MANY TO MANY 64 1998: THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE OCEAN

1998 – THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE OCEAN

The International Year of the Ocean (IYO) , originally proposed by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and in 1994 adopted by the UN General Assembly, is an attempt to bring ocean issues to the attention of decision-makers as well as the general public.

Although the oceans of our planet cover some 70% of its surface, we know less about them than about some distant planets, says IOC's Executive Secretary, Dr Gunnar Kullenberg.

Today's state of the Oceans is not good, we are told: pollution, exhausted fishing stocks, disappearing coastlines, rising sea level, increasing surface temperatures that threaten the deep ocean currents, more frequent storms, melting ice caps – these are some of the many symptoms plaguing the world's oceans, on which myriads of life forms, including the human species, depend for their survival.

Although international agreements and covenants exist to manage and guide all our relationships with this common source of sustenance and well being, the value of such legal instruments depend on the degree to which they are respected and upheld. Greed, short-term profit and political tension can – and do at times – take the upper hand.

The aims of the Year of the Ocean are therefore:

* to raise awareness of the oceans and coastal areas as finite-sized economical assets;

* to obtain commitments from governments to take action, provide adequate resources and give to the oceans the priority which they deserve;

* to emphasise that it is only through global scientific cooperation that we can begin to improve our understanding of how the oceans work. The fruits of our knowledge and cooperation so far have already saved many lives (for example, through warnings of tsunami 'tidal waves', and storm surges) and regional economics (for example, through predictions of drought or flooding).

Some of the many initiatives worldwide to mark the International Year of the Ocean are:

EXPO 98

EXPO '98 will take place Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, from 22 May to 30 September 1998. The central theme of EXPO '98, which coincides with the 500th anniversary of the voyage by Vasco de Gama to India, is: The Oceans, a Heritage for the Future.

EXPO '98 will be the last great exposition of the 20th century. With over 145 participants, it is expected to attract 15 million visitors from around the world, thus providing a rare opportunity to generate public awareness about the ocean and the range of urgent issues that must be addressed to preserve ocean resources and health for future generations.

Ocean education

A number of efforts will be made to provide information on the many ways the oceans affect life on Earth. The IOC and education specialists of UNESCO are developing an Ocean Education Package and a Beach Clean-Up project. IOC is also participating in a campaign for public awareness, called Ocean 98.

Ocean Charter

The Ocean Charter was launched during the Summit of the Sea conference in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, in September 1997. It is not a legally binding document, but a declaration of commitment to initiate and respect co-operative actions to preserve the oceans and coastal areas.

The text of the OCEAN CHARTER is as follows:

--The oceans and their resources are a necessary element of life on this planet.

--The health of the oceans, and the wise, safe and sustainable use of the ocean resources, should be an axiom for all governments to accept and honour for the long-term benefit and existence of their respective and collective peoples.

--The acquisition of the knowledge necessary for the understanding and stewardship of the oceans and their adjacent seas for the adoption of policies, standards and regulations to protect the ocean environment and to husband their resources are goals to be pursued both nationally and internationally.

--There should be mutual assistance and the will to work together to achieve common goals for the oceans – adjacent and regional coastal states should cooperate in the adoption of local policies and actions – countries with knowledge and resources should assist less fortunate neighbours – data and information for global and regional problems should be readily available – States should make use of international and intergovernmental organisations to generate global programmes and agreements.

--We recognise the wisdom of acting in unison to protect the oceans and to use their resources in a sustainable manner and accept this OCEAN CHARTER as a basis for future action.

The IOC is in the process of preparing an overview of our present scientific understanding of the ocean, with special emphasis on how the fruits of our knowledge can be applied. The first phase of this overview will be published in 1998.

For more information contact your regional United Nations Information Centre or
Nicole Guillemain-Goupi, Documentalist,
International Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO,
7 Place de Fontenoy, F-75700 Paris, France.
Fax +33-1/45 68 58 12, e-mail

Anthony Brooke and Gita Brooke, co-founders
Te Rangi, 4 Allison Street, Wanganui 5001, New Zealand
phone/fax: +64-6-345-5714 ~ e-mail: Many to Many
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