Building leadership for ocean sustainability and supporting communities and decision-makers in navigating complex ocean challenges at national and regional levels.
Founded by Professor Elisabeth Mann Borgese in 1972, the International Ocean Institute (IOI) is a world leading independent, non-governmental non-profit organisation conducting training and capacity building in Ocean Governance with the aim of creating knowledgeable future ocean leaders.
IOI trains young and mid-career practitioners in contemporary approaches to coastal and ocean management, with an emphasis on the moral, ethical and legal values in Ocean Governance (equity and peaceful uses of the ocean).
The establishment of IOI was a milestone in the struggle to promote the concept of Pacem in Maribus (peace in the oceans) and conservation of the ocean and its resources for present and future generations. The IOI enjoys special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and consultative status at some of UN’s Specialized Agencies, and works to uphold and expand the principle of the common heritage as defined in the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea.
There are nearly or more than 2000 IOI Alumni worldwide and an active IOI presence in nearly 40 countries and regions. Moreover, IOI plays a key role in promoting Ocean Literacy through partnership in the globally recognised science-based publications – the World Ocean Review Series. The IOI Ocean Academy aims to deliver ocean knowledge to people of all backgrounds and interests through short, online ocean literacy courses. To learn more about IOI as a global network and what other IOI offices are doing, please refer to the IOI website.
Ocean governance is high on the global agenda, with increasing recognition of the vital role of the ocean in life, including climate regulation, biodiversity, food security, and economic development. The International Ocean Institute—Southern Africa (IOI-SA) is one of the operational centres within the global International Ocean Institute (IOI) network, dedicated to ocean governance and sustainability.
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