BAN WARNS OF UNTOLD DAMAGE INFLICTED ON SEAS, MARKING FIRST WORLD OCEANS DAY

BAN WARNS OF UNTOLD DAMAGE INFLICTED ON SEAS, MARKING FIRST WORLD OCEANS DAY
New York, Jun 8 2009 9:00AM
Human activities are exacting a "terrible toll" on the world's oceans and seas, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned today in a message marking the first United Nations World Oceans Day.

"Vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as corals, and important fisheries are being damaged by over-exploitation, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, destructive fishing practices, invasive alien species and marine pollution, especially from land-based sources," said Mr. Ban in his message.

He added that oceans are also affected by piracy and armed robbery, threatening the lives of seafarers and the safety of international shipping, which transports about 90 per cent of the world's goods.

"Smuggling of illegal drugs and the trafficking of persons by sea are further examples of how criminal activities threaten lives and the peace and security of the oceans," he said.

The Secretary-General also said that increased sea temperatures, sea-level rise and ocean acidification caused by climate change pose a further threat to marine life, coastal and island communities and national economies.

Although World Oceans Day has been celebrated by many countries since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the General Assembly decided last year to make it an officially recognized UN annual observance on 8 June.

The Day provides the world body with an opportunity to raise global awareness of the threats to the oceans which cover about two-thirds of the Earth's surface, generating most of its oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide emissions, providing food and nutrients, regulating climate, and supplying fishing and other marine resources for income.

The theme of World Oceans Day -- 'Our oceans, our responsibility' -- underscores "our individual and collective duty to protect the marine environment and carefully manage its resources," said Mr. Ban.
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FRENCH VOYAGER NAMED UNESCO SPOKESPERSON FOR THE OCEANS

FRENCH VOYAGER NAMED UNESCO SPOKESPERSON FOR THE OCEANS
New York, Jun 5 2009 6:00PM
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=45638&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) has named the renowned French seafarer, Maud Fontenoy, as its Spokesperson for the Oceans, ahead of the first UN World Oceans Day on 8 June.

Ms. Fontenoy, 31, famed for single-handedly rowing across the Atlantic in 2003 and the Pacific two years later, is tasked with raising awareness of the need to protect the ocean environment against major threats such as climate change, pollution and unchecked urban development of the world's coastal areas.

From 2006-2007, the navigator – who will serve as the new spokesperson for UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the World Ocean Network, a non-governmental organization – also sailed solo around the Southern hemisphere against the current.

"When you sail around the world, you realize that the planet is not that big and that most of it is ocean," said Ms. Fontenoy at a press conference held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris earlier this week. "You also see how much damage is being done to the ocean and understand how urgent it has become to protect it."

<"http://ioc-unesco.org/">UNESCO-IOC was created in 1960 to promote international cooperation and coordinate programmes in research, sustainable development and the protection of the marine environment.
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