News
The Oceans as Africa¡¯s New Frontier for Development
On 2729 January 2020 the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute KMFR and UNESCOs Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission UNESCOIOC organized a regional workshop to identify knowledge gaps and regional ocean science priorities in Africa and the adjacent island States Conducted within the framework of the preparatory phase of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 20212030 the event took place in Nairobi Kenya and gathered around 100 ocean professionals from across the continent Intensified human activity causes increasing pressures on ocean ecosystems sea rise level ocean acidification coastal erosion natural disasters consequently their ability to provide benefits such as food security recreation and energy is decreasing Out of 54 African states 38 are coastal and 90 of regional imports and exports are conducted by sea? As the state of the ocean is correlated with environmental sustainability African and the adjacent island States must preserve their marine ecosystems to ensure climate resilient ocean economies In this context the Government of Kenya hosted the Regional Consultative Workshop on the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development for Africa and the Adjacent Island States 2729 January Kenya Integrating the Ocean Decades priorities into regional strategies This was part of a series of regional workshops aimed at consolidating regional positions and recommendations for the for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development which was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly to run for a period of 10 years 20212030 The Decade offers the ocean community a onceinalifetime opportunity to join efforts mobilize resources create innovative partnerships and engage governments in moving towards the Ocean We Need for the Future We Want The Ocean Decade aims to catalyze action to achieve highlevel scientific and technological breakthroughs and thus realize a set of six priority societal outcomes for the worlds oceans a clean ocean a healthy resilient ocean a predicted ocean a safe ocean a sustainable productive ocean and a transparent accessible ocean The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO which was tasked by the UN General Assembly to prepare the implementation plan for the Decade joined forces with the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association WIOMSA and the Secretariat of the Nairobi Convention UN Environment to organize this regional workshop Harnessing collaboration to promote a Blue Economy The workshop emphasized the need to strengthen and build upon existing mechanisms such as the regional commissions and conventions as well as frameworks and strategies and align with the African Unions initiatives This includes the Agenda 2063 The Africa We Want which recognizesd the Blue Economy as a major contributor to continental transformation and growth and the 2050 African Integrated Marine Strategic Plan of Action AIMS2050 which provides a roadmap for increased wealth creation from Africas oceans and seas by developing a sustainable thriving blue economy Capacity development was identified as a key area of concern especially the need to improve infrastructure and facilities for research provision of training for scientific and technical staff as well as translation of science to policy This will enable the identification and bridging of major data and knowledge gaps Other issues that were highlighted include the role of youth and job creation from the ocean economy marine spatial planning climate change impacts on the coastal zones landsea interactions and pollution and innovative financing models for the ocean economy The recommendations of this workshop will be incorporated into the Implementation Plan for the Decade which will be presented to the UN General Assembly towards the end of 2020 ? Contact Mika Odido IOC Coordinator in Africamodidounescoorg ?
News
Coastal vulnerability in Central Africa: IOC-UNESCO proposes pathways for resilience in new report
While the impact of climate change and anthropogenic factors across the Central African coastal zone is not uniform a new technical report by UNESCOs Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission IOC identifies common challenges and calls for a cooperative approach and unified framework for tackling coastal vulnerability in the region
News
National Network of Biosphere Reserves is strengthened in Cuba
On November 17 2021 an important meeting that had been postponed by the COVID19 pandemic became a reality the National Workshop on Cubas Biosphere Reserves which brought together in Havana in person and virtually the managers of the six biosphere reserves in the country? Since the official visit to Cuba of the Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay in December 2019 it had been agreed to hold this event under the auspices of this organization Thanks to the joint efforts of the Cuban Ministry of Science Technology and Environment CITMA its Environment Agency AMA together with the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO CNCU and UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in America Latin America and the Caribbean it was possible to materialize this important meeting in a very special context the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of Man and the Biosphere MaB Programme as Tatiana Villegas Officer in Charge of UNESCO Office recalled in her opening remarks also highlighting that ? ?
