Philippines gets third term on IOC-UNESCO executive council

MANILA, Philippines— For the third consecutive term, Philippines has a seat on the Executive Council of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said Philippines got the Executive Council seat for the period of 2019 to 2021 by acclamation. Election by acclamation means voting did not involve ballots. 

The elections was held at the 30th session of the IOC Assembly at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.

"As a maritime and archipelagic state located at the center of the world’s marine biodiversity, the Philippines shall continue to contribute to the commission’s unique role in fostering international cooperation in ocean science and in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, particularly Goal 14 on Life Below Water," the DFA said.

The Philippines joins 39 other members on the IOC Executive Council.

IOC, a body with functional autonomy within UNESCO, was established in 1960.

It is “the competent organization for marine science within the UN system.”

The IOC is mandated “to promote international cooperation and to coordinate programs in research, services and capacity-building, 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.”

The commission first met in Paris in October 1961. —Rosette Adel