase of WOCE. WOCE Programme was continued until 2002 to realise the maximum benefits through analysis, interpretation, modelling and synthesis. Major WOCE Conferences were hosted by Canada and Australia in mid-1998.

1 - 10 December 1997, Kyoto, Japan. Third Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). It reconfirmed the importance of basic knowledge of ocean processes and variability which are critical to global changes, and the need for systematic observations at global scale.

19th IOC Assembly, 2 - 18 July 1997. Chaired by Mr. G. Holland. Dr. G. Kullenberg is the Executive Secretary. More

1996
Preparation and wide dissemination of GLOSS CD-ROM and GLOSS Bulletins via WWW. It was followed by the publication of a revised GLOSS implementation plan in 1997 (GLOSS logo, GLOSS CD-ROM and Bulletins).

1995
23 October - 3 November 1995, Washington D.C, USA. Intergovernmental Conference on Land-Based Activities.
IOC became a partner in the implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities.

Publication by IUCN on behalf of UNEP and IOC of the report: "Global Climate and Coral Reefs: Implications for People and Reefs."

Launch of the Independent World Commission on the Oceans (IWCO) under the Chairmanship of M. Soares, the former President of Portugal.

Completion of the IOCARIBE evaluation.

It was decided to have Dr. Panikaar Lecture series to address capacity building in marine science issues at regional and/or national levels. The first lectures were delivered by Dr. Okemwa (Kenya) and Dr. Hempel (Germany).

18th IOC Assembly, 15 - 27 June 1995. Chaired by Mr. G. Holland from Canada. Dr. G. Kullenberg was the Executive Secretary. More

6 - 10 February 1995, Bordeaux, France. International Conference under the theme Coastal Change: Past, Present and Future. Its Scientific Appraisal for Effective Coastal Management.

The post of the IOC Secretary was changed for the IOC Executive Secretary and upgraded to the ADG level. New arrangements on the IOC financial regulations and for the creation of a special account were accepted by the 46th session of the UNESCO Executive Board.

1994
International Conference on Marine Scientific Research, Ocean Services and Related Aspects was organized by IOC in Lisbon, Portugal, as a follow up to UNCED.

UNCLOS entered into force.

23 - 27 May 1994, Yokohama, Japan.The World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction was organized with an objective to have a mid-term review of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) implemented in 1990s. Since 1999, the Decade was followed by the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).

25 April - 6 May 1994, Brigdetown, Barbados. Global Conference on Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States adopted Declaration of Barbados. The important role of IOC was stressed in providing scientific input and data for addressing such issues as sea-level rise, marine natural disasters, management of marine resources, marine biodiversity, as well as the development of marine science and technology, and related human resources.

IOC started the publication of a Newsletter - Harmful Algae News.

1993
12 November - 11 December 1993. 27th session of UNESCO General Conference accepted a joint IOC, IGCP, MAB and IHP proposal on Environment and Development in Coastal Regions and Small Islands.

By Resolution XVII-27 status of the IOC was reaffirmed as a body with functional autonomy within UNESCO, dealing in an integrated and interdisciplinary way with ocean research, systematic ocean observations, related ocean services and capacity building so as to cover the whole of the ocean including the coastal zone and its interaction with the atmosphere and the land.

Formation by the UN agencies dealing with oceans and coastal issues of the Sub-Committee on Oceans and Coastal Areas of the UN Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC SOCA) to present a coordinated and comprehensive view of the UN agencies activities' in support of Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 of 1992 Rio Summit.

17th IOC Assembly, 25 February - 11 March 1993. Chaired by Dr. M. Murillo. Dr. G. Kullenberg was the Secretary. More

GOOS Support Office was developed on the basis of the IOC Secretariat.

GEBCO Digital Atlas with the global ocean coverage became fully operational.

1992
6 - 30 June 1992, Rio, Brazil. UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). More

1991
16th IOC Assembly, 7 - 21 March 1991. Chaired by Dr. M. Murillo from Costa Rica. Dr. G. Kullenberg was the Secretary. More

Publication of International Geological-Geophysical Atlases of the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans as approved in 1977.

Implementation of WOCE started.

UNESCO established the Office of the IOC and Marine Science Related Issues (IOC/MRI).

1990
18 - 21 December 1990, NY, USA. UNGA by Resolution 45/212 decided to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the preparation of a Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC).

30 October - 7 November 1990. Second World Climate Conference in Geneva through its ministerial Declaration stressed the need to strengthen international cooperation in support of WCP. It was decided to create Global Ocean Observating System (GOOS).

16 - 20 July 1990, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. International TOGA Scientific Conference.

1990 - 2000. UN decade on Natural Disasters Reduction was launched. The Commission contributed to the Decade objectives through the Tsunami Programme in the Pacific, development of the Pacific Rapid Response system and studies of storm surges.

Organisation of the IOC/MRI "Floating University" project in the Mediterranean, Black and Baltic Seas, involving cooperative "training-through-research" planning, participation, data collection and networking. Later the project was extended to the Caspian Sea.

1989
23 December 1989. UNGA at its 44th Session, stated that "the protection of the oceans and all kinds of seas, including enclosed and semi-enclosed seas, and of coastal areas and the protection, national use and development of their living resources is a major concern in maintaining the quality of the global environment".

15th IOC Assembly, 4 - 19 July 1989. Chaired by Prof. Ulf Lie from Norway. Dr. G. Kullenberg from Sweden is the Secretary. More