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UNESCO promotes full launch of GenOcean Campaign

From commitments to action for nature: UNESCO at the UN Environment Assembly

During the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly UNEA52 in Nairobi Kenya Ms Shamila NairBedouelle Assistant DirectorGeneral for Natural Sciences of UNESCO reaffirmed the Organizations headline commitment at a side event on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration from commitments to action for nature on 28 February 2022

UNESCO dialogue on Cultural and Natural Heritage for Rural Regeneration in Latin America and the Caribbean

The transformative power of cultural and natural heritage is increasingly recognized as a key enabler for sustainable development particularly in rural areas facing chronic economic social and environmental challenges

February 25, 2022

POLAR POD – An Exploration of the Southern Ocean: mission’s construction kicks off as part of the Ocean Decade

An exploration of the Southern Ocean endorsed as an Action of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 20212030 the Ocean Decade will help to collect data and observations on this littleknown ocean basin Led by explorer JeanLouis Etienne the expedition will circumnavigate Antarctica twice between 2024 and 2026 on board the zeroemissions oceanographic platform POLAR POD The ship powered by six wind turbines is designed to be vertically driven by currents and winds reaching a height of 100 metres Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2022 and will be completed in December 2023 followed by several weeks of testing before departure in early 2024 The French scientific project coordinated by the National Centre for Scientific Research Centre national de la recherche scientifique CNRS in partnership with the National Centre for Space Studies Centre national détudes spatiales CNES and Ifremer has the support of 43 institutions and universities from 12 countries It is structured around four main axes Atmosphereocean exchanges the Southern Ocean is our planets main ocean carbon sink and a major climate regulator its cold and rough waters are estimated to absorb 50 of the carbon dioxide absorbed by the entire ocean Satellite remote sensing monitoring field observations of weather conditions sea states wind waves and ocean colour Biodiversity inventory marine flora and fauna highlysensitive hydrophones to capture the underwater soundscape Anthropogenic impacts assessment of pollution by aerosols microplastics pesticides organic pollutants heavy metals The POLAR POD expedition will also include an educational aspect with the development of a programme involving primary and secondary school teachers across France Not only will this programme allow students to experience the mission and its findings throughout the academic years it will also promote learning in natural physical and mathematical sciences as well as in languages history geography and the arts The educational programme will launch at the beginning of the 2022 school year with the followup of the construction and preparation of the expedition Along with the other Actions endorsed as part of the Ocean Decade this project will contribute to achieve the Decades vision of unlocking by 2030 the science we need for the ocean we want A tireless advocate for the planet JeanLouis Etienne is a doctor explorer and writer whose scientific and educational expeditions aim to raise awareness of the polar regions and explain the role these play in maintaining the balance of Earths climate He was the first man to reach the North Pole solo in 1986 following a 63day walk About the Ocean Decade The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 20212030 Ocean Decade provides a convening framework for scientists governments academia businesses industry and civil society to develop the transformative solutions and partnerships needed to achieve a better understanding and protection of the ocean These sciencebased advances will contribute to achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development The UN General Assembly mandated UNESCOs Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission IOC to coordinate the preparations and implementation of the Decade About POLAR POD AN EXPLORATION OF THE SOUTHERN OCEANClimate ∙ Marine biodiversity ∙ Space oceanography ∙ Contaminants Driven by the circumpolar current like a satellite around Antarctica the oceanographic platform POLAR POD will depart in 2024 for two roundtheworld voyages in the Southern Ocean The objective is to collect longterm data and observations on this ocean and make them accessible to researchers oceanographers climatologists and biologists worldwide Over a threeyear period this expedition worthy of Jules Verne will provide the opportunity to lead a major international educational project in real time on life earth and environmental sciences in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN For more information please contact Elsa Peny Etienne elsajeanlouisetiennecom

February 10, 2022

Associate Project Officer for the Transcultura programme - Incubators and Scholarships

The UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean is implementing the joint UNESCOEuropean Union programme Transcultura Integrating Cuba the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity The Programme is built on two components the first focusing on strengthening the skills and capacities of young cultural professionals and the second on enhancing opportunities through knowledge transfer and exchanges It includes the establishment of a regional Cultural Training Hub in Cuba and will create opportunities for entrepreneurship socioeconomic projects and collaboration in the cultural and creative sectors heritage and tourism within the Caribbean region and with the European Union The programme implementation was launched at the beginning of 2020 and is expected to last until the end of 2023 The incumbent will provide support to the Programme component related to Incubators and Scholarships

February 1, 2022

New wave of elephant seals becomes animal oceanographers

Antarctic Ocean On Kerguelen Island elephant seals are being fitted with sophisticated data collection devices to gather vital ocean information only they can obtain that helps scientists predict climate change and the future of our oceans and study the seals themselves Around 40 elephant seals are painlessly fitted with the devices in moulting season which lasts throughout January and February by members of the AnimalBorne Ocean Sensors AniBOS network team AniBOS uniquely integrates oceanography with biology and is an emerging network of the Global Ocean Observing System GOOS Once the devices which cost roughly E7000 each are fixed to the elephant seals new hair and it is swimming in the Antarctic Ocean it will send information from around 80 deep dives daily As Dr Clive McMahon of the AniBOS network who has studied elephant seals for his entire career explains this data is essential If we know whats happening in the High Antarctic Ocean he says we have a much better grasp of global climate processes Obtaining high latitude observations is critical Elephant seals can dive up to 2000 meters and have the fantastic ability to access platforms like coastal shelves that other platforms are unable to easily reach The AniBOS Ethical Advisory Board oversees the fitting of devices which weigh roughly 01 of the elephant seals body mass Dr McMahon says that were very confident what were doing will not harm the seal For GOOS which AniBOS is part of the data gathered by elephant seal oceanographers is extremely valuable As Emma Heslop Programme Specialist for GOOS says The AniBOS network provides vital profiles of the upper ocean temperature and salinity in hard to reach areas such as the north and south polar regions These profiles flow into weather models in realtime and are also used for climate change analysis The information that elephant seals provide also enhances our knowledge of their behaviour for example how what and where they forage for food This and the oceanographic data provide powerful tools for conservation and management Image Credits Clive R McMahon IMOS Animal Tagging Sydney Institute of Marine Science About the IOCUNESCO The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission IOC of UNESCO 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 AniBOS AniBOS Animal Borne Ocean Sensors an emerging network of the Global Ocean Observing System and part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development provides freely available oceanographic measurements across the hardtoreach worlds polar and tropical oceans collected through biologging the deployment of sensors on marine animals

February 1, 2022

Sandwatch programme promotes resilient coastal ecosystems in Caribbean SIDS

January 28, 2022

Caribbean Reef Restoration Project wins Comprometidos Challenge for Youth

January 25, 2022

UNESCO Transcultura Programme trains Caribbean facilitators for blended teaching

© UNESCOThe UWI Open Campus The University of the West Indies has vast experience and expertise in conducting capacitybuilding courses across the Caribbean region Photo UWIOC The UNESCO Transcultura Programme Integrating Cuba the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity in collaboration with The University of the West Indies The UWI Open Campus has benefitted 150 cultural facilitators from training institutions in Cuba and the Dominican Republic who received the Blended Teaching Training Course

January 10, 2022

National Geographic brings mindfulness on the importance of Ocean Literacy

In her interview with the National Geographic on 8 November Francesca Santoro Programme Specialist of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO explained the importance of the Ocean Literacy programme highlighting the fundamental role of the ocean in our lives and simultaneously stressing the need of our contribution in preserving it The interview was a part of the National Geographic Fest 2021 a sevenday event aimed at encouraging a more sustainable way of living our planet by convening experts from different fields to share their stories

