Ocean protection: In Barcelona, UNESCO Director-General welcomes the “significant efforts” made by the international community.

From 10 to 12 April, UNESCO and Spain are hosting the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona, one of the largest gatherings of the global ocean community this year. More than 1,500 participants are expected – heads of State and government, experts, NGOs and private sector partners – to take stock of the progress of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) led by UNESCO, and to announce new initiatives.

Since 2021, much has been accomplished based on our three pillars: understanding, educating, protecting. More than 500 projects are being implemented in around 60 countries and more than a billion dollars has been mobilized. But there is still much that remains to be done. We must continue to invest in science, continue to educate, alert, raise awareness. Maximum mobilization is our only alternative to save the ocean.

The conference will contribute to defining the international ocean roadmap for the next five years. It covers the full range of Ocean Decade Challenges including critical issues such as climate and marine biodiversity, natural hazards, pollution and sustainable blue food and nutrition. It also aims to create a new foundation for strengthening the sustainable management of the ocean, driving science-based innovation and growing the blue economy, from global to local, leaving no one behind. 

“Cities with the Ocean”: a new initiative to mobilize coastal cities and ports

At the conference, UNESCO and 13 cities1 announced the creation of the "Cities with the Ocean” platform, a new alliance between the Organization and coastal cities and ports, complementing the work already underway between UNESCO and its 194 Member States. 

With 75% of megacities around the world situated along the coast, their population is among the most affected by natural and human-caused ocean hazards – including tsunamis, ocean pollution, and the effects of climate disruption – yet they are also the first responders and best placed to implement decisions on a local level to deal with these issues.

UNESCO will support these cities by developing programs suited to their needs, such as enhancing UNESCO’s Tsunami Ready Programme, training urban planners to anticipate the risks of coastal erosion, or collecting essential scientific data for tools developed by UNESCO such as Global Ocean Observing System. 

A first international coastal cities symposium will bring this network together in Qingdao, one of China's largest coastal cities, next year. This initiative will also be highlighted in Nice, as part of the discussions at the United Nations Ocean Conference, in June 2025. 

A new center of the Ocean Decade dedicated to the blue economy 

During his meeting with Audrey Azoulay on Wednesday morning, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni presented the city’s candidacy to host a new collaborative center for the Ocean Decade, focusing its activity on the development of a sustainable blue economy. 

The Center will build on the investments and activities already underway in Barcelona to promote innovation and technology in relation to a sustainable blue economy. This sector already represents 4.3% of the city’s GDP and 1.4% of it’s employment. UNESCO will conduct a feasibility study by September 2024, with a view to opening the center before the end of the year. Since 2021, 12 collaborative centers have already been created under the auspices of UNESCO, enabling the coordination of research and protection actions set by the Ocean Decade.

Understanding, educating and protecting

UNESCO's priority is to advance scientific knowledge. Thanks to the Decade, vast amounts of data and knowledge have already been generated – on diverse issues ranging from ocean acidification and oxygenation, rising sea levels, to biodiversity and bathymetry. With the International Hydrographic Organization, UNESCO has already mapped 25% of the ocean floor in high resolution – compared to just 6% in 2017. It has also advanced the mapping of ocean species, through its Ocean Biodiversity Information System, compiling 126 million observations on more than 180,000 species. 

While less than one in two school curricula mentioned ocean protection in 2021, UNESCO is currently supporting 100 of its Member States to add environmental and ocean education to their curricula – and adapt teacher training accordingly. In parallel, UNESCO has trained nearly 200,000 young people and adults on ocean education. The Organization is leading a global ocean educational programme with Prada, involving more than 34,000 students in 56 countries this year.

Through its global programs and networks, UNESCO also protects ecosystems. The Organization has listed 240 island and coastal biosphere reserves in 82 countries, as well as 50 marine World Heritage sites in 37 countries, protecting 21% of the world's blue carbon ecosystems – specifically the kelp forests, the mangroves, and the salt meadows that absorb carbon.

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2024 Ocean Decade Conference

UN Ocean Decade 2021-2030

UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

Addressing the triple planetary crisis and for achieving ocean-related Global Goals.

