Paris, 3 July 2025. With the participation of the Delegation of Cuba to UNESCO, the 33rd Assembly of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) concluded today, after being held from 25 June to 3 July at the Organization’s Headquarters in Paris. The meeting brought together representatives of Member States, experts and international organizations to discuss key developments and challenges in ocean science and the sustainable management of marine resources.
Among the main topics discussed were the implementation of a new results-based framework, aimed at translating the IOC’s medium-term strategy into concrete objectives, measurable indicators and coherent actions, as well as the reprogramming of the budgetary cycle to strengthen institutional efficiency and coordination with UNESCO.
The Assembly also reviewed the Strategic Consultation “The IOC and the Future of the Ocean”, a process designed to define the next medium-term strategy in line with the objectives of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030). At the technical level, participants discussed proposals to modernize the IOC’s data architecture and to strengthen the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), promoting open access to scientific information.
On 2 July, the elections for the IOC Executive Council were held.
Cuba’s participation in this Assembly reaffirms its longstanding commitment to international scientific cooperation and the sustainable management of marine ecosystems. The country actively contributes to strengthening knowledge networks, capacity-building initiatives, and the promotion of science in service of ocean conservation, in line with the principles of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.