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IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC)

Advancing knowledge and cooperation for a healthy ocean and prosperous society

Fifteenth Intergovernmental Session of the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC-XV)

Tokyo, Japan, 11-13 March 2025

The Fifteenth Intergovernmental Session of the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC-XV) will be held from 11-13 March 2025, in Tokyo, Japan, generously hosted by the Government of Japan through its Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). This statutory meeting will gather national competent governmental agencies for ocean, marine science communities, and ocean stakeholders in the region to strengthen the interface between ocean science and policy, foster ocean science cooperation, and enhance technical and institutional capacities across the region.

The session will feature a review of WESTPAC’s intersessional achievements, an update on international ocean developments such as the UN Ocean Decade (2021-2030) and the BBNJ Agreement, and discussions on the Sub-Commission’s engagement with these global frameworks. The session will include the election of officers and deliberations on the program and budget for 2026-2027, serving as a guide for collaborative projects and funding pursuits by Member States.
Key events include a Senior Governmental Officials (SGO) Roundtable (12 March 2025, 09:00-10:40 am) to assess Ocean Decade progress and identify implementation challenges. The Roundtable will enable Member State decision-makers to exchange practices on leveraging scientific knowledge in policy-making. Additionally, a National Decade Committees (NDCs) Forum is planned as a side event on 12 March 2025 at 16:30-18:30 pm, promoting NDC development and collaboration among Member States.
Further details, including the provisional agenda, reports and information for the session will be shared electronically in advance on the WESTPAC website. WESTPAC-XV will also involve elections for Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons, with nomination details and forms provided in the IOC Circular Letter no. 3009.
Should you have any questions or require any assistance on the logistic arrangements, please feel free to contact Information Desk at info-scwestpac15@convention.co.jp (Phone +81-3-3508-1277) with a copy to n.saransuth@unesco.org

Logistic Information Note (as of 12 February 2025)

 Document NumberBackground Document
1.Opening  
 1.1Welcome Remarks  
 1.2Keynote  
2.Organization of the Session  
 2.1Adoption of the AgendaIOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/2.1 prov 
   IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/2.1 annotated prov 
 2.2Conduct of the SessionIOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/2.1 prov timetable 
3.Statutory Reports  
 3.1Statement of the ChairpersonIOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/3.1 
 3.2Report by the Head of WESTPAC Office on Intersessional Programme Development and Implementation, including the Operation of the WESTPAC Office and Decade Coordination OfficeIOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/3.2 
 3.3Recent Developments within UNESCO, IOC, and Their Relevance to WESTPAC  
  3.3.1IOC Executive Secretary’s Report  
  3.3.2IOC and the Future of OceanIOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/3.3.2, also IOC/EC-57/3.1.Doc(4)IOC Medium-Term Strategy 2022-2029
IOC/INF-1412
     Action Plan in Response to the IOS Evaluation of the IOC’s Strategic Positioning – Update on Implementation
IOC/EC-57/52.Doc(1)
     UNESCO’s Internal Oversight Service published The Evaluation of the Strategic Positioning of IOC-UNESCO (Sep 2021)
IOS/EVS/PI/197
  3.3.3IOC-wide Strategy on Sustainable Ocean Planning and ManagementIOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/3.3.3, also IOC/EC-57/4.3.Doc(1) Rev 
4.Strategic Development  
 4.1The Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement)BBNJ and Potential Effort of the Sub-Commission
IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/4.1		 
 4.2The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)Effort in KMGBF and a Future Perspective
IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/4.2		 
 4.3The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)  
  4.3.1UN Ocean Decade Global Development Ocean Decade progress report July 2023 – June 2024
  4.3.2WESTPAC-led Decade Actions and Decade Coordination Office  
   
  • Decade Coordination in the Region
  
   
  • UN21: Accelerate Marine Spatial Planning in the Western Pacific and its Adjacent Areas, including the MSP Regional Action Framework (2025-2030)

IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/4.3.2-UN21

Action Framework for Accelerating Marine Spatial Planning
in the Western Pacific and its Adjacent Areas (2025-2030)

 
   
  • UN22: Stem the Tide of Asia’s Riverine Plastic Emission into the Ocean
IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/4.3.2-UN22 
   
  • UN23: Accelerating Transformations in Capacity Development in the Western Pacific – Regional Network of Training and Research Centers (RTRCs) on Marine Science
IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/4.3.2-UN23 
   
  • Regional Training and Research Centre on Ocean Dynamics and Climate (RTRC-ODC)
  
   
  • Regional Training and Research Centre on Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health (RTRC-MarBEST)
  
