On September 22nd at 11 a.m. in Rome, at the Salone delle Fontane, the Minister of the Environment Sergio Costa, the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Science and Culture in Europe, Ana Luiza M. Thompson-Flores and the Secretary General of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO, Enrico Vicenti inaugurated a day of work to launch in Italy the publication “Educazione all’Oceano per tutti: practical kit”.
Our UNESCO Chair participated in the work represented by Annateresa Rondinella.
The book, available free online through the UNESCO website, is aimed at teachers and educators to propose activities that involve students of all ages in the discovery of the ocean, its importance for life on our planet, but also the problems that threaten its health.
The official opening of the work was followed by a round table in which representatives of the ministries of environment and education, together with teachers and representatives of non-governmental organizations and marine protected areas will discuss how to apply the tools proposed in the publication both in schools and in non-formal contexts.
The objective of the day was to involve different actors involved in the field of education for sustainable development to define concrete actions to be implemented now and in the coming years.
We talked about important international events and programs that will start in 2021, such as the beginning of the Decade of Sea Sciences for Sustainable Development, the organization of the Youth UNFCCC COP26 in Milan and the G20 for the first time in Italian leadership that will give great importance to environmental issues and ocean protection.
The ocean is a source of food, energy, raw materials, minerals and, increasingly, innovative drugs. And not only: it regulates the Earth’s climate and hosts the greatest diversity of living beings and ecosystems, providing, at the same time, economic, social and aesthetic services to the whole of humanity. Knowing and understanding the influence of the ocean on us and our influence on the ocean becomes, therefore, fundamental to live and act in a sustainable way: this is the essence of Ocean Literacy.
The event was broadcast live streaming: https://www.facebook.com/VeniceOffice