Eighteen students from Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Iran, Turkmenistan, Russia, Albania, Georgia, Turkey and China are taking part in this year’s edition of the International Ocean Institute’s five-week regional ocean governance course in Malta.
The course deals with contemporary approaches to coastal and ocean management, with an emphasis on the moral, ethical and legal values in ocean governance as outlined in of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and related international instruments and agreements.
It is divided into four main modules: global ocean governance framework; managing our relations with the oceans; conflict management and consensus building; and regional ocean governance frameworks for the Mediterranean, Black, Baltic and Caspian Seas.
Over the past 10 years, the course has trained a total of 163 participants from 35 countries bordering these regional seas as well as from a number of observer countries.
This year’s programme includes two specialised seminars. One deals with the transition to the post-2015 development goals with special reference to Sustainable Development Goal 14 concerning the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources. The other seminar is focused on Arctic Sea issues. The course also includes field trips to Grand Harbour and Marsaxlokk and to the Dwejra marine protected area in Gozo.
Students following a number of other University courses, including the Masters in Ocean Governance and the Masters in Applied Oceanography are also attending some of the course lectures.