December 22, 2021

Decade Actions Explore the Deep

Originally published by IISD About 80 of the deep ocean remains unexplored Scientists have been captured by its mysteries for many centuries and more recently there is a growing understanding of its role in combatting climate change As we make technological advances allowing us to travel thousands of kilometres into the ocean depths to adventure with our own eyes we are uncovering both the untapped resources it offers but also the past and potential human impacts on this vast ocean landscape How can we continue to discover and benefit from the resources of this final frontier while ensuring that its rich biodiversity is safeguarded for future generations Ocean Decade Actions that Explore the Deep The 20212030 UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development The Ocean Decade has endorsed four transformative programmes developed by global partnerships of ocean scientists governments and industry to explore the deep parts of the ocean for both humanity and ecosystems These programmes have been endorsed as part of the first set of flagship Decade Actions that will contribute to achieving the vision of the Decade of the science we need for the ocean we want Coordinated by UNESCOs Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission IOC the Ocean Decade is a framework to facilitate transformative ocean science solutions connecting people and our ocean Deep Ocean Observing Strategy DOOS Members of the Deep Ocean Observing Strategy DOOS know there are many unknowns in the ocean depths and plan on finding answers over the next ten years Their activities cut across regions much like the deep sea to bring together stakeholders and collectively establish a scientifically rigorous system of deepsea indicators also called Essential Ocean Variables EOVs These EOVs allow us to observe many environmental dimensions and build a better picture of the deep ocean as it stands now little explored yet heavily impacted Through its chemical composition circulation and mixing deep ocean water masses hold secrets we have yet to uncover to fully grasp the workings of the global climate system and to represent these processes in Earth system models Says Patrick Heimbach CoLead University of Texas The deep sea is a complex environment which plays a key role in sequestering excess carbon dioxide and heat driving ocean currents and is a source of precious rare earth metals used to produce phones laptops and batteries and other pieces of technology In order to understand how to manage these resources we must first and foremost improve our knowledge of the deep ocean ecosystem Challenger 150 programme The Challenger 150 programme is setting forth to address the deep ocean knowledge gap Their goal is to sustainably manage the many resources of the deep ocean To do this exploration and observation are essential because this will help stakeholders make informed decisions Filling in such data gaps requires collaboration with developing countries which currently lack the necessary finances technologies and infrastructure to conduct intensive deepsea research Through these collaborations the Challenger 150 programme will embolden a generation of ocean stewards everywhere With Challenger 150 we aim to train the next generation of deepsea biologist and create a network of enhanced capacity that enables countries to exercise their full role in international discussions on the use of ocean resources within and outside of their national boundaries Say Programme CoLeads Kerry Howell Plymouth University and Ana Hilário University of Aveiro Capacity development to conduct this work is essential as the resources needed to monitor the deep sea are substantial Many deepsea ecosystems we are only beginning to understand such as deepsea coral reefs are also fragile slow growing and slow to recover This heightens the need for carefully planned monitoring systems to ensure that our observation activities reduce disruption of the very habitats we wish to observe One Ocean Network for Deep Observation One such programme working in this area is the One Ocean Network for Deep Observation This effort has laid out plans for innovative cold water coral monitoring as well as hazard warning systems which requires data collection from deepsea ridges and trenches Much of the worlds volcanic and tectonic activity takes place beneath the oceans surface This programme plans on specifically observing these activities to improve our ability to respond to impacts which extend to our coastlines and communities such as tsunamis More than 80 of the sea floor is unmapped and unexplored One Ocean Network for Deep Observation is proud to unveil Earths final frontier with organizations across the globe to pool scientific knowledge and resources to inspire society and protect our oceans with the best available science Says Programme CoLead JeanMarc Daniel Head of Physical Resources and Deep Ecosystems Department IFREMER Joint Exploration of the Twilight Zone Ocean Network JETZON The Twilight Zone which spans globally from 200m to 1000m depth contains the largest and least exploited fish stocks in the ocean This region plays a key role in global chemical cycles and the storage of carbon dioxide However the Twilight Zone is poorly understood and this ignorance is dangerous The Twilight Zone is under multiple stresses including unsustainable fishing practices deepsea mining climate change and proposed carbon dioxide mitigation methods With the majority of the Twilight Zone outside national boundaries studying this last frontier is only possible through coordinated international action This is the aim of the Joint Exploration of the Twilight Zone Ocean Network JETZON to establish a range of linked projects covering the full global scope of the Twilight Zone and develop the next generation of Twilight Zone scientists with an emphasis on multidisciplinarity improving access from all backgrounds and nations Below the sunlit surface of the ocean the Twilight Zone plays a global role storing carbon and recycling nutrients Home to organisms from bacteria to giant squid the research vital to its sustainable development requires a worldspanning effort harnessing all our skills and technology Says Programme Lead Dr Adrian Martin UK National Oceanography Centre Codesign and codelivery of knowledgebased solutions Together these Decade Programmes are amongst the first building blocks of the Decade They will be leading a global Community of Practice on Deep Sea Research and Management over the next ten years to facilitate the codesign and codelivery of initiatives which increase ocean knowledge for the deep ocean and contribute to the ten Ocean Decade Challenges Anyone can interact directly with the Programme teams by signing up to the Global Stakeholder Forum the key engagement mechanism of the Decade Next Call for Decade Actions has been launched A new Call for Decade Actions No 022021 was launched on 15 October 2021 so more stakeholders can submit their ideas for Decade Actions that will contribute to the science we need to deliver a healthy and resilient ocean by 2030 This Call which is the second of a series that will be launched every 6 months is focusing on Decade Programmes that address priority issues including marine pollution multiple stressors on marine ecosystems and the oceanclimate nexus Decade Projects that could become part of one of the 23 already endorsed Decade Programmes as well as Projects seeking funding as part of the joint Ocean Decade MeerWissen Initiative for AfricanGerman Marine Partnerships Nature Based Solutions in Africa Proposals for Decade Contributions of inkind or financial resources to support Ocean Decade coordination and Action costs Interested applicants wishing to submit proposals will need to register to the Ocean Decades newly launched Global Stakeholder Forum to access the Call documentation and submit proposals Each part of the Call has its own submission form and deadlines so please read the Call documentation carefully and contact us anytime if you need assistance Useful links Deep Ocean Observing Strategy DOOS Challenger 150 programme One Ocean Network for Deep Observation Joint Exploration of the Twilight Zone Ocean Network JETZON Discover all Ocean Decade Actions For more information please contact

