Namibia is hosting 17 scientists and technicians from 12 different African countries who are undertaking the practical sessions of a blended training course in methods in quality control, processing, interpretation, and reporting of ocean monitoring data from the R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen surveys, which will support such methods harmonisation and standardization among the EAF-Nansen Programme partner countries.
This course is being organized by the EAF-Nansen Programme of FAO in collaboration with the UNESCO-IOC Sub Commission for Africa and the Adjacent Island States, UNESCO-IOC Project Office for IODE, and the OceanTeacher Global Academy, and it is is setting a corner stone for leveraging regional cooperation in the generation of knowedge products in observational oceanography to support fisheries science and management across Africa.
Finally, this joint initiative aims to address existing gaps and challenges identified in the Ocean Decade Roadmap for Africa in relation to ocean training, research capacities, and equitable access to data, information, knowledge and technology by promoting transformative partnerships for the sustainable development of oceans around Africa.
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About IODE:
The programme “International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange” (IODE) of the “Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission” (IOC) of UNESCO was established in 1961. Its purpose is to enhance marine research, exploitation and development, by facilitating the exchange of oceanographic data and information between participating Member States, and by meeting the needs of users for data and information products.
About the Ocean Decade:
Proclaimed in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) (‘the Ocean Decade’) seeks to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation to reverse the decline of the state of the ocean system and catalyse new opportunities for sustainable development of this massive marine ecosystem. The vision of the Ocean Decade is ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’. The Ocean Decade provides a convening framework for scientists and stakeholders from diverse sectors to develop the scientific knowledge and the partnerships needed to accelerate and harness advances in ocean science to achieve a better understanding of the ocean system, and deliver science-based solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The UN General Assembly mandated UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) to coordinate the preparations and implementation of the Decade.