News
The 32nd session of the IOC Assembly
The IOC Assembly meets once per biennium with the purpose to review the work of the Commission, including the work of the Member States and the Secretariat, and formulate a common work plan for the coming two years.
The 32nd Session of the IOC Assembly
The Assembly session will be preceded by the 56th session of the Executive Council acting as the steering committee for the Assembly.
The core document for the Assembly is the Provisional Action Paper. The Action Paper provides the information necessary for effective participation in the discussion of the agenda items. This information includes: (i) identification of relevant documentation; (ii) identification, under each substantive agenda item, of the issue before the Assembly and the expected decision or draft resolution when available to date; (iii) background information (if the relevant background includes a separate document, it is issued as a working document).
The elections of the Officers of the Commission and the members of the Executive Council will take place during this session of the Assembly in accordance with the technical arrangements appended to the IOC Rules of Procedure. Candidatures must reach the IOC Secretariat at latest two working days before the day of the elections scheduled on Wednesday 28 June 2023. Find more information on the elections page.
For all technical and statutory information about the 32nd Session of the IOC Assembly, including agenda and documentation, please visit this dedicated page.
Ocean Science Day (22 June 2023)
In addition to the formal plenary discussion, an Ocean Science Day is organised on 22 June to discuss current challenges in ocean science, potentially with a wider audience. The two main items of OSD will be a discussion of opportunities and challenges for adaptation and mitigation to ocean change, preceded by a session highlighting the existing contributions of IOC to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and a dialogue on the perspectives, benefits and challenges for future increased contributions by IOC programmes and regional subsidiary bodies to the Decade.
The event is available in person for all delegates to the 32nd Session of the IOC/UNESCO Assembly, and also accessible to the public via Livestream.
You can watch the Ocean Science Day 2023 in the four languages below:
Whether you are participating in the Ocean Science Day 2023 in person, or following the livestream, you can interact with the panels and keynote speakers via Slido.com.
Simply open http://slido.com on your browser, and type in the Event Code "OceanScience" to access the Q&As.
Anton Bruun Memorial Lecture
The Anton Bruun Memorial Lecture Series is dedicated to the memory of the noted Danish oceanographer and first chairman of the Commission, Dr Anton Frederick Bruun. The Anton Bruun Memorial Lectures were established in accordance with Resolution 19 of the 6th session of the IOC Assembly (1970), in which the Commission proposed that important intersession developments be summarized by speakers in the fields of solid earth studies, physical and chemical oceanography and meteorology, and marine biology.
LECTURE:
22 June 2023 | 16:45 - 18:00
Nutrient Pollution: The forgotten parameter
Alexander Bouwman, University of Utrecht, Netherlands
The Anton Bruun Memorial Lecture and Medal honor Dr Bouwman's outstanding contribution to understand and model global flux of nutrient from land based sources to the Ocean.
Mário Ruivo Memorial Lecture
The Mário Ruivo Memorial Lecture is an initiative endorsed by the Ocean Decade and promoted by IOC/UNESCO, EurOcean and the Portuguese Government, to stimulate and recognise early career ocean researchers’ contributions to 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to the vision of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030.
The initiative honors Professor Mário Ruivo, former Executive Secretary of IOC/UNESCO, and his long-life commitment to ocean science and the sustainability of the ocean. It celebrates his significant contributions to the work of IOC/UNESCO, most notably ocean knowledge, governance, capacity development, literacy, and international cooperation.
LECTURE:
22 June 2023 | 11:45 -13:00
I get by with a little kelp from my friends: Building the Kelp Forest Alliance, a collaborative global movement to protect and restore our underwater kelp forests
Aaron M. Eger, University New South Wales, The Kelp Forest Alliance
Pannikar Memorial Lecture
At the Eighteenth Session of the IOC Assembly (1995) it was decided to hold at each IOC Assembly a “Dr. Panikkar Lecture” “to address capacity building in marine science issues at regional and/or national levels”. Dr Nedumangattu Kesava Panikkar, from India, was elected Chairman of IOC in June 1964 at the Third Session of the Assembly. Dr Panikkar also served as chair of the Working Group on Mutual Assistance convened at the Sixth Session of the Assembly in 1969.
LECTURE:
23 June 2023 | 16:45 - 18:00
Ken Sherman, NOAA Fisheries/Office of Science & Technology/Marine Ecosystems, Director, US Large Marine Ecosystems Program
Side Events
Please find below a list of Side Events during the IOC Assembly:
Click here to download a portable calendar of IOC-32 Side Events
*All times in CEST
21 June 2023 | 14:00 - 14:50, Room 6, UNESCO HQ
The Ocean's Past is Our Future - Cultural Heritage in the UN Ocean Decade
This side event will revolve around the rich cultural heritage of the ocean and its profound impact on human history, showing how studying cultural heritage not only enriches our understanding of the past but also contributes to community building, identity formation, and awareness of sea level rise and climatic changes.