Join us for an online briefing on the #BBNJ Agreement, crucial for addressing the triple planetary crisis and for achieving ocean-related Global Goals and ocean-related goals and targets of #KMGBF

6 Nov 2023, 8-9 am EST

Register to participate by 31 Oct 2023:

Collaboration and Crossector Partnerships for Capacity Development and Youth Engagement on SDG14.

This Side event will highlight initiatives which promote stakeholder inclusion, especially youth and SIDS, in the 2030 Agenda with a focus on partnership and collaboration across all sectors. 

Description

Side Event at the SDG Action Weekend organized by UN Permanent Representative from Kiribati, Permanent Mission of Palau to the UN, Peace Boat, UN OHRLLS / SIDS Global Business forum, Pvblic Foundation, UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth, Global Warming Mitigation Project, Investable Oceans, OCN.ai network, Blue Planet Alliance.

To maximize the SDG Summit's impact, the Secretary General is convening an SDG Action Weekend, which will generate opportunities for stakeholders, UN entities, and Member States to convene inside the United Nations Headquarters and set out specific commitments and contributions to drive SDG transformation between now and 2030.

The SDG Action Weekend will consist of the SDG Mobilization Day on Saturday, 16 September, and the SDG Acceleration Day on Sunday, 17 September at UNHQ in New York.

The SDG Action Weekend includes a select number of high-level side-events identified through an open call that concluded in August. They are jointly organized by coalitions of Member States, UN agencies and other international organizations, and global stakeholder networks.

BBNJ Treaty - The Race for Ratification.

The race for ratification of the BBNJ Treaty is the perfect example of how, by working together around the world, we can accelerate action to deliver the SDGs. 

Side Event at the SDG Action Weekend organized by IUCN, Sierra Leone, European Union, Republic of Korea, Chile, Republic of Vanuatu, Birdlife International, Asociación Interamericana para la Defensa del Ambiente (AIDA), High Seas Alliance, EarthEcho, Greenpeace.

To maximize the 2023 SDG Summit's impact, the Secretary General is convening an SDG Action Weekend, which will generate opportunities for stakeholders, United Nations entities, and Member States to convene inside the United Nations Headquarters and set out specific commitments and contributions to drive SDG transformation between now and 2030.

The SDG Action Weekend will consist of the SDG Mobilization Day on Saturday, 16 September, and the SDG Acceleration Day on Sunday, 17 September at UNHQ in New York.

The SDG Action Weekend includes a select number of high-level side-events identified through an open call that concluded in August. They are jointly organized by coalitions of Member States, UN agencies and other international organizations, and global stakeholder networks.

70% of the planet is covered by oceans.

But it is enough for us to know that the oceans are threatened by global warming, acidification and pollution. Time is running out, we need bold actions to #SaveOurOcean

Support environmentally and socially sustainable economic activities for a healthy and resilient ocean.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today launched its third cohort of four ocean innovators to demonstrate the compelling roles of marine spatial planning (MSP), marine protected areas (MPAs) and new environmentally and socially sustainable economic activities for a healthy and resilient ocean.

UNDP’s Ocean Innovation Challenge (OIC) will provide financial, mentoring and incubator support to these four ocean innovators, thereby contributing to the Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14 targets 14.2, 14.5 and 14.7).

The ocean provides a broad range of ecosystem services - such as food security, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation - yet two-thirds of the ocean is considered to have been negatively impacted by human activities.

“It’s not too late to start a wiser and more sustainable relationship with our ocean. In this crucial time, let’s care for the ocean as much as it has cared for us”, says Peter Thompson, United Nations Special Envoy for the Ocean.

Through its Ocean Promise, UNDP has committed to deliver at least 100 Ocean Innovations by 2030. Supported by Sida and Norad, the third cohort receives financial support to ocean innovators of up to US$250,000 for two years, mentors and incubates innovative solutions that are transformational, scalable and replicable. 

About the third cohort of UNDP Ocean Innovators: 

DHI - Mapping and Monitoring of Ecosystems at Scale with Copernicus Sentinel- 2 Imagery - a tropical system application in Malaysia

DHI’s teams in Malaysia and Denmark are using remote sensing to map and monitor Mangrove, Coral and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (MCSAV) through their web-based interactive technology platform – MCSAV. Using this technology, DHI aims to provide access to earth observation-based maps in Malaysia to address the information gap and improve the planning, management and monitoring of coastal and marine ecosystems including two marine parks in the Sabah state to help protect ecosystems and restore biodiversity. 

