Member States

In accordance with the statutes of IOC, membership is open to any member state of the organizations of the United Nations system.

This directory provides a listing of contact information for the national Coordinating bodies for liaison with the IOC and the national focal points officially designated in IOC Member States.

A National Coordinating Body for Liaison with the IOC is governmental by nature. It constitutes the main level of communication between the national government authorities and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO regarding IOC matters. This body will typically liaise with the National Commission for UNESCO in relation to UNESCO policies and procedures concerning IOC matters.

IOC Circular Letter 2634 dated 29 August 2016 provides additional information on the designation of the National Coordinating Body for Liaison with the Commission. Official designations should be submitted to the Executive Secretary of the Commission through the nomination form contained in the circular letter.

Updates to this document

Member States should send updates to this document by official correspondence to the IOC Executive Secretary. Systematic review and inquiry for updates to this document will also be carried out at least once every biennium.

Membership of IOC

In accordance with the statutes of IOC, Membership is open to any Member State of any of the organizations of the United Nations system. States covered by the terms of the above shall acquire membership of the Commission by notifying the Director-General of UNESCO. Further details about membership and responsibilities of Member States can be found in the IOC Statutes.

  1. Algeria
  2. Angola
  3. Benin
  4. Cabo Verde
  5. Cameroon
  6. Comoros
  7. Congo
  8. Côte d'Ivoire
  9. Dem. Rep. of the Congo
  10. Djibouti
  11. Egypt
  12. Equatorial Guinea
  13. Eritrea
  14. Ethiopia
  15. Gabon
  16. Gambia
  17. Ghana
  18. Guinea
  19. Guinea Bissau
  20. Kenya
  21. Liberia
  22. Libya
  23. Madagascar
  24. Mauritania
  25. Mauritius
  26. Morocco
  27. Mozambique
  28. Namibia
  29. Nigeria
  30. Senegal
  31. Seychelles
  32. Sierra Leone
  33. Somalia
  34. South Africa
  35. Sudan
  36. Togo
  37. Tunisia
  38. United Republic of Tanzania

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