The International seminar “Océanos, Sustentabilidad y Medioambiente” (Oceans, Sustainability and the Environment) took place at the Universidad Autónoma de Chile, in Santiago, Chile. This event was organised by the Dr Andrea Lucas and Dr Patricio Masbernat from the Instituto de Investigación en Derecho (Institute for Legal Research) of the Universidad Autónoma, as well as Dr Nicolás Ojeda, IOI Focal Point in Chile, in order to provide important insights on the challenges and progress made regarding Ocean Governance at several levels (international, regional, and national). Some of the speakers present at the Seminar were Ambassador Maria Teresa Infante, Member of the ITLOS; Dr Pablo Fernández Sánchez, President of the Instituto Hispano-Luso Americano-Filipino de Derecho Internacional; Vanesa Pohl and Gloria Ramos-Fuentes, from the Chilean ministry of Foreign Relations; and Margarita Ducci, from the Chilean chapter of the UN Global Compact, among

others. The IOI was present though the opening remarks made by Antonella Vassallo, Managing Director of the IOI, and a panel presentation about the Precautionary Principle in Ocean Governance made by Dr Ojeda. In addition, Dr Silvia Rojas Herrera and María José Guevara, from the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, were able to take part in this event thanks to the support of IOI Costa Rica, with a very interesting presentation about Blue Economy in Costa Rica.

The event was open for students, academics, professionals, and the general public, and provided an important venue to learn about developments and international experiences. Based on the success of the first Seminar, more events of this kind are planned within Chile as well as further collaborations.

“Today’s event, co organised with partners at the Facultad de Derecho Universidad Autónoma de Chile, serves to strengthen the IOI’s core mission of capacity development in ocean governance and complements other IOI opportunities held annually in Canada, China, Malta, South Africa, Thailand, Latin America, and Turkmenistan, and the Postgraduate Master of Arts degree in Ocean Governance. Together we aim to create knowledgeable leaders and practitioners in Ocean Governance and to assist in the uptake of that necessary knowledge and understanding required to achieve equitable and sustainable development while focussing on protecting our Ocean, and our future……….I note with pleasure that today’s Seminar features an impressive roster of experts to discuss the issues and challenges facing all of us who participate in the development of national, regional and international ocean governance agendas.” 

Antonella Vassallo, Managing Director of the IOI