The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme has formed new ties with the Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.
KIOST is an ocean research organisation affiliated with the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs of Korea and is committed to preserving an abundant and clean ocean through research and application.
This new partnership will benefit the Pacific through focused research on key issues such as marine pollution, biodiversity and ocean acidification.
"The partnership will bring KIOSTs vast scientific expertise to the Pacific region. This scientific understanding is vital for effective management by the Pacific Islands of their Large Ocean States," said Philip Wiles, the Pacific Islands Global Ocean Observing System Officer at SPREP.
SPREP coordinates the Pacific Island component of the Global Ocean Observing System which provides open-ocean and coastal information for climate forecasting and sustainable ocean management.