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On invitation of the Bahamian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IHO Director Luigi Sinapi paid a High Level Visit to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas from 15 to 19 April. The Visit was aimed at resuming discussions on the Bahamas’ potential membership to the International Hydrographic Organization and on the progress made in the maritime sector of The Bahamas, to further strengthening the national capacity in the area of hydrography and improving the current Bahamian Maritime National Policy.

The IHO and the OECD are co-hosting a satellite event during the UN Ocean Decade conference in Barcelona. Entitled "The Seabed Data We Need for the Ocean We Want," this session aims to look at the importance of advancing our understanding of the ocean and fostering increased investment in related activities.

Like other disciplines within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), hydrography exhibits a gender imbalance, particularly in advanced career stages. Currently, just over 10% of the 99 Member States of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) have a female National Hydrographer. And while women represent roughly half the population, only 24.8% of them occupy leadership positions with national hydrographic offices. In today’s competitive world, organizations need qualified employees to help them achieve their objectives. By not tapping into half of the available talent pool, they could be missing out.  

Acknowledging this disparity, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the Canadian Hydrographic Service collaboratively initiated a Canadian-funded, groundbreaking three-year project titled "Empowering Women in Hydrography," aimed at fostering gender equality in the field.

The Republic of Cabo Verde, an archipelago located 500km off the west coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean, has taken a stride towards improving its hydrographic capacity by becoming the 99th Member State of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). This strategic move positions Cabo Verde at the centre of international cooperation in the area of ocean affairs, unlocking a myriad of benefits for the nation and its rich marine environment.

In line with its mandate to plan, administer, and implement Capacity-Building activities, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) conducted a high-level technical visit to the Dominican Republic from 23 – 24 November. The primary focus was to discuss the important role of Hydrographic Services at national, regional, and international levels, emphasizing their contribution to the sustainable development of national economies, and applying to how they pertain to the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Dominican Republic.

With this year seeing a new record number of proposals to name undersea features, members of the GEBCO Sub Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN) discussed ways to deal with increasingly large numbers of proposals but also how to safeguard data on features in disputed areas.

Representatives of IHO Member States discussed the future of digital data services and other priorities during the meeting of the new IHO Council. Taking place at the Secretariat in Monaco, the 30 countries sitting on Council met for the 1st time with the goal of coordinating the implementation of activities voted on during Assembly in May. The biggest topic of discussion was progress and next steps in the implementation of the Universal Digital Data Model, known as the S-100 framework.

Following the elections during the 3^rd session of the IHO Assembly, Dr. John Nyberg has formally taken up his role as IHO Director at the Secretariat in Monaco.

In order to get to know him better, we asked him questions about his background and aspirations for his tenure at the IHO Secretariat.

As part of its mission to “participate actively in international initiatives related to the knowledge of the sustainable use of the ocean,” the IHO participated in the 32^nd Session of the IOC UNESCO Assembly held in Paris, France from 21-30 June 2023. In addition to engaging in plenary discussions in its role as an Observer, the IHO joined IOC UNESCO in celebrating the 120^th anniversary of their joint project, the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO).