The well-being of every citizen, every society, every country, landlocked or coastal, depends on the health of the ocean. To ensure its protection and sustainable management for today and tomorrow, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO will galvanize efforts for its proposed United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), during UNESCO’s 39th General Conference on 2 November.
Entitled “Achieving Sustainable Development 14: The Ocean We Need for the Future We Want”, this Side Event will provide an opportunity to exchange on the nature, scope and modalities of developing and implementing the UN Decade of Ocean Science as a key contribution to the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14. This ten-year cooperative programme on ocean science to support effective ocean management, stewardship and sustainable development, would notably aim to:
- Stimulate a global partnership on the marine science requirements needed to support implementation of Agenda 2030;
- Understand the impacts of cumulative stressors and seek sustainable solutions for sustaining benefits from the ocean;
- Build on the findings of IOC’s Global Ocean Science Report, share knowledge and enhance interdisciplinary marine research capacities through the transfer of marine technology, leading to economic benefits for all Member States, particularly for Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries;
- Gain a better quantitative knowledge of ocean ecosystems and their contribution to society, through the whole ocean column from the surface to the bottom;
- Map the ocean floor and its resources to support their sustainable management.
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and Ambassador Peter Thomson, in his capacity as newly appointed UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, will attend to announce their support and join IOC in this call for action.
It is only through scientific research and cooperation that we will be able to fill the knowledge gaps that hinder us from understanding the impacts of climate change, marine pollution and biodiversity loss on the ocean, and seek sustainable solutions for its protection.
We invite all interested parties – UNESCO Member States, NGOs, international organizations, academic and research institutions, and interested citizens – to join us on 2 November at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, to take part in this great discussion about how we can deliver the ocean we need for the future we want.
To see the full programme, please click here.
Original source: UNESCO
Published on 30 October 2017
