The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will work jointly to improve the amount and quality of data available on ocean biodiversity.
The organizations have signed a letter of agreement recognizing the IOC as a GIBF affiliate.
13 October 2014: The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will work jointly to improve the amount and quality of data available on ocean biodiversity. The organizations have signed a letter of agreement recognizing the IOC as a GIBF affiliate.
The two institutions agreed to collaborate to maximize the quantity, quality and completeness of marine biodiversity data accessible through IOC-UNESCO’s International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange/Ocean Biogeographic Information System (IODE/OBIS). They also agreed to coordinate approaches to global biodiversity science and policy institutions such as the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
On the collaborative agreement, GBIF’s Executive Secretary Donald Hobern said that, “OBIS has made a major contribution to the mobilization of marine biodiversity data.” Wendy Watson-Wright, IOC-UNESCO Executive Secretary and Assistant Director General, UNESCO, emphasized the timeliness of the collaboration for generating marine biodiversity data and making it accessible. [UNESCO Press Release] [GBIF Press Release]