DILI, 15 february 2022 (TATOLI)– On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit taking place in Brest, France, UNESCO announced that it had set a goal to include marine education in the school curriculum of its 193 Member States by 2025.
According to the press release published in the UNESCO’s official site said that to achieve this goal, UN agencies make a toolkit available to public decision makers with a common frame of reference of educational content at the sea.
Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoula said the international community must make education as one of the pillars of its action for the sea. It helps to teach better for students and everyone should know how to protect the sea better.
“On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit, I set a common goal for our 193 Member States: to include marine education in school curricula by 2025,” said Audrey Azoula during her visit to Brest, France.
To achieve this ambitious goal, UNESCO launched a public repository of educational content for policy makers and curriculum developers.
It gives them all the keys needed to integrate marine education at every level of the education on national curriculum development to the lesson preparation which is provided by teachers.
“Appreciation for the toolkit, all Countries are on an equal footing, being able to quickly put the ocean at the heart of education and increase students’ knowledge in this area so that they become responsible and committed citizens,” explained Stefania Giannini Assistant Director General of UNESCO in charge on Education.
The new educational tools provided by UNESCO, with the support by many other partners and experts. The education reflects the belief that we need to change the way people interact with the ocean to achieve a more sustainable model.
In its reference tool, UNESCO highlights good practices from Member States that have worked in marine education, such as Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Kenya, Portugal and Sweden.
In the form of case studies, the Organization presents the main results achieved by these countries, as well as the opportunities and challenges faced when trying to incorporate marine knowledge in a structured manner into the curriculum.
For UNESCO, marine education should not only involve the transmission of scientific knowledge and awareness of contemporary issues; it should also promote traditional skills and knowledge, as protected by the 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage, which promotes ancestral fishing techniques, for example.
UNESCO’s new toolkit leaves it up to Member States and the region to adapt the “theory of change” to their particular practice, situation and needs. UNESCO will monitor the implementation of this goal by its 193 Member States.
The first progress report is planned for COP27, which will be held in November 2022 in Egypt. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is the United Nations agency responsible for the oceans.
UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), founded in 1960 and attended by 150 countries, coordinates global programs such as ocean mapping, marine health monitoring and tsunami risk prevention, as well as various scientific research projects.
The agency is also a custodian of unique marine places, through 232 marine biosphere reserves and 50 marine World Heritage sites of outstanding universal value.
UNESCO chairs the United Nations Marine Science Decade for Sustainable Development (2021 to 2030), in this year also will host several major international summits that will help strengthen mobilization in this area.
Journalist: José Belarmino De Sá
Editor: Rafy Belo
