IOC established
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Urgent collaboration between nations needed to save marine life, from tropical reefs to deep sea ecosystems
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The European Commission and UNESCO renew their joint efforts to advance marine spatial planning globally
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Early Career Ocean Professionals invited to pay tribute to Professor Mário Ruivo through their outstanding projects
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO
(IOC-UNESCO)
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) is the United Nations body responsible for supporting global ocean science and services. The IOC enables its 150 Member States to work together to protect the health of our shared ocean by coordinating programmes in areas such as ocean observations, tsunami warnings and marine spatial planning. Since it was established in 1960, the IOC has provided a focus for all other United Nations bodies that are working to understand and improve the management of our oceans, coasts and marine ecosystems. Today, the IOC is supporting all its Member States to build their scientific and institutional capacity in order to achieve the global goals including the UN Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction.
Our Work
For 60 years the IOC has worked behind the scenes to enable its Member States to work together to strengthen our knowledge and management of the ocean for the benefit of humanity.
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1960
150
IOC Member States
$3 Trillion
The projected value of ocean economy by 2030
>20%
The area of the seabed that has been mapped
Latest News
The United Nations has proclaimed a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) to support efforts to reverse the cycle of decline in ocean health and gather ocean stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework that will ensure ocean science can fully support countries in creating improved conditions for sustainable development of the Ocean.