Progress report for
Supporting international engagements on Ocean Literacy
Achievement at a glance
A contribution agreement with IOC-UNESCO was signed in February 2022. It runs until July 2025 within the framework of the Ocean Decade. It supports and strengthens the activities of the European coalition for ocean literacy (EU4Ocean) and its three communities: the platform for organisations, the Youth4Ocean Forum, and the Network of European Blue Schools. The partnership is progressing well, advancing global ocean literacy through the development of educational resources, capacity-building initiatives, awareness campaigns, and events, while also raising the profile of ocean literacy on policy agendas.Challenges faced in implementation
The project had a slow start due to a contract gap in the EU4Ocean secretariat. The agreement has been amended to extend the duration by six months, from January 2025 to July 2025, to compensate for this.Next Steps
Benedicte CaremierBeneficiaries
School students, young people, citizens, and organisations (ranging from academia and NGOs to media and industry) involved or interested in ocean matters in the EU and beyond.
Actions
The EU hosted three EU4Ocean summer schools on ocean literacy for young people, facilitated participatory Ocean Literacy Dialogues for citizens and stakeholders, and contributed to the Ocean Decade's white paper on Challenge 10: 'Restore society’s relationship with the ocean'.It also organised and participated in events, including the European Ocean Days, the first World Ocean Literacy Conference (with the Venice Declaration on ocean literacy), and other UN conferences.
IOC-UNESCO champions the EU4Ocean coalition, positioning Europe as a leader in ocean literacy and blue education. Notably, the Network of European Blue Schools is supporting IOC-UNESCO in creating a future Blue School Global Network, serving as both the European component and a model for other regions. This will expand outreach for blue education, engaging more teachers and students, and introducing ocean-related topics into more classrooms worldwide.
Additionally, IOC-UNESCO has launched the Fil Bleu/Blue Thread initiative, aiming to create a global network of organisations and individuals dedicated to ocean literacy, mirroring the efforts of the EU4Ocean platform on a global scale.