MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UN Message on World Oceans Day, revitalization and collective action

The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and main source of protein for more than a billion people

The World Oceans Day is celebrated on June 8 every year across the globe. Oceans cover over 70% of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth.

The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.

Even though all its benefits, the ocean is now in need of support.

With 90% of big fish populations depleted, and 50% of coral reefs destroyed, we are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished. We need to work together to create a new balance with the ocean that no longer depletes its bounty but instead restores its vibrancy and brings it new life.

“Revitalization: collective action for the ocean” is the theme for World Oceans Day 2022, a year framed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science and the celebration of the United Nations Ocean Conference, two years after being cancelled because of the pandemic.

The concept of World Oceans Day was first proposed by the UN in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It was suggested that a day be observed to raise awareness about the crucial role oceans play in our lives and ways in which people can help protect them.

Since 2002, the World Ocean Network has built support for ocean awareness events on June 8 with the help of sponsorship from UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

On December 5, 2008, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution to designate this day.

Apart from UNESCO, other agencies under the aegis of the UN such as the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and FAO also work to protect marine and coastal ecosystems.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that, “It is time to realize that, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change, we urgently need collective action to revitalize the ocean. That means finding a new balance in our relationship with the marine environment”.

With this in mind there is an open investigation to visit the official UN World's Oceans Day website with abundant information about the International Day and to find out about news and celebrations, or read the latest news and reports on the oceans.

The website reminds every one of the major role the oceans have in everyday life. They are the lungs of our Planet and a major source of food and medicine and a critical part of the biosphere.

The purpose of the Day is to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean, and mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world's oceans.

This year, the United Nations will host the first hybrid celebration of the annual event on 8 June 2022, hosted in-person at the UN Headquarters in New York to be broadcasted live. It will highlight the 2022 theme of “Revitalization: collective action for the ocean”.

Hosted by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations, with the generous contribution of the non-profit organization Oceanic Global, and made possible by La Mer, this year’s annual event will shed light on how we can work together to ensure the ocean’s health and well-being.

Join us for this year’s UN World Oceans Day annual event as we hear from thought-leaders, celebrities, institutional partners, community voices, entrepreneurs, and cross-industry experts about the biodiversity and economic opportunity that the ocean sustains.