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A Brave New Ocean: Building back better through ocean knowledge
3 February 2021: the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO organized a high-level virtual event, the broadcast ‘A Brave New Ocean’, to raise awareness of the immense challenges and opportunities the ocean provides to achieve the global sustainable development goals.
‘A Brave New Ocean’ is the first major event of the Ocean Decade which started on 1 January 2021. The event brought together global leaders, scientists, philanthropists, leaders of United Nations entities, and sports personalities engaged in ocean action.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, Prince Albert II of Monaco, President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, and Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg, all emphasized the ocean’s potential as a wellspring of solutions to build back better in a post-COVID-19 world.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted that “to restore the marine environment, we need knowledge -- an ocean science revolution.”
“The Ocean constitutes a global human good,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, referring to the ocean as “a global ecological asset”, “a major economic source”, as well as “a window that nourishes the imagination and creativity.”
Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary of UNESCO-IOC, discussed the need for inclusivity in delivering ocean actions and invited young people to join.
Matilda Ernkrans, Swedish Minister for Education and Research, highlighted the importance of ocean literacy and education.