UNESCO is the main partner of the 1 OCEAN Foundation, supporting it in its exploration missions.The 1 OCEAN Project is part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
Since its creation in 1945, UNESCO has been committed to protecting the ocean. The institution contributes in particular to the preservation of the marine environment through World Heritage sites and biosphere reserves. Through its educational activities, it also helps to raise awareness of environmental issues and thus contributes to the protection of the planet's oceans.
In 1960, UNESCO created the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) to enable Member States to share their work and knowledge about the ocean. Since 2021, UNESCO's IOC has been leading the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). This major program for the ocean aims to mobilize the scientific community, policy makers, businesses, and civil society around a common program of research and technological innovation.
"With only 20% of the ocean mapped today, we are the ungrateful children of an ocean that gives us everything,", sums up Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO. To better protect the ocean, we must understand it; to understand it, we must explore it. To mark this Decade of the Ocean, photographer Alexis Rosenfeld and UNESCO are launching 1 OCEAN, an international exploration project. This is the second collaboration between the photographer and the institution: they worked together on the project "Coral Reefs, a Challenge for Humanity" in 2018.
"How can we protect the ocean without studying it? How can we understand it without exploring it? Sharing knowledge, passing on information, and raising awareness about this wonderful world without borders are among the key actions of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Through the photographic work of Alexis Rosenfeld, the 1 OCEAN project relays UNESCO's environmental concerns to decision-makers, scientists, and the general public. 1 OCEAN is a testimony to the ocean for the coming decade."