United Nations World Oceans Day 2023: Planet Ocean

Hosted by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs (DOALOS) In Partnership with Oceanic Global and supported by Panerai.

June 8, 2023 | United Nations Headquarters

Celebration Highlights

On 8 June 2023, the United Nations hosted its annual World Oceans Day celebration featuring the theme, Planet Ocean: Tides are Changing, which highlighted the need to put the ocean first. The hybrid event was hosted by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs (DOALOS), in partnership with Oceanic Global and supported by Panerai, with contribution by Discover Earth at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City and was broadcasted live on UNWorldOceansDay.org and supporting channels for global accessibility.

2023 UN WOD Highlights

About UN WOD 2023

The ocean covers the majority of the earth, but only a small portion of its waters has been explored. Despite humanity’s utter reliance on it, and compared to the breadth and depth of what it gives us, the ocean receives only a fragment of our attention and resources in return. Tune in on 8 June to celebrate the United Nations World Oceans Day 2023 theme, Planet Ocean, by joining forces with decision makers, scientists, private sector executives, civil society representatives, indigenous communities, celebrities and youth activists and more to put the ocean first.

But Tides are Changing

Tune in on 8 June to celebrate the United Nations World Oceans Day 2023 theme, Planet Ocean, by joining forces with decision makers, scientists, private sector executives, civil society representatives, indigenous communities, celebrities and youth activists and more to put the ocean first.

UN World Oceans Day 2023 Impact at a Glance

102K

Program Views

67.5M

Social Media Event Reach

400K

Announcement Video Views

Lucas Bravo (Actor and Activist)

Ray Dalio, Fabien Cousteau, Sylvia Earle & Lucas Bravo

Lea d'Auriol (Oceanic Global)

Mpume Mthombeni (Performer & Co-founder, Empatheatre)

Whaia (Sonic Weaver)

Featured Speakers & Performers

UN WOD is curated to include speakers, performers and thought leaders, including artist, celebrities, youth activist, scientists, private sector executives, civil society representatives, indigenous communities and decision makers. The 2023 speaker lineup included:

H.E. António Guterres

Secretary-General, United Nations

Whaia

Sonic Weaver

Diva Amon

Deep-Sea Biologist, SpeSeas; Benioff Ocean Science Lab, UCSB

Sylvia Earle

Explorer at Large, National Geographic

Lucas Bravo

Actor and Activist

Fabien Cousteau

Founder & Chief Oceanic Explorer, Proteus Ocean Group

Moussa Wele

Maritime Archaeologist & Programme Coordinator Culture Sector, UNESCO

Jason Momoa

Actor and UN Environment Programme Advocate for Life Below Water

Ray Dalio

Founder and Chief Investment Officer Mentor, Bridgewater Associates; Co-Founder, Dalio Philanthropies; Co-Founder, OceanX

Watch the Full Program

Watch the Full Event

Announcement Video

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Opening Remarks

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Water & Wisdom

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Fireside Chat

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Message from the ISS

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Ocean X Climate Keynote

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Beyond the Surface Spotlights

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Ocean Literacy Remarks

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Blue Perspective Spotlights

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Photo Comp Winners

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Closing Remarks

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Photo Competition 2023

The Photo Competition for UN World Oceans Day is curated by Ellen Cuylaerts and a jury composed of world-renowned individuals. 2023 Marks the 10th year of the annual photo competition, which will include a celebratory exhibition at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Photo by Shane Gross

Ocean is Life, 1st Place

Photo by Niklas Manger

Ocean is Life, 3rd Place

Photo by Alex Permiakov

The Wonderful World of Tides, 3rd Place

Photo by Pavlos Evangelidis

The Wonderful World of Tides

Photo by Edwar Herreño Parra

Putting the Ocean First, 3rd Place

Photo by Tom Shlesinger

Putting the Ocean First, 1st Place

Photo by Alvaro Herrero

No Time to Waste, 1st Place

Explore All 2023 Winning Photographs

2024 Program:
Full Line Up & Schedule

United Nations representatives and high-level speakers will open UN World Oceans Day with remarks on the 2023 theme “Planet Ocean: Tides are Changing”.

H.E. António Guterres,Secretary-General of the United Nations
Miguel de Serpa Soares,Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel
Lea d’Auriol,Founder & Executive Director, Oceanic Global
Jason Momoa,Actor and UN Environment Programme Advocate for Life Below Water
Lucas Bravo,Actor and Activist

A multi-sensory performance reconnecting humanity with the element of water which sustains the diversity of life on earth.

Whaia,Sonic Weaver

A discussion on the need to change the tides and prioritize the ocean across all sectors.

Moderator: Sophia Li,Journalist & Climate Communicator
Sylvia Earle,Explorer at Large, National Geographic & Mission Blue
Ray Dalio,Ray Dalio, Founder and Chief Investment Officer Mentor, Bridgewater Associates; Co-Founder, Dalio Philanthropies; Co-Founder, OceanX

Steve Bowen,NASA Astronauts
Woody Hoburg,NASA Astronauts

A deep dive keynote on the ocean-climate intersection.

Keynote by:

Hans-Otto Pörtner,Marine Ecophysiologist Alfred-Wegener-Institute & Co-Chair WG II, IPCC

Spotlight diving deep into the power and potential of the ocean.

Moderator: Alejandro Alba,Senior Correspondent, NowThis

Spotlights by:

Fabien Cousteau,Founder & Chief Oceanic Explorer, Proteus Ocean Group
Diva Amon,Deep-Sea Biologist, SpeSeas; Benioff Ocean Science Lab, UCSB
Titouan Bernicot,Founder and CEO, Coral Gardeners

Remarks on how furthering our understanding of the ocean equips us to better protect it.

Jean-Marc Pontroué,CEO, Officine Panerai
Francesca Santoro,Senior Programme Officer, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO

Spotlight presentations underscoring our interconnectivity to and reliance on the ocean.

Spotlights by:

Moussa Wele,Maritime Archaeologist & Programme Coordinator Culture Sector, UNESCO
Mohammad Arju,Communications Coordinator, ICCA Consortium
Mpume Mthombeni,Performer & Co-founder, Empatheatre

Announcement of the finalists and winners of the 10th Annual Photo Competition for United Nations World Oceans Day.

Curator: Ellen Cuylaerts,Freelance Underwater, Wildlife Photographer and Curator 2023 World Oceans Day Photo Competition
Photo Competition Host: Ian Bongso-Seldrup,Managing Editor and Chief Operations Officer, Dive Photo Guide
Rajan Desai,Wildlife Photographer
Ipah Uid Lynn,Underwater Fine Art Wildlife Photographer
Rathika Ramasamy,Wildlife Photographer
Antoine Janssens,Photographer, Filmmaker & Director

The tenth annual Photo Competition is coordinated in collaboration between the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS), DivePhotoGuide (DPG), Oceanic Global, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and Nausicaa.

Closing remarks from United Nations and Oceanic Global summarizing key messages and calling on continuous action to protect our blue planet.

Lea d’Auriol,Executive Director & Founder, Oceanic Global
Francois Bailet,Senior Legal Officer, Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations

Contributors & Media Partners

Ocean First Campaign

In honor of the UN World Oceans Day 2023 theme “Planet Ocean” Oceanic Global joined OceanX to reshape how we view the ocean to finally put the ocean first. Leading up to and following UN World Oceans Day 2023, we have been be spotlighting stories from global ocean advocates about their #OceanFirst stories.

DISCOVER THE OCEAN FIRST CAMPAIGN