The long awaited agreement was reached after some twenty one years of a kaleidoscope of multilateral processes, frustrating dialogue and repetitive negotiations at the UN over that time-frame. Most individuals, institutions and stake holders date the start of that long process to the beginning of year 2002. I wish therefore to colour that perception.

On Monday 19 June, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, delegates, members of the Intergovernmental conference (IGC) and civil society gathered to adopt the high seas treaty under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ)

The theme for the twenty-third UN ICP Meeting was, New Maritime Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities. João Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, stressed that the theme of this year’s meeting couldn’t be timelier, highlighting that new ocean technologies are important for tackling common and unprecedented challenges that pose significant threats to the ocean and its health.

The third UN Trade Forum, hosted by UNCTAD, focused on tailoring trade policies to address current global challenges and enhance the resilience of trading systems, particularly in developing countries. Dr. Awni Behnam and other representatives from the IOI participated in a session that emphasized building a sustainable ocean economy, highlighting the shared recognition of the ocean's critical role in global trade and the need to integrate environmental considerations into trade policies.

The interdisciplinary nature of the course attracted participants from diverse sectors, backgrounds and organisations, and there was global representation from nearly 50 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, North and South America, and the South Pacific.

IOI-nominated representative Jai Acharya (IOI Singapore Focal Point, Director IOI Ocean Academy) attended the online PEMSEA regional forum on “the benefits of the plastic pollution treaty, specifically on the potential provisions on high-risk plastic product categories, circularity, and financing mechanisms”.

Register for the next IOI Ocean Academy courses and read reports on 8 courses recently completed.