Ocean health: Adding voices to the cause

Pollution alongside the roadway is easy to witness but ocean pollution is less so, yet its prevalence cannot be understated. The offshore sailors are regularly dismayed at society’s negative impact, and in this report by World Sailing, they hope to extend that awareness:

World Sailing will mark World Ocean Day by calling on the federation’s global community of sailors to support the One Blue Voice petition for a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights, which will be presented to the UN General Assembly members in September 2023.

The campaign presented by The Ocean Race asks members of the public to show their support for a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights. And on World Ocean Day – held annually on June 8 – World Sailing is urging everyone in the global sailing community to add their voices to the cause.

“The time to act is now – the global sailing community must add its chorus to One Blue Voice,” declared Alexandra Rickham, World Sailing’s Head of Sustainability. “As sailors we are uniquely placed to see the daily damage done to our oceans. And, as sailors, it is our duty to do all we can to protect the health of our oceans.

“World Sailing has a comprehensive 56-point Sustainability Agenda which outlines how we will contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. World Ocean Day offers the entire sport an opportunity to reflect on our progress and assess what more we can do to look after the seas. Member National Authorities (MNAs), class associations, sailing clubs, event organizers, and sailors must work together to protect our oceans.”

Held annually on June 8, World Ocean Day unites a global network of youth and organizational leaders in over 150 countries by rallying the world to protect and restore our blue planet.

For this year’s World Ocean Day, The Ocean Race has produced a special film featuring several water sports world champions, including two of The Ocean Race sailors – Abby Ehler and Boris Herrmann – as well as Olympic gold medalist sailor Lily Xu Lijia, kitesurfing champion Mitu Monteiro, freediver Guillaume Nery, and windsurfing champion Josh Angulo who have come together to talk about the ocean and ocean rights.

‘Ocean rights’ means recognizing the marine world’s right to thrive, by establishing the ocean as a legal entity. It is a global approach to looking after the seas that could help us to better protect them. Our sport depends on a healthy ocean.

World Ocean Day was officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2008. In 2022, more than 10,000 organizations and businesses coordinated over 15,000 events in 140+ countries.

Aligned with World Sailing’s Sustainability Agenda 2030 is the World Ocean Day 30×30 campaign to protect 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030. Launched in 2020, the campaign has collected in excess of 70,000 individual signatures in support of safeguarding the health of the world’s oceans and helping to combat the effects of climate change.

The Ocean Race film will be released on June 8, 2023.