Wednesday April 9, 2025
UNESCO —
With less than 90 days until the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), the largest global gathering ever dedicated to the ocean, nations across the Western Pacific committed to fostering cooperation in ocean science, strengthening the science-policy interface, and advancing sustainable resource management to restore ocean health and productivity.
These commitments came at the Fifteenth Intergovernmental Session of UNESCO’s IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC), convened in Tokyo from 11 to 13 March 2025 and hosted by the Government of Japan through its Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
The event culminated in the Tokyo Statement, a declaration underscoring members’ dedication to science-based ocean stewardship, the adoption of a new Regional Action Framework to accelerate marine spatial planning through 2030, the establishment of a task force to support the implementation of a landmark biodiversity treaty for international waters and the international seabed, and four new science initiatives to respond to emerging ocean challenges in the region.