University of Rhode Island - Ensuring community roles in complex multiple use areas in Madagascar 

University of Rhode Island – Coastal Resources Center, through its Madagascar team, and in partnership with US-based experts, aims to develop a Marine Spatial Planning framework that will incorporate participation from Madagascar’s coastal communities, including fishers’ associations, tourism operators and other marine users to ensure that ecosystem services are sustained effectively, and equitable benefits are provided.

International Union for Conservation of Nature - SEA Success in Bangladesh and Thailand

Like any other Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) worldwide, Thailand’s Hat Chao Mai-Ko Libong (HCM-KL) Seascape and Bangladesh’s Island of St. Martin face unique challenges that require tailored solutions to maintain the health and productivity of the ocean and enable sustainable use of their marine resources. IUCN, through their SEA Success project, aims to address these needs for site-level support at a scale no entity has attempted before, with the intent to extend the approach broadly.

Mersea Marine Consulting - Exotic Pufferfish Leather Products in Turkey

Mersea Marine Consulting will create a new eco-leather industry from invasive silver-cheeked toadfish, also known as pufferfish, to reduce its many negative impacts in the Eastern Mediterranean seas. The pufferfish skins will be collected from local fishing communities, and then carefully processed for production of leather products. These aim to substitute the niche market for exotic leathers such as snakes and alligators, a 10-billion-dollar industry, in line with consumer shifts towards ecological products with cumulative benefits to marine ecosystem health.

OIC continues to boost SIDS and coastal LDC’s Blue Economy

Following the success of the three initial cohorts of ocean innovators, UNDP will open the Accelerated Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and coastal Least Developing Countries’ (LDCs) Blue Economy Edition Call for Proposals in late June 2023. Qualified innovators seeking technical and management mentoring,  promotions support, and connections to capital for future upscaling in the OIC Incubator will be able to join. Selected innovators for this accelerated OIC will receive up to $40,000 as a deliverable based contract to pilot their innovation within a maximum of six months period. These innovations must be administered in and benefit coastal LDC and/or a SIDS. Pre-register now to receive more information and a notification once the application opens.

For more information, visit https://oceaninnovationchallenge.org. 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on eliminating plastic pollution in oceans and rivers around the globe.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Ocean Cleanup today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on eliminating plastic pollution in oceans and rivers around the globe.

The goal of the partnership is to reduce leakages of plastics into marine ecosystems by boosting policies and behavior change aimed at advancing sound plastic waste management systems and reducing overall plastic pollution, and accelerating the deployment of interception technologies in rivers to end marine plastic pollution.

Plastic pollution poses an existential threat to the health of the world’s oceans and the billions of people who depend on marine resources for food and income. Partnerships play a critical role in addressing this complex global challenge.

“Eliminating plastic pollution in all its forms is key to protecting human and planetary health and safeguarding sustainable development,” said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. “This alliance is an important step to curb the flow of plastic pollution into oceans and rivers but also to raise awareness, support sound policy making, and trigger behavioral change along the entire plastic value chain.” 

“After our valuable experience working with local UNDP teams to tackle riverine plastic pollution in the Dominican Republic, we are excited to partner with UNDP to further promote sustainable ocean health,” said The Ocean Cleanup founder and CEO Boyan Slat. “We believe that, through this alliance, we can help accelerate the deployment of our technologies to eliminate plastics from the oceans and rivers, as well as support broader policies aimed at waste management and reducing plastic pollution.”

This new partnership comes at a critical time as negotiations for an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, are taking shape.

Beach and Underwater cleanup at Mykonos, Greece.

On the occasion of  World Oceans Day, All For Blue-non profit organisation, organizes a beach and underwater cleanup in Mykonos, Ftelia beach. Ftelia is a northern beach, located in Panormos Gulf and it is considered to be one of the most…

09 JUNE- Beach and Underwater cleanup at Mykonos, Greece

 Mykonos, Greece

Arts-Based research and solidarity practices with Indigenous Knowledge Holders in Plural Ocean Governance – lessons from South Africa.

The One Ocean Hub, Peace Boat, and Blue Planet Alliance are organising a joint side event for the United Nations World Ocean Day 2023 on arts-based methods for inclusive ocean decision making.

