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Training at IOI-Canada

Training is a key activity of the IOI global network. The Institute's flagship interdisciplinary training programme has been conducted at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia each summer since being initiated by Elisabeth Mann Borgese in 1981. Covid-19 led to the postponement of the 2020 course and the introduction of online training instead, but we look forward to rescheduling it when circumstances permit.

ONLINE COURSE
AN OCEAN IN CRISIS: KEY GOVERNANCE ISSUES
14th April - 29th May 2025
This free interdisciplinary training programme explores critical aspects of ocean governance in the context of the upcoming UN Ocean Conference (UNOC 2025) to be held in France in June. Through a mix of webinar-style lectures, discussions, readings, videos and assignments, the four modules examine key challenges and opportunities in: Law of the Sea and Ocean Governance; Ocean Threats and Solutions; Fisheries, Aquaculture and Food Security; and Human Security and the Ocean.

Applicants chose between live participation (with limited availability due to capped class size) and self-paced study. Both involve a time commitment of 21 hours of lectures, as well as required preparatory materials for each session and two assignments. The 14 live sessions each run for 90 minutes and are held twice a week from 14th April to 29th May -- see link to schedule below.

This training is aimed primarily at marine professionals around the world with responsibility for some aspect of coastal and ocean management. Participants should have strong enough English language proficiency to be able to understand lectures, read preparatory materials and write assignments, plus contribute to discussion if registering for the live sessions. Those completing all the course requirements will be eligible for a certificate.

  • Course announcement
  • Schedule
  • Study options
  • Speakers
  • Participants
  • Preparatory materials: Module 1, Module 2, Module 3 and Module 4 .

    • WORKSHOP ON COASTAL AND OCEAN GOVERNANCE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
    7th - 11th October 2024
    Planned for and with Indigenous Peoples, this free workshop was based on guiding principles of Integrity, Reciprocity, Respect and Interaction. Combining presentations, discussions, field trips and ceremonies, it explored key aspects of coastal and ocean governance through an interdisciplinary approach, with particular attention to Indigenous needs, perspectives and knowledge systems. The group size was capped at 15 to facilitate interaction, and a final certificate was available upon completion of the training.

    This in-person workshop took place in Millbrook, Nova Scotia and was open to Indigenous Peoples from Mi’kma’ki, Wolastoqiyik and Peskotomuhkatik (Maritime Provinces). Accommodation, meals and transportation were covered, as applicable, with funding provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and supplemented by support from IOI Headquarters.

  • Final report
  • Workshop schedule
  • Speakers
  • Workshop announcement

    • See also the video (7 mins) and final report from the first workshop held in 2022, as well as the report of the 2023 one. For more information, contact ioi@dal.ca or 902 494 1977.

    ONLINE COURSE
    OCEAN GOVERNANCE AFTER COP 28: PROBLEMS, PROGRESS & PROSPECTS
    18th March - 23rd May 2024
    Offered for both live participation and self-paced study, this webinar-based course explored key issues in four core areas of ocean governance through lectures, discussions, videos, readings and assignments. See the 2024 Online Ocean Governance Course Report.


    WORKSHOP ON OCEAN GOVERNANCE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
    23rd - 27th October 2023
    Check out the final report of this free, interdisciplinary workshop which was planned with and for Indigenous Peoples and built on the success of our similar event the year before. (For information on that training, see the video (7 mins) and 2022 final report.) Both these interdisciplinary, in-person workshops took place in Halifax and were attended by Indigenous participants from Mi’kma’ki, Wolastoqiyik and Peskotomuhkatik (Maritime Provinces).

    ONLINE COURSE

    OCEAN GOVERNANCE: SDG 14 AND THE UN SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE
    11th April - 1st June 2023
    Offered for both live participation and self-paced study, this webinar-based course explored key issues in three core areas of ocean governance through lectures, discussions, videos, readings and assignments. See the 2023 Online Ocean Governance Course Report.

    WORKSHOP ON OCEAN GOVERNANCE FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
    5th - 9th December 2022
    Planned with and for Indigenous Peoples, this in-person, interdisciplinary workshop took place in Halifax, attended by Indigenous participants from Mi’kma’ki, Wolastoqiyik and Peskotomuhkatik (Maritime Provinces). Check out the workshop video (7 mins) and final report.

    ONLINE COURSE

    OCEAN GOVERNANCE IN THE UN DECADE OF OCEAN SCIENCE:
    KEY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
    11th April - 2nd June 2022
    Offered for both live participation and self-paced study, this webinar-based course explored key issues in three core areas of ocean governance through lectures, discussions, videos and readings. See the 2022 Online Ocean Governance Course Report for more details.

