HYDERABAD, DECEMBER 15, 2025: Mr Vishal V Sharma, Ambassador & Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO at Paris, visited INCOIS (Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences at Hyderabad, on Monday.
Ambassador Sharma inspected INCOIS’ SynOps Lab (Synergistic Ocean Observation and Prediction System), which provides Tsunami Early Warning ocean forecast to India along with all Indian Ocean and Pacific Island countries. Ambassador Sharma addressed the officers, and an overall presentation was made discussing the expansion of INCOIS and its activities.
INCOIS is the nodal agency to provide Tsunami early warning & preparedness for disaster risk reduction and is the regional Tsunami service provider & International training centre to UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). UNESCO’s IOC is the only UN body with a specific mandate for ocean science. It was established in 1960 to promote international cooperation in oceanography and to translate ocean science into services that protect lives, livelihoods, and the marine environment.
Ambassador Sharma was instrumental in coordinating last month the visit to INCOIS of Mr. Vidar Helgesen, IOC head at UNESCO and former Foreign Minister of Norway, as India seeks to expand its role in the Ocean science sector.
India is the IOC-INDIO Vice-Chair. Ambassador Sharma also supported the idea of having a dedicated space satellite for the INDIO region countries, specifically for Ocean observation science, and to train more youngsters in the field of Ocean science.
Also present from INCOIS were Balakrishnan Nair, Director, Pattabhi Ramarao, Chair, IOC-IOTMMS, Sudhir Joseph, Group Director.
