IOC Strategic Plan for Ocean Data and Information Management (2023–2029).

Abstract

The purpose of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO is to promote international cooperation and to coordinate programmes in research, services and capacitybuilding, in order to learn more about the nature and resources of the ocean and coastal areas and to apply that knowledge for the improvement of management, sustainable development, the protection of the marine environment, and the decision-making processes of its Member States. (IOC Statutes, Article 2.1). The IOC strategy for Ocean Data and Information Management has been regularly developed and published in the IOC Manuals and Guides series since 2008. In 2017, the IOC Strategic Plan 2017–2021 provided a vision and concept for delivering an ocean data and information service for the “global ocean commons”. In 2021, the IODE Committee, at its 26th Session, called for the revision of the IOC Strategic Plan for Oceanographic Data and Information Management taking into account important developments within and outside IOC such as the IOC Medium-Term Strategy (2022–2029), and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) as well as the developments in data technology that offers new opportunities.