The Monitor is the West Philippine Sea Institute’s flagship publication offering informed coverage and critical perspectives on current events across the West Philippine Sea region. Blending news reporting, analysis, and editorial commentary, it provides readers with a balanced and contextual understanding of maritime developments, diplomatic initiatives, environmental issues, and regional security dynamics. Each edition features contributions from scholars, journalists, and policy practitioners who bring depth, evidence, and nuance to complex maritime affairs. Whether highlighting new research, unpacking policy decisions, or amplifying local and regional voices, The Monitor serves as a trusted platform for thoughtful dialogue and reflection—connecting fact-based reporting with a commitment to peace, the rule of law, and sustainable ocean governance.
The Journal of Seas and Oceans is the West Philippine Sea Institute’s peer-reviewed, double-blind academic journal dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary scholarship on the world’s oceans and seas. It publishes original research, theoretical analyses, and policy studies that explore the legal, scientific, environmental, social, and economic dimensions of maritime affairs. The journal welcomes contributions from international scholars, practitioners, and institutions engaged in ocean governance, marine science, sustainable development, and conflict resolution. Upholding rigorous academic standards and editorial integrity, the Journal of Seas and Oceans aims to foster evidence-based dialogue and cross-sector collaboration toward a more just, peaceful, and sustainable maritime future.
Fee-free Courses
We have curated fee-free courses with certificates from reputable training organizations. Access them below:
This course, from the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements, introduces learners to the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement). It provides a concise yet comprehensive overview of the treaty’s origins, legal framework, and key components, including marine genetic resources, area-based management tools, environmental impact assessments, and capacity-building and technology transfer. Designed for policymakers, researchers, students, and practitioners, the self-paced online course explains why areas beyond national jurisdiction matter for global biodiversity and governance, helping participants understand how the BBNJ Agreement contributes to international cooperation, ocean conservation, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
This course, from the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements, is a self-paced online module designed to introduce learners to the global and regional legal agreements, principles and trends governing freshwater resources. The course explains how evolving environmental protection obligations and the principle of sustainable development have driven a shift toward integrated management of freshwater — addressing both quantity and quality — and surveys the key legal instruments and national legislative responses.
This course from the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements introduces learners to the key international legal regimes addressing marine pollution, including both legally binding and non-binding agreements at global and regional levels. It explains the various sources of marine pollution (such as land-based, vessel, offshore activities, dumping) and presents the main conventions and initiatives that regulate these threats. The self-paced, multilingual online module is designed for policymakers, practitioners, and students who seek to understand how marine pollution is governed under the rule of law and how this links to ocean sustainability and the goals of the United Nations.
This course fromthe United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements is a self-paced multilingual online module that introduces learners to the international legal instruments—both binding and non-binding—governing marine biodiversity at global and regional levels. It offers an overview of how human activities impact marine biodiversity, and enables participants to identify key legal agreements and initiatives addressing the conservation and sustainable use of that biodiversity.
This course from the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements introduces learners to the history, mandate and evolving role of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Founded in 1946, the IWC has grown from a regulatory body for commercial whaling to a much broader forum addressing whale conservation, by-catch and entanglement, vessel strikes, ocean noise, marine pollution and sustainable whale-watching.