THE PHILIPPINES has been re-appointed to the executive council of a United Nations organization for marine science, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
The Philippines secured by acclamation a seat for a third year in the 40-member International Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Executive Council, which is under the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
“As a maritime and archipelagic state located at the center of the world’s marine biodiversity, the Philippines shall continue to contribute to the Commission’s unique role in fostering international cooperation in ocean science and in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, particularly Goal 14 on Life Below Water,” the DFA said in a statement Tuesday.
Goal 14 of the SDG is geared towards the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and other marine resources.
The term runs to 2021. The election of the Council’s new officers was held on July 3 at the 30th session of the IOC Assembly at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
“Its purpose is to promote international cooperation and to coordinate programmes in research, services and capacity-building, in order to learn more about the nature and resources of the ocean and coastal areas and to apply that knowledge for the improvement of management, sustainable development, the protection of the marine environment, and the decision-making processes of its Member States,” the DFA also said.
The IOC elected as its chair Argentina’s Ariel Hernán Troisi and as its Vice Chairpersons Monika Breuch-Moritz (Germany), Alexander Frolov (Russian Federation), Frederico Antonio Saraiva Nogueira (Brazil), Satheesh Chandra Shenoi (India), and Karim Hilmi (Morocco).
UNESCO, in a statement on July 3 said the Council meets every year to review issues and items from on-going work plans as well as prepare for the IOC Assembly.
Countries that also won a seat in the Council include Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the UK. — Charmaine A. Tadalan
