In June 2026, IOI Managing Director Antonella Vassallo participated in the Global South International Forum in Guangzhou, where she delivered a keynote intervention on the role of ocean governance, capacity development, and ocean literacy in advancing a sustainable blue economy.
The longstanding cooperation between IOI and NMDIS was reaffirmed during a work visit to Tianjin. Through continued collaboration and training, the partnership continues to advance ocean governance capacity in the Western Pacific region and foster a vibrant community of ocean leaders.
The celebration highlighted ZMT's longstanding contribution to tropical marine research while also providing an opportunity to reflect on the more than two decades of collaboration between ZMT and the International Ocean Institute in advancing ocean governance, capacity development, and international knowledge exchange.
IOI representatives engaged during this event with several organisations that are working across the field of ocean policy, literacy and capacity development providing valuable insights in current European efforts towards sustainable ocean governance.
The IOI pays tribute to Prof Qin Li, Director of the IOI China Regional Centre for the Western Pacific, whose unwavering dedication over more than three decades helped advance ocean governance, international cooperation and capacity development throughout the region. Discover her remarkable legacy and read the tributes shared by colleagues and friends from across the global IOI family.
IOI Egypt is offering an interdisciplinary training programme, entirely conducted in Arabic, focussing on regional ocean governance in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. Registrations are now open until 3 July.
Bringing together early-career researchers from around the world, this two-week online winter school offers an interdisciplinary exploration of marine governance, the sustainable blue economy, and socio-ecological systems. Delivered jointly by IOI Germany and the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT). Applications are open now until 31 August.
Register now for the IOI Ocean Academy online courses, and read about the modules delivered recently by our global partners in a variety of languages to make learning accessible worldwide.
Explore highlights from recently completed modules and see how the Ocean Academy network continues to grow across regions and communities.
As the global ocean governance community advances implementation of the BBNJ Agreement, key decisions are beginning to take shape. Read more for insights from our representative Liliana Rodriguez Cortes at United Nations Headquarters on the outcomes of PrepCom 3. Discover what progress was made - and what challenges remain ahead of COP1 in 2027.