Korea's first UNESCO ocean training center established at KIOST

Courses to target scientists, policymakers from developing nations

Program to build expertise in marine genetic resources and environmental impact assessment

This image is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
This image is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

South Korea will establish its first international training center dedicated to conserving biodiversity on the high seas. The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, known as KIOST, has been designated as the official host of a UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission training center, taking on the role of building capacity among marine scientists and policymakers from developing countries.

KIOST announced Monday that it has been named the operating body for STC Korea, a specialized training center under the UNESCO IOC — the first South Korean institution to receive such a designation. The IOC granted approval on July 16, and KIOST will run the center for five years beginning in 2027.

STC stands for Specialized Training Center, a category within the IOC's international marine education program known as the Ocean Teacher Global Academy, or OTGA. Only one institution worldwide is designated per thematic area, with operating bodies selected on five-year terms.

KIOST's designated area is capacity building related to the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, commonly known as the BBNJ Agreement. The accord is an international treaty aimed at conserving and sustainably using marine biodiversity in areas outside any nation's jurisdiction, including the high seas. The agreement entered into force in January, making the training of qualified personnel to implement it increasingly important.

STC Korea will begin offering courses in 2027, targeting scientists and policymakers from developing countries and small island states. Key subject areas will include marine genetic resources, environmental impact assessment and marine protected area management.

Instruction will combine online lectures with field training. KIOST also plans to offer hands-on training aboard its deep-sea research vessel Isabu. The institute intends to expand the program by partnering with affiliated institutions in Southeast Asia first, then extending to Africa and Latin America.

"We plan to provide practice- and field-oriented training for the practical implementation of the BBNJ Agreement," said Park Han-san, a researcher at KIOST's Office of External Cooperation, "and through this, we aim to showcase the excellence of South Korea's marine science and technology in the field of marine biodiversity to the world." Park serves as IOC vice chair and coordinator of STC Korea.

Lee Hee-seung, president of KIOST, said it was meaningful to be the first domestic institution to take on an IOC specialized training center and to contribute to developing international talent in the BBNJ field. "We will grow STC Korea into a global hub for international education, drawing on KIOST's research infrastructure and educational experience," Lee said, adding that KIOST would broaden its international cooperation into the education sector through close collaboration with the IOC.

Meanwhile, Lee is scheduled to meet Monday at KIOST's headquarters in Busan with a delegation including Julien Barbière, coordinator of the IOC's UN Decade of Ocean Science, to discuss ways to activate the specialized training center and expand cooperation in marine science and technology.


adastra@heraldcorp.com