December 14, 2021

Ocean Decade: Fifteen experts appointed to new Decade Advisory Board

Fifteen experts from 13 countries will take part in the multistakeholder Decade Advisory Board to assist UNESCOIOC in coordinating the UN Ocean Decade 20212030 The fifteen experts selected by UNESCOs Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission IOC the UN body tasked with coordinating the Ocean Decade come from government private sector philanthropy civil society and the scientific community Hailing from 13 countries they will serve on the Decade Advisory Board in their individual capacities for a period of two years The Decade Advisory Board with its rich diversity of cultural geographical skills and stakeholder backgrounds is well poised to help the Ocean Decade ride the strong momentum of the first year of implementation of the Decade said Vladimir Ryabinin IOC Executive Secretary I am pleased to see such a star lineup of professionals committed to helping deliver on the Ocean Decade vision On behalf of the IOC Secretariat Vladimir Ryabinin convened a Selection Panel composed of the IOC Chair Ariel Troisi Argentina five IOC ViceChairs and the Past IOC Chair The 15 experts were selected from over 240 nominations put forward by governments UN nongovernmental and intergovernmental organizations as well as selfnominations In addition to a diversity of skills and geographic backgrounds the selection panel also considered gender and generational diversity in the selection of members The number and quality of the applications submitted is a clear example of the interest vocation and commitment to meet the challenges our Ocean is facing while responding to the demands of society We are on a determined path towards transformation and I am fully confident that with the advice of this superlative team we will lay solid foundations to reach the Ocean we need from a holistic participatory and inclusive perspective Among its key roles the Board will provide advice to the IOC Executive Secretary on the endorsement of global and major regional programmes that will form the building blocks of Decade action over the next ten years The Board will also provide strategic advice to the IOC Governing Bodies on Decade implementation including identifying major gaps or priorities to scope future Calls for Decade Actions advising on resource mobilisation strategies and supporting broad engagement and outreach The Decade Advisory Board will hold its first meeting in January 2022 Meet the Members of the Decade Advisory Board Discover the Ocean Decade About the Ocean Decade Proclaimed in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 20212030 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 The Ocean Decade provides 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 The UN General Assembly mandated UNESCOs Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission IOC to coordinate the preparations and implementation of the Decade 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

December 13, 2021

Supporting Cultural Institutions’ Readiness in Emergencies in Yemen

December 12, 2021