10 JUNE- Arts-Based research and solidarity practices with Indigenous Knowledge Holders in Plural Ocean Governance – lessons from South Africa

 UNITED NATIONS PLAZA, NEW YORK

 This event will showcase the various collaborative arts-based projects facilitated by Empatheatre and the One Ocean Hub in South Africa, that created new pathways and collaborative solidarity practices that facilitate meaningful knowledge and evidence co-production in national policy, legal, and judicial processes. In addition, these projects have supported the development of a Knowledge Action Network in South Africa for plural approaches to ocean governance. The workshop takes participants through five key stages of conducting iterative, ongoing, ethically and politically rigorous knowledge action in the space of ocean governance. Using mixed-media, interactive performance, and generative dialogue, the workshop will explore how these approaches could be adapted and included in the work of international development projects by the UN, NGOs or academic researchers to support the protection of indigenous knowledge holders’ human rights and advocate for their inclusion in decision-making processes, and generally support more inclusive and meaningful consultation processes at the national level. At the event, the Empatheatre team will also screen a new short documentary “The Making of Umkhosi Wenala: the Festival of Abundance,” a new theatre-based research project co-developed with 13 young artists (Mbazwana Creative Arts) in northern KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa.

Between the invisible and the inevitable: Living with climate change in India’s only coral atolls.

The Association of Fisheries Graduates (AFG) is organizing a webinar in connection with World Oceans Day 2023 on the Topic: “Between the invisible and the inevitable: Living with climate change in India’s only coral atolls”.

10 JUNE- AFG Aquatalks- 12: Between the invisible and the inevitable: Living with climate change in India’s only coral atolls

VIRTUAL

Le littoral de Oued Eddahab face aux defis du changement climatique.

Cet événement organisé le 10 juin 2023 par l Association Assalam rentre dans le cadre de la célébration de la Journée Mondiale de l' Ocean du 08 juin 2023. Le thème abordé lors de cet atelier porte sur le littoral de la région Dakhla…

10 JUNE- Le littoral de Oued Eddahab face aux defis du changement climatique

 RABAT

Be the solution to pollution!

Beach Cleanup with the amazing Mary Lou of Be the Solution to Pollution to celebrate World Oceans Day at Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven! 12-1PM pizza & 1st giveaway of ocean-themed items..

10 JUNE – World Oceans Day Beach Cleanup!

SCHEDULES, 10AM-12PM

 FORT PHOENIX, FAIRHAVEN, MASSACHUSETTS 02719

Follow Willy the whale on his journey – an interactive story for children age 4-6 years, their parents and educators.

The scuba diver Tilda is fascinated by the ocean and its inhabitants. One day she embarks on a journey to find one of the largest animals in the sea, even in the world – Willy the whle. She has observed him so many times…

10 JUNE – Follow Willy the whale on his journey – an interactive story for children age 4-6 years, their parents and educators

 AKASHA ACADEMY MUNICH

Jornada de limpieza submarina y de playas de Castillogrande, Cartagena.

Desde J.E. Jaimes Ingenieros y nuestra iniciativa Conexión J.E. extendemos una cordial invitación para que se unan y nos acompañen el próximo sábado 10 de junio a las 7:00 am,  en las playas de Castillo Grande en Cartagena para adelantar…

10 JUNE- Jornada de limpieza submarina y de playas de Castillogrande, Cartagena

Join us for a Rock The Ocean x Marine Environmental Education Center Beach Cleanup to celebrate World Oceans Day!

10 JUNE- Rock The Ocean x MEEC World Oceans Day Beach Cleanup

 MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER

Giveaways

Education Booths

Food Vendors  

Self – Metered Parking

For any questions, please contact: [email protected]

 What are the microplastics? Why are they so dangerous for the human health?

Where do they come from? What can we do to avoid their production? Activity organized by Centre de la Platja inside…

10 JUNE- Festa de la ciència – Petits però perillosos

 RAMBLA DE PRIM

 Coralls…de Barcelona!

Do you know that in our coasts we have different coral species? With scientists of the Marine Science Institute you will be able to see some live corals and… feed them!

The citizen participation can help to recover the seabed, therefore it is important to dive responsibly. Come to discover how with the Catalan Federation of Subaquatic Activities. Activity co-organized with Centre de la Platja, ICM-CSIC and FECDAS.

10 JUNE- Coralls…de Barcelona!

 CENTRE DE LA PLATJA