Turkey reelected to executive council of UNESCO body

ANKARA

Turkey has been reelected as a member of the Executive Council (EC) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) for two years, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The election was held at the UNESCO headquarters on Wednesday, where 118 of 150 Member States cast their votes, the ministry said in a statement.

"Turkey’s re-election to the EC, which consists of 40 members, is the result of her active contribution to the activities of the IOC, as well as a clear indication of her strong position in the field of maritime at international level," the statement said.

Turkey became a member of the EC for the period from 2019 till 2021 from the Group I, it added.

The IOC, established in 1960 as the expert body within UNESCO, promotes international cooperation and the conduct of marine scientific research by the Member States in the fields of ocean and coastal nature, including living and non-living resources.

The IOC is the only competent organization for marine science within the UN system.

Through international cooperation, the IOC upholds the objectives of healthy and sustainable ocean ecosystems, resiliency to climate change, effective early warning systems form marine hazards and enhanced knowledge of emerging ocean science issues.