The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) was established within UNESCO as the competent organisation for marine science. IOC has the mission to promote international cooperation and to coordinate research programmes in research, services and capacity-building, in order to learn more about the nature and resources of the ocean and coastal areas. This knowledge should also be applied for the improvement of sustainable management and, sustainable development, the protection of the marine environment and the support of the decision-making processes of its Member States.
Member States of the UN agreed on a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. SDG 14 (Life Below Water) specifically deals with the ocean and one of its objectives is to increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology for the benefit of the ocean. In addition, there are various international organisations outside the UN context involved with the global component of marine research:
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Theme
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Organisation
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Role |
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Policy advice / fisheries / use of the sea
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International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
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A global organisation developing science and advice on the sustainable management of the oceans
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Policy advice
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Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
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Publishes global reviews of marine biotechnology (OECD 2017) and the future use of our ocean (The Ocean Economy in 2030)
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International coordination of marine research
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Scientific Committee on Ocean Research (SCOR) of the International Science Council (ICSU) |
Involved in interdisciplinary ocean-related scientific questions and is at the heart of a number of large-scale marine research projects (e.g. IMBER, SOLAS, GEOTRACES, IOQE and IIOE-2) |
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International coordination of marine research
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Census of Marine Life (CoML) |
An international initiative mapping the diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life |
| Ocean observation |
Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) |
A world-wide cooperation for a sustainable, state-of-the-art global ocean observing system that serves the needs of science and society |
| Coordination of marine research and education |
World Association of Marine Stations (WAMS) |
A global network which clusters existing marine stations to foster collaboration |
Source: Compendium Coast and Sea
