The current cooperative agreement between IOI and the Ministry of Natural Resources of the People's Republic of China, governing the IOI Training Centre in China (hosted at NMDIS in Tianjin) and governing the IOI capacity development programmes in the region, was extended during a special signing ceremony held on the fringes of UNOC3. Signatories Antonella Vassallo, Managing Director, IOI, and Vice Minister Sun Shuxian from the Ministry of Natural Resources, extended the current agreement for another five years of cooperation with the State Oceanic Administration on the promotion and deepening of marine cooperation and the provision of capacity development opportunities in China and the western Pacific Region.
The IOI China Centre activities for the Western Pacific Region was established under a Memorandum of Understanding between the IOI and the respective Ministry of the People's Republic of China in since the early days of IOI’s establishment, under the aegis of IOI founder Elisabeth Mann Borgese. Furthermore, since 2011, IOI China offers an annual residential Training Programme on Ocean Governance for the Western Pacific Region in partnership with the National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS), Ministry of Natural Resources, PR China in Tianjin, PR China.
More information about this training programme can be found here.