On World Ocean Day (8th June 2021), countries from all four corners of the world – from India to Guyana, South Korea to Austria have pledged to support the ‘30 by 30’ commitment which is being championed by the UK-led Global Ocean Alliance and the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, co-chaired by the UK, Costa Rica and France.
This next milestone follows a successful meeting of the G7 Climate and Environment ministers, during which all members agreed to champion the global ‘30×30’ target to conserve or protect at least 30 percent of the world’s land and at least 30 percent of the world’s ocean by 2030, as well as committing to ‘30 x 30’ domestically.
Members of the Global Ocean Alliance and/or the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People
- The 80 countries now supporting the 30by30 target in the ocean are: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Cote D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia , Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Togo, Uganda, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Belize, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Mongolia, Jordan, Pakistan, UAE, Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Palau, Vanuatu, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Maldives, India, Japan, South Korea, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, EC, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania , Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
The World Meteorological Organization celebrates the ocean theme for the second time this year as the Ocean, Our Climate and Weather was also the theme of World Meteorological Day on 23 March, which included a dedicated ‘ocean’ issue of the WMO Bulletin as a formally endorsed WMO contribution to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021 to 2030).
WMO World Oceans Day activities also feature the new WMO video, narrated by UN Ocean Envoy, Ambassador Peter Thomson, highlighting the vital role of the ocean in our interconnected world, the increasing impact of climate change, and the need for better ocean services, science and observations to protect lives at sea and in coastal areas. This will be shown within the UN’s Virtual World Ocean Day Ceremony.
WMO has also launched a new Ocean page: an easy access point from which to learn of the various ocean activities that WMO is working across, to support Members.