On July 17, on the sidelines of the 2026 Global Conference for the United Nations Decade of Science for Sustainable Development, SIO officially signed a potential project cooperation agreement with UNESCO.
Abou Amani, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences of UNESCO, was present and signed the agreement. UNESCO recognized that SIO boasts solid professional strengths in marine scientific research and capacity-building, and can contribute to the implementation of UNESCO’s Strategy for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) over the period of 2023-2029. Leveraging its international platform, UNESCO will facilitate the delivery of projects led by SIO and advance in-depth cooperation in fields including marine science and biodiversity conservation. Under the agreement, the two sides will establish a long-term cooperation covering ecological governance, marine scientific innovation, ocean-health security, international talent development and capacity-building for SIDS.
SIO has been intensifying its engagement with international organizations including UNESCO and taking an active part in global ocean governance and science-technology cooperation for a long time. In 2025, the PROS-Eco programme (Promoting Research on Ocean Sustainability: Predictive Ecosystems Resilience), led by SIO, was endorsed under the UNESCO Science Decade, serving as an important component of global science-driven actions for sustainable development.
Following the signing of this agreement, SIO will leverage the PROS-Eco programme to actively participate in UNESCO-led initiatives including IslandWatch and the development of Centres of Excellence for Marine Science and Biodiversity in Portuguese-speaking SIDS. It will share marine knowledge, deliver capacity-building training tailored for SIDS, and implement demonstration projects on island ecological governance. These efforts will further deepen marine science and technology cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries and other SIDS, help enhance their resilience to climate change and marine-related disasters, and advance blue economy and sustainable development.