News
Call for Video Submissions by Regional Youth: Expressions of Hope for our Oceans
Are you a young person living in the Western Pacific region and passionate about the ocean Do you have strong ideas and feelings about how to better advance our ocean knowledge and how to develop ocean science solutions to sustainable development If so wed love to hear from you? Record a 60second video of yourself in English or another language talking about the following What are you excited to see happen as a result of the 20212030?httpsoceandecadeorg?campaign? What is your message to the world in terms of supporting the OceanDecade campaign Were excited to see your creativity and hear your messages Upload your video to this?link?by 30 September 2021 If selected your video message will be shown at the Ocean Decade Regional Kickoff Conference for the Western Pacific happening virtually 2526 November 2021 More about the conference?httpsbitlyIOCODkoc? Got questions? Please get in touch?iocwestpacunescoorg ? Up to age 35 Photo credit ?ShutterstockDavid P Baileys
News
AXA & IOC-UNESCO Call for Research Projects on Coastal Livelihoods
AXA UNESCOs Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission are collaborating to improve awareness and solution building around the Ocean Over 40 of the worlds population lives in coastal areas and three billion people rely on the ocean for their livelihoods By 2050 an estimated 800 million people will be at risk of storm surge and over 570 lowlying coastal cities will face a sea level rise of at least 05 meters As ocean health declines the profile of hazards exposure and vulnerability will change likely creating more uncertainty and further risks for the stability of many countries That is why it is critical to build resilience and protect oceans with the global financial community governments and civil society having an important role to play to drive systemic change in a system that places a value on nature? Partnering for Coastal Resilience AXA as a global insurer and a leader in the field of corporate action for climate change is joining UNESCO via its Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission to align actions with and support the vision and goals of the UN Decade for Ocean Science and Sustainable Development 20212030 known as the Ocean Decade AXA XL a division of AXA Group has already been engaged with UNESCOs IOC since 2020 through the?Ocean Risk Initiative developing a toolkit for governments to help increase ocean literacy across the world Today AXA is extending its engagement with?the IOC and coming onboard the Ocean Decade through a joint project with?the AXA Research Fund?its global scientific philanthropy initiative on key societal challenges?The AXA Research Fund has earmarked 1M € to support 8 transformative postdoctoral research projects in the area of coastal livelihood preservation as part of the Ocean Decade?This call for research projects which has been codeveloped with the Ocean Decade Coordination Unit forms a central part of the?Ocean Decade Call for Actions No 022021?which is soliciting research and solutions initiatives from around the world to meet challenges related to climate adaptation and mitigation marine pollution and ecosystem management The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC COP26 and the launch year of the UN Ocean Decade offer a unique opportunity for the world to take a stand and make a step change both in how we treat the ocean and its resources and how we invest to protect its biodiversity and the lives and livelihoods of those who depend upon it? Research is critical?to understanding evolution of the ocean and taking the right actions to preserve the livelihoods and ecosystems that depend on it both of humans and nature Our partnership with IOCUNESCO aims to support transformational research in the area of coastal livelihoods and disseminate findings to better inform decisionmaking for true impact?said Marie Bogataj Head of the AXA Research Fund and Group Foresight We are thrilled to announce this collaboration with the AXA Research Fund as part of the Ocean Decade Call for Actions With its focus on coastal resilience and early career researchers this initiative is contributing to two major priorities of the Ocean Decade and we look forward to receiving a wide range of transformative solutionsoriented research projects from around the world??said Vladimir Ryabinin Executive Secretary of UNESCOs Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission IOC entity responsible for the global coordination of the Ocean Decade Registration is open until November 8 Application and guidelines are available here Image Credit?Ariph Rasheed Ocean Image Bank About the IOC of UNESCO The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO IOCUNESCO?promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean?coasts?and marine resources The IOC enables its 150 Member States to work together by coordinating?programmes?in capacity development ocean observations and services ocean science and tsunami warning The work of the IOC contributes to the mission of UNESCO to promote the advancement of science and its applications to develop knowledge and capacity key to economic and social progress the basis of peace and sustainable development? About the Ocean Decade Proclaimed in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly the?Ocean Decade?seeks to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation to reverse the decline of the state of the ocean system and catalyse new opportunities for sustainable development of this massive marine ecosystem The vision of the Ocean Decade is the science we need for the ocean we want providing a convening framework for scientists and stakeholders from diverse sectors to develop the scientific knowledge and the partnerships needed to accelerate and harness advances in ocean science to achieve a better understanding of the ocean system and deliver sciencebased solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda? About the AXA Research Fund The?AXA Research Fund?was launched in 2008 to address the most important issues facing our planet Its philanthropic mission is to support scientific research in key areas related to risk and to help inform sciencebased decisionmaking in both the public and private sectors Since its launch the AXA research Fund has committed a total of €250M to scientific philanthropy and supported 665 research projects in the areas of Health Climate Environment and Socioeconomics This makes the AXA Research Fund a unique initiative in the financial sector in terms of mission and level of support to scientific research
News
IOTIC Organized the First Online Lecture Series on IOC UNESCO Tsunami Ready
The Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Centre of IOCUNESCO housed in UNESCO Office Jakarta and BMKG organized Online Lecture Series on IOCUNESCO Tsunami Ready Program This is a series of 6 online lecture on piloting IOCUNESCO Tsunami Ready in Indian Ocean The objective of this lecture series is to give broad understanding of IOCUNESCO Tsunami Ready program and motivate and encourage communities disaster management offices and nongovernmental organization to initiate pilot and implement the tsunami ready indicators
News
Setting the stage for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development in the North and Western Pacific
News
Engaging society to preserve the ocean: An unprecedented event for the media and digital influencers in Brazil
News
WE ARE OCEAN: An Artistic Contribution to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)
News
State of the Climate 2019: Strong wake-up call on ocean heat and oxygen
News
Strengthening Europe's eyes on the ocean
News
IMOCA competitive sailors collect scientific data for a healthier ocean
News
"The stars are aligned for the ocean": Q&A with Loreley Picourt