Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
of UNESCO was founded in 1960 on basis of the recognition that
"the oceans, covering some seventy percent of the earth's surface, exert
a profound influence on mankind and even on all forms of life on Earth... In
order to properly interpret the full value of the oceans to mankind, they must
be studied from many points of view. While pioneering research and new ideas
usually come from individuals and small groups, many aspects of oceanic
investigations present far too formidable a task to be undertaken by any one
nation or even a few nations."
The
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission established by resolution 2.31
adopted by the General Conference of Unesco at its eleventh session, and in
conformity with the recommendation of the Intergovernmental Conference on
Oceanic Research (Copenhagen 11-16 July 1960) met for its first session in
Paris at Unesco Headquarters from 19 to 27 October 1961. By the end of the
session, a total of 40 States had become members of the Commission.
The IOC focuses on four major themes:
§
to develop,
promote and facilitate international oceanographic research programmes to
improve understanding of critical global and regional ocean processes and their
relationship to the sustainable development and stewardship of ocean resources;
§
to ensure
effective planning, establishment and co-ordination of an operational global
ocean observing system to provide the information needed for oceanic and
atmospheric forecasting, for oceans and coastal zone management and for global
environmental change research;
§
to provide international education,
training and technical programmes; and
§
to ensure that
ocean data and information obtained are widely available.
The IOC coordinates various programmes ranging from
coral bleaching to tsunami warnings (photo: UNESCO/Suzanne Ornager). There are
special activities in the fields of marine environment, climate change,
fisheries, coastal management, data and information management, and ocean
observing and monitoring.
Link
The IOC website from UNESCO.
Related subjects
International
Year of the Ocean
2nd International
Oceanographic Congress, Moscow
Stamp catalogue
Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics
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