The Secretariat established by the Signatory States to service the Memorandum of Understanding, is situated in Bangkok, Thailand, at the following address:

IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU Secretariat
c/o UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
2nd Floor, United Nations Building, 
Rajdamnern Nok Avenue
Bangkok 10200, Thailand

Tel: +(662) 288 1471; Fax: +(662) 280 3829 or +(662) 288 1029
E-mail: iosea@un.org

As can be seen from the address, the Secretariat is co-located with the UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP/ROAP), which provides office space and administrative support, as an in-kind contribution to the MoU. 

Excellent conference facilities are available on-site through the principal United Nations agency in Bangkok – the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).




The Secretariat is headed by Mr. Douglas Hykle, former Deputy Executive Secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species, based in Bonn, Germany. His current title is: Co-ordinator / Senior CMS Advisor. The latter designation reflects the fact that a portion of his time is spent advising on broader CMS issues, apart from marine turtles, of concern to the Asia region.

These include implementation of the CMS Memorandum of Understanding concerning Conservation Measures for the Siberian Crane, which he helped to develop in 1993, and its associated UNEP/GEF wetlands project.

More recently, he has been involved in the development of the Central Asian Flyway initiative, as well as discussions leading to an agreement on cooperative measures for the conservation of dugongs.


In September 2007, Ms. Patcharin Supitchakul (who goes by the Thai nickname "Gung") joined IOSEA Marine Turtle MoU Secretariat as a full-time Team Assistant. She received her Master’s degree in Management Information Systems and Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. 

Gung has experience working in various fields such as banking, non-profit organisations, and most recently, marketing research. Her skills are well-suited for her current role, which touches on many different technical and administrative aspects of the Secretariat's work. 



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It's hoped that the Secretariat will be further strengthened through internships and other longer-term staff placements sponsored by interested Governments. If you think you might be able to assist in this regard, please contact the Co-ordinator.