Paris, 5 June 2024: Experts and partners of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters (IW) portfolio gathered at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, to resume the workstream on data and information management (DIM). The hybrid workshop, organized by IW:LEARN5 (2022-2026) and held back-to-back to the 23^rd annual consultation meeting on Large Marine Ecosystems (LME23; 3-5 June 2024, Paris, France), built on the results and products of the GEF-funded LME:LEARN (2016-2019) and IW:LEARN4 (2016-2020) projects. It featured presentations from the following partners at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO: the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) and the Ocean InfoHub (OIH) project, the  Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) - Ocean Decade Data Group , and the MSPglobal2.0 project. Other partners, such as the World Bank were also invited to highlight their latest DIM developments of interest to the LME community. The GEF projects present at the workshop provided  insights into  their current practices of DIM. This session included presentations from PROCARIBE+, the Benguela Current Convention (BCC), the MedProgramme and the Circular Solutions to Plastic Pollution Integrated Program (IP). 

The workshop explored ways to improve data management practices across various environmental initiatives, stressing the importance of standardization, interoperability, data accessibility and collaboration. The significance of developing a comprehensive metadata catalogue to facilitate reporting processes and the use of common indicators to measure impact and contribution towards the achievements of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were highlighted. The recent advances in technology, such as satellite imagery, drones, and artificial intelligence (AI), have the potential to fill gaps in data collection and analysis. The development of new tools, including forecast models and AI applications for monitoring environmental data, could significantly enhance decision-making processes, according to the participants. The discussions also stressed the linkages with national agencies responsible for data management, making sure that data and knowledge management is not project-based but institutionalized to safeguard continued relevance and sustainability.

One of the key conclusions of the workshop was the re-establishment of the DIM working group. The working group will help advance on issues related to metadata, data visualization, legal aspects of data and information sharing, and define steps towards the harmonization of data, indicators and assessments.