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IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC)

Advancing knowledge and cooperation for a healthy ocean and prosperous society

Expanded WESTPAC Advisory Group Strategic Consultative Meeting 2026

Penang, Malaysia, 28-30 January 2026

The IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) will convene its expanded Advisory Group (AG) Strategic Consultative Meeting 2026 in person from 28 to 30 January 2026 in Penang, Malaysia, kindly hosted by the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS), Universiti Sains Malaysia.
The meeting will bring together WESTPAC AG members, invited experts, and government officials from IOC Member States in the region to review recent developments within IOC and the broader international ocean governance landscape, and to hold strategic discussions on priorities for the coming period. Key themes will include advancing marine science and regional cooperation, sustainable ocean planning and management, capacity development, and ocean literacy, in response to the evolving needs and expectations of Member States.
In addition, the meeting will address detailed preparations for the 12th WESTPAC International Marine Science Conference and the 3rd Ocean Decade Regional Conference, scheduled for April 2027 and to be hosted by the Government of the Philippines, through its Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines (UNACOM). Discussions will focus on the current status of preparations and on related technical and administrative arrangements, with a view to ensuring timely coordination and effective delivery of this flagship regional event.

0900-1730, Wednesday 28 January 2026, Gurney Bay Hotel

1Opening and greetings
2Adoption of agenda
3IOC’s recent movement since the 33rd Session of the IOC Assembly (June 2025, Paris, France)
 3.1IOC Results Framework, and Implementation Plan for the IOC Medium Term Strategy (2022-2029)
 3.2IOC Open-ended Intersessional Financial Advisory Group (IFAG) and the IOC Biennium Program and Budget 2026-2027
 3.3IOC WGs on BBNJ, Capacity Development, and Ocean Literacy
 3.4IODE and GOOS reform
 3.5Draft IOC Communication Strategy
4UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)
 4.1UNESCO Mid-term Evaluation on the UN Ocean Decade
 4.2Brief review on the WESTPAC led UN Decade Actions
  4.2.1UN-21: Accelerate Marine Spatial Planning in the Western Pacific and its Adjacent Areas
  4.2.2UN-22: Stem the tide of Asia’s riverine plastic emission into the ocean
  4.2.3UN-23: Accelerating transformations in capacity development in the Western Pacific – Regional Network of Training and Research Centers (RTRCs) on Marine Science
  4.2.4UN-24: Explore the strongest ocean current in the Western Pacific: the 2nd Cooperative Study of Kuroshio and Adjacent Regions – from its sciences to human well beings
  4.2.5UN-39: Ocean Solutions in the East Asian Seas
  4.2.6UN-42: WESTPAC Triennial International Marine Science Conference (Contribution)
  4.2.7UN-46: Collaborations for the Northwest Pacific Marine Ecosystem Prediction (COSMEC, 2025-2030)

0900-1730, Thursday 29 January 2026, Gurney Bay Hotel

5 Implementation status of the WESTPAC-XV decisions and resource mobilization
5.1 Open-ended Intersessional Task Force on Ocean Literacy
5.2 Open-ended Intersessional Task Force on BBNJ
5.3 Working Group on Seagrass Research, Conservation, and Restoration (2025-2028)
5.4 Working Group on Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration with an initial focus on mangrove (2025-2028)
5.5 Project: Methane Fluxes and their Impacts on Climate and Ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific Region (2025-2029)
5.6 Resource mobilization (UNESCO/JFIT Ocean Literacy for Journalists, eCORE-SEAS)
6 Preparations toward the 12th WESTPAC International Marine Science Conference & 3rd UN Ocean Decade Regional Conference (20-23 April 2027, Manila, the Philippines)
6.1 Brief on recommendations from the last Conference (22-25 April 2024, Bangkok)
6.2 Brief on the preparation of the Ocean Decade Global Conference 2027 (7-9 April 2025, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
6.3 Preparations of the 12th WESTPAC International Marine Science Conference & 3rd UN Ocean Decade Regional Conference (20-23 April 2027, Manila, the Philippines)

1000-1730, Friday 30 January 2026, Gurney Bay Hotel

7 Rescheduling of the 16th Intergovernmental Session of the Sub-Commission from April 2027 to Oct-November 2026
7.1 Tentative agenda
7.2 Preparations of the Biennial Program and Budget (2028-2029)
8 Brief review of other programmes, projects, and WGs than UN Ocean Decade Actions
9 Brainstorming on what we shall further develop
10 Date and Venue for the next Intergovernmental Session (Oct-Nov 2026)
11 Date and Venue for the next Advisory Group meeting
12 Closure