    ALUMNI CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

    ONLINE COURSE ON NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND EMERGING ISSUES IN OCEAN GOVERNANCE
    4th October - 4th November 2021
    Offered jointly by IOI-Canada and IOI-Southern Africa, this course for alumni across the network consisted of three modules delivered over nine live sessions. Through presentations, discussions, readings, videos and interactive tools, participants explored new and emerging issues in UNCLOS and ABNJ; Climate Change and Health of the Ocean; and Small-scale Fisheries. For details, see the Course Report.

    ONLINE COURSE ON OCEAN GOVERNANCE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
    IN THE DECADE OF OCEAN SCIENCE
    7th May - 29th June 2021
    As the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development got underway, this webinar-based course was offered for both live participation and self-paced study. Check out the 2021 Online Ocean Governance Course Report for details.
    ALUMNI REFRESHER COURSE
    OCEAN GOVERNANCE: ISSUES OF IMMEDIATE CONCERN
    16th November-11th December 2020
    This online refresher on Ocean Governance: Issues of Immediate Concern enabled alumni of previous IOI-Canada training programmes to update and extend their knowledge on key issues. It was delivered in a series of nine webinar-style sessions over four weeks. Check out the 2020 Online Alumni Refresher Course Report and Course Readings.
    40th Anniversary Training Programme:
    20th May-17th July 2020

    Given the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, we regret that the 2020 training programme could not take place from 20th May to 17th July as scheduled. Please check back for an update on possible rescheduling and/or future courses.

    The following details continue to be displayed just for reference:

    The two-month programme on Ocean Governance: Policy, Law and Management emphasises the importance of viewing the ocean as a system with varied users and multiple, often competing and conflicting, uses. It also aims to increase awareness of the fact that ocean management requires broad interdisciplinary skills, new institutional and legal infrastructures, and new forms of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisation and cooperation at the local, national and international levels. Training consists of over 200 hours in the classroom, and includes lectures, interactive discussions, field trips, simulations and exercises, individual participant presentations, and an international round table.

  • Course announcement
  • Application form
  • What to Expect
  • Danielle de St Jorre Scholarship for women from SIDS 
  • DFO scholarships for Indigenous peoples in Canada
  • Course video (prepared by intern, Andrew Williamson)

    • Completed application forms for international candidates should generally be submitted by 5th January, although there is some flexiblity so please contact us to discuss this, or if you are interested in the possibility of customised training in either Canada or another country. Dalhousie University graduate students interested in the programme should also contact us to discuss registering for audit, or for credit if the appropriate arrangements are made and an extra assignment completed.

    2019 Training Programme

    2019 field trip: Bay of Fundy

    Download the 2019 COURSE REPORT for an in-depth record of the programme, with full syllabus and details of participants, lecturers and funders. You can also read a one-page summary of the experience of 2019 participant, Kadin Snook, Fisheries Manager for Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation.

    2018 Training Programme


    2018 participants, staff et al. at Round Table

    Download the 2018 COURSE REPORT.

    2017 Training Programme


    2017 Participants at Closing Ceremony

    Download the official 2017 COURSE REPORT. For a more informal summary, see the Closing Ceremony presentation prepared by Mikhail Amsterdam, 2017 course participant from Guyana.

    2016 Training Programme


    2016 class visit to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization

    Download the 2016 COURSE REPORT. For individual feedback on the course, read about the experiences of the participants from Madagascar and Brazil.

    2015 Training Programme

    2015 participants at Bedford Institute of Oceanography

    Download the 2015 COURSE REPORT
    2014 Training Programme

    2014 Round Table: Panel, Participants and Course Director
    Download the 2014 COURSE REPORT

    2013 Training Programme

    2013 class: GIS session (photo credit: D. Theophille)

    Download the 2013 COURSE REPORT
    2012 Training Programme
     
    Closing Ceremony of 2012 Training Programme
    Download the 2012 COURSE REPORT

    2011 Training Programme
     

    2011 field trip: Bay of Fundy lobster boat

    Download the 2011 COURSE REPORT, or for a more informal and humorous take on the course, see the speech by 2011 participant Parinda Ranasinghe, delivered at the Closing Ceremony on behalf of the class.

    2010 Training Programme

     

    Presentation of 30th Anniversary plaque to Mike Butler, Director,
    by participants of the 2010 course

    This course marked the 30th anniversary of the training programme, held at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia each year since 1981. Download the 2010 Course Report (1.2 MB pdf).

    The 2009 Course Report (842 KB pdf) is also available, as is an informal course summary (1.8 MB pdf) from one of the 2009 participants.   Some information on the previous programmes, dating back to the first course in 1981, can be found in the Alumni section of this website.  For further details on any of our past courses, please contact IOI-Canada.
    		   

    Last updated: 16th May 2025