World Oceans Day (WOD) is an international day that takes place annually on June 8. The concept was originally proposed in 1992 by Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) and the Ocean Institute of Canada (OIC) at the Earth Summit – UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[1] The Ocean Project started global coordination of World Ocean Day starting in 2002. “World Oceans Day” was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008. The international day supports the implementation of worldwide Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fosters public interest in the protection of the ocean and the sustainable management of its resources.[2] World Oceans Day is observed by all UN member states. Since the creation of WOD there has been a new theme each year that shapes the annual event and aims to raise awareness to the dangers our oceans face.
World Oceans Day reminds every one of the major role the oceans have in everyday life. They are the lungs of our Planet and a major source of food and medicine and a critical part of the biosphere.
The purpose of the Day is to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean, and mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world’s oceans.
Hosted by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations, in partnership with the non-profit organization Oceanic Global, this year’s annual program will celebrate the wonders of the ocean as a source of life that supports humanity and all other organisms on Earth.