   
  • Regional Training and Research Centre on Marine Plastic Debris and Microplastics
  
   
  • Regional Training and Research Centre on Reef Management and Restoration
  
   
  • Regional Training and Research Centre on Marine Toxins and Seafood Safety
  
   
  • Regional Training and Research Centre on Coastal Contaminant Monitoring and Marine Innovation Technology
  
   
  • UN 24: Explore the Strongest Ocean Current in the Western Pacific: the 2nd Cooperative Study of Kuroshio and Adjacent Regions
IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/4.3.2-UN24 
   
  • UN 39: Ocean Solutions in the East Asian Seas
  
   
  • The 2nd UN Ocean Decade Regional Conference & 11th WESTPAC International Marine Science Conference (22-25 April 2024, Bangkok, Thailand
Main Results of the 2nd UN Ocean Decade Regional Conference & 11th WESTPAC International Marine Science Conference (22- 25 April 2024, Bangkok)
IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/4.3.2-11th IMSC		 
   
  • Toward the 3rd UN Ocean Decade Regional Conference & 12th WESTPAC International Marine Science Conference (2027, the Philippines)
  
  4.3.3Engagement with other Decade Actions, such as CoastPredict  
 4.4Senior Governmental Officials Roundtable (SGOs Roundtable)
09:00-10:40, 12 March 2025		SGOs Roundtable Concept Note
IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/4.4		 
5.Review and Evaluation of Regional Programmes, Projects and Working Groups for April 2023 – March 2025  
 5.1Ocean-Based Solutions to Climate Change (Mitigation, Adaptation, and Resilience)Consolidation of current efforts in ocean-based solutions to climate change
IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/5.1		 
  5.1.1North East Asian Regional-GOOS  
  5.1.2South East Asian Regional-GOOS  
  5.1.3Air-Sea Interaction in the Kuroshio Extension and its Climate Impact  
  5.1.4South China Sea Fluvial Sediments and Environmental Chan  
  5.1.5Upwelling studies through ocean data integration towards sustaining ocean health and productivity  
  5.1.6Changing Asian Marginal Seas and their Response to Climate Change  
 5.2Marine Biodiversity Conservation, Ocean Ecosystems and Human Health, and Blue EconomyConsolidation of current efforts in marine biodiversity conservation, ocean ecosystem and blue economy
IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/5.2		 
  5.2.1Coral Reef Restoration  
  5.2.2Coral Reef under Climate and Anthropogenic perturbations  
  5.2.3DNA Taxonomy and Recruitment Monitoring of the Coral Reef Marine Organisms  
  5.2.4Marine Toxins and Seafood Safety  
  5.2.5Harmful Algal Blooms  
  5.2.6Ocean Remote Sensing for Coastal Habitat Mapping  
  5.2.7Harmful Jellyfish Research Network  
  5.2.8Marine Microplastic Research and Monitoring  
Side Event: National Decade Committees Forum
16:30-18:30, 12 March 2025		NDC Concept Note and programme (04/02/2025) 
 5.3Ocean Literacy and Capacity Development  
 5.4Knowledge for Emerging Issues/Demands of Member States  
  5.4.1WG on Ocean Oxygen Network (WESTPAC O2NE)   
  5.4.2WG on Gas Hydrates and Methane Fluxes in the Indo-Pacific  
  5.4.3WG on Rapid Detection Technology for Harmful Algal Blooms   
  5.4.4WG on Integrated Investigation in the Indo-Pacific Convergent Center: Marine Ecosystem and Biodiversity  
  5.4.5Small Island Research and Development (SIRaD)  
  5.4.6WG on Blue Carbon Actions in the Western Pacific  
  5.4.7WG on Advancing Marine Citizen Science: Act Local to Go Regional  
  5.4.8WG on Traditional and Local Knowledge  
6.Recommendation of the WESTPAC Advisory Group on the Programme/Project/Working Group Termination, and Improvement of Implementation  
7.Establishment of New Programme/Project/Working Group  
 7.1 IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/7.1 
 7.2Working Group on Blue Carbon Ecosystem Restoration with an initial focus on MangrovesIOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/7.2 
 7.3 IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/7.3 
 7.4Methane Fluxes and their Impact on Climate and Ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific Region (2025-2028)IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/7.4 
8.WESTPAC Workplan and Budget for the Period 2026-2027IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/8 
9.Elections Election Procedures & Nomination Forms
IOC/SC-WESTPAC-XV/inf3
10.Date and Place of the Next Session  
11.Other Matters  
12.Adoption of Decisions and Recommendations  
13.Closure  

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