International Ocean Institute

“You cannot govern the oceans without ethics and science”

Training Programme information:

• Offered by IOI-Brazil, and IOI-Costa Rica, in Latin America & the Caribbean countries. The Training Programme is offered each year in a different country in these regions as a full time programme
• Two- to three-week  programme is to be offered annually; the first Course is programmed to start end-2016
• The training programme includes coverage of global and regional ocean governance issues concerning Latin America & the Caribbean (IOI-TC-LAC) with specific emphasis on three main themes:

o    Ocean Governance

o    Ocean Sciences

o    Geoethics

Although each of the three core issues are designed as stand-alone modules and can be presented separately, the IOI-LAC-TC integrates and interlinks these issues within a common learning process in order to show how governance is linked with geoethics and underpinned by the scientific knowledge of the oceans.

• For each of these core themes, the training programme incorporates and mainstreams several ideas within the following support issues/programmes/conventions/initiatives:

o    UNCLOS;

o    Millennium Assessment & Follow Up;

o    Millennium Goals for the Oceans;

o    International and Regional Organizations;

o    Global Ocean Observing System;

o    Socio-Environmental concerns;

o    Regional issues as conflicts and threats.

Each core issue is under the responsibility of a Training Leader (TL) and a Support Leader (SL), with the contribution of high level invited speakers (IS). Another aspect of the TC is the use of the “learning by doing“ pedagogic process, which implies the extensive use of practical activities such as case studies, round table discussions, conflict resolution RPG (Role Playing Games), field visits, interviews with local stakeholders, OCZ RPG (out of comfort zone RPG), etc.

• The training programme targets young practitioners in ocean governance issues, as well as scientists and educators with a proven background in their chosen field of studies. The course material offered by the expert faculty will be supported through the provision of appropriate tools and references to sources of additional information but the participants are expected to read around the subjects to supplement the class material offered. Selected candidates should be in a position to be able to successfully transmit and apply the acquired knowledge on return to their institutions, serving as educators in their homeland. 

2018 Training Programme 

The second Training Programme was offered in Valparaíso, Chile from the 8th January to the 2nd February, initiating the itinerancy after  the first programme in Brazil, continuing in the  Latin American Caribbean (LAC) region, with a duration of four weeks and 120 hours under the  direction of Eduardo Marone (Director – IOI Brazil) and  Alejandro Gutierrez Echeverria (Director – IOI Costa Rica). 

The contents of the Training Programme were presented by the course leaders and invited speakers, and most of the teaching effort focused on “learning by doing” activities. The targeted participants were young practitioners and scientists, with enough background knowledge in related fields so that the concepts and technical issues discussed during the training programme would be stimulating, yet not overly challenging. Guidance was offered by the programme staff on theoretical issues, helping the participants gain new knowledge while also providing the basic tools needed to enable them to appreciate the holistic viewpoints and cross disciplinary discussions presented during classes. Knowledge sources, further readings, documents, videos, the 2018 participants’ presentations, useful links, notes, etc. were all made available via an online course archive at:  https://ioitclac.org/archives/

A short description of the course is given in the 02/18 edition of the IOInforma News Bulletin which is available for download from the Archives Section (0218 issue).