World Ocean Day: UN secretary-general calls for urgent action to protect ocean

On World Ocean Day, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres urged countries and communities to act with greater ambition and resolve to address the growing crisis facing the world's oceans, reports a press release.

In his message sent out today, Monday, the secretary-general said that the ocean reminds humanity that people are bound together. He noted that the ocean shapes the climate, sustains ecosystems and economies, as well as feeds billions of people around the world.

However, he warned that the ocean is in deep trouble and is being pushed beyond its limits. He cited the findings of the Third World Ocean Assessment, launched today, which documents a worsening crisis driven by climate change, overfishing, biodiversity loss and marine pollution.

The secretary-general stressed that the ocean can no longer be treated as limitless. He called for a new relationship with the ocean—one grounded in science, framed by international law, and built on shared responsibility among nations, sectors and generations to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

He pointed to the success of the Third Ocean Conference last year and the entry into force this year of the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction as evidence that multilateral action is both possible and necessary.

Marking World Ocean Day, the Secretary-General called on the international community to act with the ambition and determination that the moment demands.