21 June 2023 | 13:00 - 15:00, Room 7, UNESCO HQ
Consultations Meeting of the IOC Regional Subsidiary Bodies
The Consultations meeting of the IOC Regional Subsidiary Bodies including Sub Commissions (IOCAFRICA, IOCARIBE, WESTPAC), Regional Committees (IOCINDIO), project offices, officers and the Secretariat provide unique opportunity for direct interactions and exchanges among the IOC regions, officers, staff in the field and at the Headquarters.
22 June 2023 | 08:00 - 09:30, Room 2, UNESCO HQ
Co-designing the IPOS
The event will be composed of two main sessions: a presentation of the IPOS, its objectives, the first cornerstones and its potential added-value for the science-society-policy interface, as well as innovative co-production methodologies to support a transition to Ocean sustainability; a panel discussion where representatives of existing international and intergovernmental bodies will be given the opportunity to reflect on the role of the IPOS to support, amplify, and diffuse existing efforts in favor of Ocean sustainability.
22 June 2023 | 13:00 - 15:00, Room 2, UNESCO HQ
Environmental DNA, a solution for biodiversity monitoring?
At this side-event the European Research infrastructure European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC-ERIC) together with the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) of the IOC’s International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) programme will present the growing capacity for genomic observation in Europe and beyond.
26 June 2023 | 13:00-15:00, Room 7, UNESCO HQ
The Science Base of IOCINDIO
This high-level scientific event is conceived to acknowledge, appreciate, show case and salute the colossal and long duration investments of IOCINDIO Member States, aiming at accelerating a prodigious development of cutting age infrastructures in ocean sciences and technologies.
26 June 2023 | 13:30-14:45, Room 6, UNESCO HQ
Shaping the Ocean Enterprise to Deliver Essential Societal, Economic, and Environmental Benefits
The Dialogues with Industry is an endorsed United Nations Ocean Decade activity. Four Dialogues were held from September 2022 to January 2023 to explore and define opportunities for maturing public and private sector capability and capacity to support the growing need for actionable ocean data, information, and knowledge for the delivery of economic, societal, and environmental benefits. These discussions, described in the Synthesis, offered actionable recommendations that will help to unlock the potential of the Ocean Enterprise over the coming decade.
26 June 2023 | 18:15-20:00, Restaurant (7th Floor), UNESCO HQ
GEBCO:120 years of achievements
This special side event will showcase the profound impact of GEBCO's achievements in advancing marine science and promoting international collaboration, which have transformed our understanding of the world's ocean.
27 June 2023 | 13:00-14:45, Room 2, UNESCO HQ
Strengthening the IOC-UNESCO and Prada Group partnership to scale up ocean literacy initiative
The event will present to the Member States and to invited journalists the new partnership between the IOC and the Prada Group on ocean literacy. It will also be the opportunity to present the teaser of a documentary under preparation on the kindergarten of the lagoon project.
27 June 2023 | 14:00-14:45, Room 3, UNESCO HQ
GOOS: national systems and global policy - five years into the 2030 strategy, what should the next 5 years bring?
This side event organized by the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), will look at recent advances across GOOS, the role of national systems, GOOS National Focal Points, and IOC Member States. The presentation will be brief, as this session is an opportunity for IOC Member States to provide feedback on their priorities and needs four years after the launch of the GOOS 2030 strategy, how to develop the GOOS National Focal Point role, and how to we can work together more effectively towards achieving a truly integrated and fit-for-purpose ocean observing system.
27 June 2023 | 13:00-15:00, Room 7, UNESCO HQ
4th meeting of the Governing Body of the International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography (ITCOOcean) in India as a Category 2 Centre
The Governing Board meets annually with the following objectives: (a) approve the annual workplan of the Centre, including the staffing table; (b) examine the annual reports submitted by the Director of the Centre including self-assessment reports of the Centre's contribution to UNESCO/IOC's programme objectives; (c) examine the periodic independent audit reports of the financial statements of the Centre and monitor the provision of such accounting records necessary for the preparation of financial statements; (d) decide on the participation of regional intergovernmental organizations and international organizations in the work of the Centre, among others.
28 June 2023 | 13:15-14:45, Room 6, UNESCO HQ
Bringing the Ocean Decade home: Best Practices for National Decade Committees
This side event is aimed at countries that are wondering whether the Decade of the Ocean is right for them, how a National Decade Committee can help and whether they would be in a position to set one up.
