WORLD OCEANS DAY 2011

The world’s oceans—which account for about 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface—are facing diverse challenges ranging from depleted fishery resources to the impacts of climate change, the deterioration of the marine environment, to issues of maritime safety and security, labour conditions for seafarers and the increasingly important issue of migration by sea.

Looking ahead to next year’s Rio +20 Conference on Sustainable Development, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in his message for World Oceans Day 2011, said “All activities and policies related to oceans and the marine environment need to acknowledge and incorporate the three pillars of sustainable development: environmental, social and economic. Only then can we achieve the development objectives set by the international community.”

Secretary-General's Message for 2011

To mark World Oceans Day, the UN is promoting a press briefing and a panel discussion at its Headquarters in New York.

Video of the press briefing and the panel discussion are available.

Wednesday, 8 June 2011, 3:00 – 5:00 PM

Theme - World Oceans Day (8 June 2011)  - “Our oceans: greening our future”

- Panel discussion on the occasion of World Oceans Day -

Conference Room 6, North Lawn Building
United Nations, New York


Introductory remarks by Ms. Patricia O’Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel

Moderator:
Professor David Freestone, George Washington University

Panel Members: (one for each segment)

Oceans and the environment: Mrs. Maria Teresa Mesquita Pessôa, Permanent Mission of Brazil to the United Nations
Oceans and the social impact: Ms. Chandrika Sharma, International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF)
Economic aspects of the oceans: Dr. Rashid Sumaila, University of British Columbia, Canada
Oceans and youth: Mr. William Mott, The Ocean Project

The Empire State Building will be lit on the evening of 8 June for World Oceans Day in white, blue and purple, representing the different layers of the ocean. White at the top represents the shallowest, sunlit waters and also the polar ice cap. The blue represents the slightly deeper ocean waters, and the purple even deeper waters in the ocean. The unlit portions, or black, represent those parts of the ocean where the sun does not reach. The overall representation covers all aspects, and all parts, of the ocean, not just the surface that we can see.

For further information please contact Marco Boccia at boccia@un.org

Previous World Oceans Days.