© UNESCO
30th Session of the IOC Assembly
Side events
The IOC Assembly provides an opportunity for parallel exchanges on current ocean-related issues.
Below is a list of side events organized this year between 25 June and 3 July 2019.
- 15:00-15:30 - Clearing House mechanism for Transfer of Marine Technology (CHM/TMT) (Room IV)
Description: The primary objective of the CHM is to transfer Marine Technology to developing States, particularly landlocked and geographically disadvantaged States as well as other developing States which have not been able to establish or develop their own capabilities in marine sciences, scientific research, observations of the oceans and coastal areas, and related technology, or to develop the infrastructure needed to achieve such ends. The CHM will provide interested users in Member States with direct and rapid access to relevant sources of information, practical expertise in the transfer of marine technology, as well as facilitate effective scientific, technical and financial cooperation to that end (IOC CGTMT)”. - 15:30-16:00 - Presentation and demonstration on ODISCat (Room IV)
Description: The ODIS "Catalogue of Sources" aims to be an online browsable and searchable catalogue of existing ocean related web-based sources/systems of data and information as well as products and services. It will also provide information on products and visualize the landscape (entities and their connections) of ocean data and information sources. ODISCat is the first step towards a true global Ocean Data and Information System. - 16:00-16:30 - Presentation on the Global Ocean Science Report (Room IV)
Description: Since 2014, the IOC has incorporated as part of its mandate the publication of the Global Ocean Science Report (GOSR). The first edition of the GOSR, launched on 8 June 2017, assessed for the first time the status and trends in ocean science capacity around the world. It offers a global record of how, where, and by whom ocean science is conducted. The GOSR identifies and quantifies the key elements of ocean science at the national, regional and global scales, including workforce, infrastructure and publications. It represents the first collective attempt to systematically highlight opportunities as well as capacity gaps to advance international collaboration in ocean science and technology. The second edition of the Global Ocean Science Report (GOSR2020) will be published in concomitance with the second United Nations Ocean Conference in 2020, co-convened by Portugal and Kenya and to be held in Lisbon, Portugal. The GOSR2020 should be part of a transformative process to provide the needed capacity in ocean science in the context of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030), the 2030 Agenda at large, and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, in particular. It is intended to provide the baseline against which to assess progress in the development of capacity in the area of ocean science in the course of the UN Decade. During the side event, the developments since the 51st session of the IOC Executive Council will be presented, including the launching of the on-line questionnaire and the main results of the second meeting of the Editorial Board.
- 18:15-20:00 - Science for Ocean Economy and Action (Foyer)
Description: coming soon.
- 13:00-15:00 - Empowering Women through the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (Room VI)
Description: Building on the momentum created at the Women In Ocean Science Panel hosted by Canada at the IOC’S High–Level Scientific Conference in September 2018, this side event will provide an opportunity to further discuss how women can be empowered to contribute to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Canada’s Ambassador to UNESCO, Elaine Ayotte, will provide her perspectives on the topic and Akele Stöfen-O’Brien (Associate Research Officer at the World Maritime University-Sasakawa, Global Ocean Institute) will present an overview of the WMU’s initiative ‘Empowering Women for the UN Decade of Ocean Science’. Arran McPherson (Assistant Deputy Minister, Fisheries and Oceans Canada) will moderate the event. - 13:30-14:30 - Role & contribution of UNESCO/IOC Regional Network of Training and Research Centers to marine science (Romm VII)
Description: Coming soon. - 18:30 - IOC Assembly Reception (7th Floor: UNESCO Restaurant)
Description: Traditional IOC Assembly Reception: all IOC Assembly delegates are welcome and encouraged to network and mingle!
- 13:00-15:00 - LME Approach for achieving SDG 14 & supporting the Decade (Room IV)
Description: The aim of the side event is to raise awareness among IOC Member States on the opportunities that Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) partnerships offer for helping countries to achieve SDG14 Targets and supporting the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The event will offer an introduction to the role LME portfolio can play in the context of SDG14 (and other associated SDGs) focusing on how they can be achieved in the respective LME partnerships across the globe. Finally, the session will close with an interaction with the audience in the form of a question/answer session with LME project practitioners from various regions, countries and agencies. - 13:30-14:30 - GOOS 2030 Strategy and basin-scale observing system development through TPOS 2020 and AtlantOS (Room VI)
Description: The GOOS 2030 Strategy sets out an ambitious vision for a fully integrated global ocean observing system that delivers the essential information needed for our sustainable development, safety, wellbeing and prosperity. Among its strategic objectives is to "Champion effective governance for global in situ and satellite observing, together with partners and stakeholders." Two GOOS-related projects, the Tropical Pacific Observing System in 2020 (tpos2020.org) and the All-Atlantic Observing System Program (atlantos-ocean.org), are exploring the organization of observations on a basin-scale, in complement to the global, regional (GOOS Regional Alliances), and national scales. - 18:00-20:00 - Ocean Literacy: opportunities and challenges (Room IV)
Description: The event aims to encourage IOC Member States to develop and/or support ocean literacy activities on both the domestic and international stage by reiterating the importance of ocean literacy, and providing examples of ocean literacy initiatives and approaches that member states could look to as examples and best practices.
- 14:00-15:00 - Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 project: Building international cooperation in ocean mapping (Room VI)
Description: The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development calls for a Comprehensive map (digital atlas) of the ocean. Creating such a map of the seafloor bathymetry is a demanding global challenge that can only be accomplished through international collaboration and partnership. Coordination and capacity building is needed at global and regional scales and between governments, industry and academia to ensure that existing data are shared, that new and emerging technology is utilized, and that mapping campaigns are coordinated to efficiently ‘map the gaps.'
The General Bathymetric Chart of the Ocean (GEBCO) is the IHO and IOC Joint Project on ocean mapping. GEBCO recently embarked on The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, a collaborative project to map 100% of the world’s oceans by 2030. We will describe the strategy of Seabed 2030, provide an update on progress to date and explore how organizations and nations can contribute to Seabed 2030.
- 13:00-15:00 - Commonwealth Blue Charter Champion on Ocean Observations (Room VI)
Description: Canada DFO activities as the Commonwealth Blue Charter Champion on Ocean Observations.
