In 1998 Flanders signed a general cooperation agreement with UNESCO. It was the first instance of a regional government within the multilateral organisation entering into a formal contract of this kind. One year later EWI (Department of Economy, Science and Innovation)'s predecessor, the former Science and Innovation Administration, implemented the agreement by setting up the Flanders UNESCO Trust Fund (FUST) for the support of UNESCO's activities in the field of Science. Projects have been financed under the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), International Hydrological Program, IHP, and the Man and the Biosphere Program, MAB. Priority is given to those activities that do represent a true partnership between UNESCO, Flemish institutions, and beneficiary countries. The budget transfers from Flanders to FUST between 1999 and 2005 total 7.7 million U.S. dollars. Contributions by UNESCO and local and other partners brought the total budget for FUST project to 13.2 million dollars. The FUST is managed by a Steering Committee which meets twice a year to assess and adopt proposals and review progress of ongoing projects.
Flanders Flanders-UNESCO Science Trust Fund (FUST) supports the marine projects with an annual average of 0.9 million euro. UNESCO-IOC is the coordinating and implementing entity. Projects include the Ocean Teachers Global Academy (OTGA), Implementation of an integrated approach to coastal and marine ecosystems for sustainable blue growth in the Southeast Pacific (SPINCAM Project Phase 3), Carribean Marine Atlas (CMA). Thanks to this continuous support and commitment (since 1998), Flanders contributes to the development of the international coordination in the field of oceanography capacity development and promotion of sustainable use and development of coastal and marine regions globally.