Governing the Tide: regional policy, coordination, and international frameworks

Ms. Yun Sun is a Programme Specialist with UNESCO-IOC/IOCAFRICA. She has several years of experience working on IOC’s Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Programme, particularly in projects focused on developing early warning systems for HABs.

Eduardo Ortiz Jasso is a Mexican architect and urban planner with 30 years of experience in sustainable tourism, urban development and planning across Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. A graduate of UNAM with a Master’s in Sustainable Urban Management and Design from Universidad Iberoamericana, he was Cancún’s first City Planner as founding Director of its Urban Planning Institute (IMPLAN), where his Plan Cancún 2030 won the 2008 Award of Excellence in Urban Planning at the World Planning Congress. He also founded Quintana Roo’s Strategic Projects Agency (AGEPRO), a Latin American benchmark for public-private partnerships that delivered the Nichupté Bridge and Cancún’s Equity Park, recognised by UN-Habitat. He currently directs the Urban Economy Forum for Ibero-America and the Caribbean, leads his firms Ortiz Jasso Arquitectos and OJ+Partners, and is a member of AIA and ISOCARP, where he served as President in Mexico.

Josette Edward-Charlemagne, a native of Saint Lucia, is a Programme Officer within the Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management Unit (Environmental Sustainability Division) of the OECS Commission. Her responsibilities include coordinating, implementing, and managing community resilience activities within OECS Member States.
Josette holds an MSc in Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management (University of Leicester) and a BSc in Management Studies (University of the West Indies).

Peace Dziedzom Gbeckor-Kove is a Deputy Director at Ghana’s Environmental Protection Authority with over 15 years of experience in Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Environmental Assessment.. She holds an M.Phil. in Environmental Science. Her expertise covers biodiversity conservation, ocean governance, invasive species management, and marine spatial planning. She has contributed to key reports such as the State of Marine Environment Report, State of Environment Report,  marine spatial frameworks and policy outputs; National Invasive Species Strategy and Action Plan,  National Ocean Governance Study in Ghana, Ghana’s Sustainable Ocean Plan. She serves on a number of National Technical Committees, including the MPA Advisory Committee and the WACA Programme in Ghana.

Dr. Winnie N. A. Sowah is a Senior Lecturer with the Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences at the University of Ghana. Her current research interests encompass ecological, genetic, and social impacts of invasive species such as Sargassum, population genetics of fish species, as well as genetic applications to aquaculture development and fisheries, and maritime resource management. She is particularly interested in the links between marine governance, fisheries sustainability, and maritime security in West African coastal systems. Through her work, Dr. Sowah seeks to advance scientific understanding and policy-relevant knowledge that contribute to resilient marine ecosystems and sustainable livelihoods within Ghana and the broader Gulf of Guinea and West African sub-region.