• Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the high-level segment of One Ocean Summit through a video message.

• Noting that India is committed to eliminating single-use plastic, Modi said the country will be happy to join France in launching a global initiative on it.

• The high-level segment of the summit was also addressed by several other heads of states and governments.

The One Ocean Summit

• The One Ocean Summit was organised by France in Brest from February 9-11 in cooperation with the United Nations and the World Bank.

• The ocean covers more than 70 per cent of the surface of our planet, yet too often remains on the sidelines of major European and international events.

• The ocean is a regulator of major environmental balances, and climate in particular, a provider of resources, an important enabler of trade, and an essential link between countries and human communities. However, it is now seriously threatened by numerous pressures, such as the effects of climate change, pollution or the overexploitation of marine resources.

• In an effort to mobilise the international community and take tangible action to mitigate such pressures on the ocean, the President of France organised a One Planet Summit dedicated to the ocean

• The goal of the One Ocean Summit was to raise the collective level of ambition of the international community on marine issues and to translate our shared responsibility to the ocean into tangible commitments.

• During the summit, UNESCO  announced that at least 80 per cent of the seabed will be mapped by 2030, compared to 20 per cent currently, with the support of its Member States and the private sector.

• French President Emmanuel Macron announced new plans by the United States and France to protect the environment, including an expansion of the protection of the French Antarctic territories.

Additional read:

What is the purpose of the Ocean Decade?

The ocean is our planet’s largest ecosystem. It stabilises climate, stores carbon, produces oxygen, nurtures unimaginable biodiversity, and directly supports human well-being through food, mineral, and energy resources as well as provides cultural and recreational services. In February 2021, the UNESCO marked the start of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development with a global online event.

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