2013 Theme: Together, we have the power to protect the oceans .
Всемирный день океанов, 8 июня,
Тема в 2013 году: Вместе — мы можем защитить океаны .
Día Mundial de los Océanos, 8 de junio,
«Juntos tenemos el poder de proteger el océano. »
Journée mondiale de l’océan, 8 juin,
Thème 2013 : « Ensemble, nous avons le pouvoir de protéger l'océan. »
世界海洋日, 6月8日,
2013年主题：团结一致，我们就有能力保护海洋.
اليوم العالمي للمحيطات
June 8th is World Oceans Day! Oceans are the life support system of our planet. Oceans regulate our climate. They provide the majority of our oxygen. The oceans are a global resource that we all rely upon.
This video was produced by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs in May 2013. The featured speaker is Philippe Cousteau, president and co-founder of Earthecho International.
United Nations Secretary-General's Message for 2013
From trade to food to climate regulation, the oceans are integral to all of humanity. This is particularly so for coastal dwellers whose income and culture are irrevocably bound to the sea. If we are to fully benefit from the oceans, we must reverse the degradation of the marine environment due to pollution, overexploitation and acidification.I urge all nations to work to this end, including by joining and implementing the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Let us work together to create new waves of action for ocean sustainability – for people and the planet.Ban Ki-moon
Message from the Director-General of UNESCO for 2013
The oceans constitute a single great body of interconnected seas that covers 71% of the earth’s surface. Oceans are the source of life and continue to play a crucial role in the lives of seven billion human beings. Several million people depend directly on the oceans for their food, travel and work.
Oceans regulate the climate and provide half of the oxygen that we breathe. Oceans are a resource unlike any other, for they make everything else possible. Their immense biological diversity contributes to the beauty of the world, and we must join forces to preserve it.
With 46 world heritage marine sites, UNESCO supervises a unique world network for the protection and study of oceans. More than one million observation documents and 1,000 new species have been recorded since the first few sites were listed.
Oceans are immense but not infinite: over-exploitation of resources, pollution and acidification as a result of global warming tax ecosystems and compromise human well-being. Rising sea levels threaten the lives of millions of people and can lead to redrawing the map of the world.
To take full advantage of ocean resources, humanity must invest massively in science and research as soon as possible. This effort must be made collectively, for oceans exceed States’ individual capacities – hence the need for better, more inclusive and more tailored governance. In this connection, the Oceans Compact launched in 2012 by Mr Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on an idea floated by UNESCO, affords an opportunity that must be seized.
In view of the potential that they hold for cooperation and growth, oceans are central to peace and sustainable development in the twenty-first century. In this critical period, UNESCO will redouble efforts to harness scientific cooperation to ocean issues.
For more than 50 years, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) has been drawing on science in order to understand oceans and improve ocean management. The coordination of the Global Ocean Observing System has led impressive progress in world scientific cooperation.
The Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) is a global platform for sharing information and data on marine biodiversity. As a result of the establishment and coordination of tsunami warning systems, ties of solidarity have been woven among States, and people are less vulnerable to ocean hazards.
Despite the challenges, one point is clear – together, we can protect the oceans. World Oceans Day is an opportunity to recognize this and to undertake to protect the oceans, where life began and on which our future depends.
Irina Bokova
2013 Theme: Together, we have the power to protect the oceans
By its resolution 63/111 of 5 December 2008, the UN General Assembly designated 8 June as World Oceans Day.
The official designation of World Oceans Day is an opportunity to raise global awareness of the challenges faced by the international community in connection with the oceans.
The lungs of our planet, providing most of the oxygen we breathe, the oceans are also a major source of food and medicines and a critical part of the biosphere.
The General Assembly recognized the important contribution of sustainable development and management of the resources and uses of the oceans and seas to the achievement of international development goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration.
The resolution calls upon user States and States bordering straits used for international navigation to continue to cooperate by agreement on matters relating to navigational safety, including safety aids for navigation, and the prevention, reduction and control of pollution from ships.
Member states are also urged to increase the coverage of hydrographic information on a global basis to enhance capacity-building and technical assistance and to promote safe navigation, especially in areas used for international navigation, in ports and where there are vulnerable or protected marine areas.
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