WESTPAC-IX will be generously hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea from 9 to 12 May 2012 in Busan, Republic of Korea. The Session will review the implementation and development of the WESTPAC activities since the last session of the Sub-Commission (Bali, Indonesia, 10-13 May 2010), establish new regional programmes, projects and working groups based on common interests, and formulate a new workplan for the Biennium 2012–2013.

Meeting Venue and schedule

The meeting will be held in the Paradise Hotel Busan (1408-5 Joong-dong Haeundae-ku, Busan, Republic of Korea, www.paradisehotel.co.kr) with plenary and break-out sessions conducted on 9-11 May 2012, and one-day field trip organized on 12 May to the International Exposition Yesou Korea 2012 “the Living Ocean and Coast”.

Registration, Invitation letter & Visa Application

All Participants are requested to complete the registration form and send to us as early as possible. For those who may need to apply for the entry visa to Korea in advance, please fill in the registration form, and send this form, preferably no later than 31 March 2012, to our Local Organizing Committee at: westpac@kordi.re.kr, with a copy to Ms. Nachapa Saransuth at: n.saransuth@unesco.org. Once done, the invitation letter will be issued shortly from the local organizing committee for your visa application.

Hotel Reservations

In addition to the Paradise Hotel, the other two hotels, together with their types of rooms and associated discounted rates, are also recommended for your choice. We would like to advise you to book your accommodation and have it confirmed as soon as possible. Please complete the hotel reservation forms, and send it to the selected hotel with a copy to Secretariat of IOC/WESTPAC Local Organizing Committee at: westpac@kordi.re.kr preferably by 31 March 2012.

Field Trip to the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea

With full consideration of the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea with the main theme of “the Living Ocean and Coast”, one full day field trip program has been arranged on 12 May 2012 in order for participants who have been working on oceans, to keep updated with the achievements of and future models for the promotion of the state-of-the-art marine science, technology and marine industries. The transportation between Busan and Yeosu will be kindly provided by our local host, and the admission ticket will be borne by participant him/herself at the rate of 40 USD each. To help our local host pre-book the ticket, you are requested to indicate your confirmation in the registration form for the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, and make sure the completed form will be sent, no later than 31 March 2012, to the Local Organizing Committee at westpac@kordi.re.kr with a copy to Ms. Nachapa Saransuth at: n.saransuth@unesco.org. For those confirming their participation into this program, please give 40 USD in cash to the Secretariat upon registration. 

Working Documents

All documents related to the WESTPAC-IX will be available here. We would request you to pay close attention to any document update on this website.

For more information on services available, please download the documents at the links below.

# Information on Services Available

# Second Announcement for the Ninth Intergovernmental Session of the IOC Sub Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC-IX)