Training Programme on Regional Ocean Governance Framework,
Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
and its Related Instruments in the Southeast Asian Seas and the Indian Ocean
Offered in partnership between the IOI (IOI Thailand) and the Marine Resources Conservation Division, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) of the Government of Thailand, the fifth IOI Thailand Ocean Governance Training Programme was successfully completed this July. A total of 19 participants from Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand successfully graduated the programme as the latest cohort of IOI Alumni.
The programme focused on the professional and practical skills and knowledge critical to today’s coastal and ocean management, and practical skills that include conflict resolution and communication, with the theoretical applications underpinned and reinforced with a related one day field visit every week to sites of regional and local relevance.
The training programme, delivered in English, focused on enhancing the capacity of government officials, staff of partner organisations, and other stakeholders, on topics of ocean governance. The curriculum covered topics of international law related to the ocean, and legal frameworks for the blue economy, including relevant regional instruments; emphasis was placed on sustainable use and the balance between competing environmental, social and economic interests in ocean resources. The participants obtained a greater understanding of UNCLOS and its relevant international treaties and conventions, their implementation at different scales of governance (global, regional, national and local), with a focus on the national legal and institutional frameworks on ocean governance, including the participation of local communities, other stakeholders, and the private sector towards new forms of governance for sustainable development.
Antonella Vassallo, Managing Director, IOI, travelled to Thailand to launch the 5th anniversary programme of the training series in Thailand – the first one under the new host agreement with the DMCR. The keynote speech was followed by lectures on the imperatives of ocean governance and concepts of sustainability as well as conflict resolution role play exercises.
Training Course Director, Dr Yves Henocque, was responsible for the oversight and delivery of the programme along with IOI Thailand Director Dr Anuwat Natheewathana and weekly reflections, contributions and feedback from the participants were encouraged as reinforcement of the learning process, strengthening the participants' sense of ownership of the dynamic and articulation of the successive main topics and discussions that were covered by lecturers, managers, and the participants themselves through their own contributions.