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UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission under new leadership
Mr Helgesen brings to UNESCO a rich professional experience, having served in a variety of senior governmental and private sector positions, including as Minister of Climate and the Environment of Norway and Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation. As Norway’s Special Representative for the Ocean he initiated and led the work of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy.
Prior to his appointment, Mr Helgesen had already been actively contributing to the work of the IOC as co-Chairperson of the advisory board of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030. Leading the IOC Secretariat as Executive Secretary and Assistant Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Helgesen will steer the Ocean Decade through the coming years.
On his first day of office, Mr Helgesen organised a meet and greet with the IOCSecretariat staff, and will meet individually with the various teams to familiarise himself with the ongoing activities, and co-design a strategy for the coming year.
“At a moment when the ocean has never been so high on the global agenda, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO has a unique mandate that combines an iron-clad commitment to improving our knowledge of the ocean with a vision for a sustainably managed ocean and an ocean literate society,” he pointed out. “This is tightly linked with the vision of the Ocean Decade, and with my own vision as well, which is why I am very excited to lead the IOC Secretariat at such a crucial moment in the history of the Commission.”
Among his upcoming flagship events are the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference (10-12 April, Barcelona, Spain), and the 2025 UN Ocean Conference (9-13 June, Nice, France).
Mr Helgesen was preceded in office by Dr Vladimir Ryabinin (Russian Federation), who led the IOC/UNESCO Secretariat during the period 2015-2024.
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About the IOC/UNESCO:
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts and marine resources. The IOC enables its 150 Member States to work together by coordinating programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science and tsunami warning. The work of the IOC contributes to the mission of UNESCO to promote the advancement of science and its applications to develop knowledge and capacity, key to economic and social progress, the basis of peace and sustainable development.
About the Ocean Decade 2021-2030:
Proclaimed in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) (‘the Ocean Decade’) seeks to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation to reverse the decline of the state of the ocean system and catalyse new opportunities for sustainable development of this massive marine ecosystem. The vision of the Ocean Decade is ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’. The Ocean Decade provides a convening framework for scientists and stakeholders from diverse sectors to develop the scientific knowledge and the partnerships needed to accelerate and harness advances in ocean science to achieve a better understanding of the ocean system, and deliver science-based solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The UN General Assembly mandated UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) to coordinate the preparations and implementation of the Decade.
