MOF, IMO Join Hands to Train Marine Environment Experts in Developing Countries

- Signing of the Agreement on Capacity Building for Sustainable Oceans through ODA between MOF and IMO

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) announced on Monday, November 11 that it signed the Agreement with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Capacity Building for Sustainable Oceans through the Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Azerbaijan, where the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties is being held.

 According to the Agreement, MOF plans to provide IMO with KRW 10.4 billion over 5 years and focus on systematically fostering excellent marine environment professionals worldwide.

 In particular, MOF plans to expand programs to train professionals related to preventing marine pollution caused by ocean dumping. It will increase the number of students admitted to the master’s program and number of faculty members for the London Protocol Engineering Master (LPEM) program that the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) has been operating since 2018 and diversify the curriculum to enhance the quality of the program. Such efforts are expected to train more master's level experts in marine environment fields such as coastal engineering and marine pollution prevention technology around the world.

 In addition, MOF plans to provide short-term courses such as workshops to enhance Mongolian and Caribbean countries' administrative, technical, and legal capacity related to the marine environment, customized consulting for each country, and marine dumping monitoring technology to secure reference data.

 “As the Republic of Korea aims to become a leading country in maritime affairs and fisheries, we are making efforts to cooperate with the international community in various ways, and cooperation with IMO is part of such effort. We will ensure that this project becomes the center for fostering global marine environment experts in the future,” said Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kang Do-hyung.