Dr Behnam, Honorary President IOI, and Ms Vassallo, Managing Director IOI, pay a courtesy visit to Mr Vidar Helgesen on his appointment as Executive Secretary of IOC.

The second IOI Alumni CPD webinar in the 2024 series delved into the multifaceted relationship between the Ocean and climate mitigation, drawing upon insights from the World Ocean Review 8: The Ocean – A Climate Champion? How to Boost Marine Carbon Dioxide Uptake (WOR8).

This training programme - co-organised by NMDIS and the IOI China Regional Centre for the West Pacific Region - provided an introduction to themes of Ocean Governance with special reference to the international legal framework of UNCLOS.

IOI Canada's recent online training programme addressing Ocean Governance after COP28, concluded successfully in May, reaching an international audience from over 50 countries. An earlier outreach event titled The Ocean and Us in an Era of Climate Change was offered in partnership with educators as a professional development day for teachers.

UNCTAD's 60th anniversary celebration in Geneva brought global leaders together to redefine trade and development strategies. The IOI's representatives at this forum reaffirmed the institute's commitment to an equitable global economy and renewed multilateralism. Additionally, a webinar on June 20, featuring Dr Behnam, focused on the role of cities in a sustainable Ocean economy, addressing coastal sustainability challenges and the importance of Ocean literacy.

4 new modules are open for registration in Hindi, Urdu, English and Arabic. The recent Directors' meeting highlighted the continued collaborative efforts to make the IOI Ocean Academy an engaging programme, while 11 programmes, including 3 inaugural ones, were successfully delivered, demonstrating the Academy's global impact on Ocean literacy and education.

Topics of Marine Leisure Management, Sea Lane Security, and labour issues in the global fishing industry are of fundamental interest in the IOI’s global Ocean Governance syllabi and Blue Economy considerations. IOI Ocean Academy Director Azmath Jaleel gave important presentations on these topics and represented the IOI in events on Marine and Maritime issues.

The IOI Egypt Training Centre was formally launched following the signature of the MOU with IOI Egypt host institute NIOF. Congratulations to the IOI Training Centre Director Prof Lamiaa Mohamedein and her fantastic team who add this prestigious programme to the work already done by IOI Egypt in offering the IOI Ocean Academy for Arabic speakers of the region, and more.

The IOI Delegation attended the UN Ocean Decade Conference, and participated in several satellite and side events in the week 8 - 12 April.

The IOI global network welcomes new IOI Focal Point in Portugal, Dr Joana Dionisio.