While the impact of climate change and anthropogenic factors across the Central African coastal zone is not uniform, a new technical report by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) identifies common challenges and calls for a cooperative approach and unified framework for tackling coastal vulnerability in the region.

Between 12 -14 January 2021 the 2021 Meeting (Pre-committee) of the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) Management Group took place online. 32 participants attended the event and reviewed progress of the IODE-XXV work plan, agreed on the agenda for the upcoming IODE-XXVI Committee meeting in April 2021 (online) and discussed the arrangements for the preparation of the First International Ocean Data Conference (Poland, November 2021).

Funded by the Government of Iceland and run in partnership with UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the Fisheries Training Programme promotes the sustainable use and management of living aquatic resources in less developed countries.

The Second Session of the IOC Group of Experts on Capacity Development (GE-CD) was held online on 26 October 2020. The meeting discussed, among other things, the preliminary results of the Capacity Development Needs Assessment survey, the contribution of IOC to the Capacity Development chapter of the Ocean Decade, and agreed on extending the current CD strategy to 2023.