A significant milestone was achieved on World Oceans Day (June 8) when 131 delegates from Unesco member states gathered in Venice to endorse the Venice Declaration for Ocean Literacy.
The document outlines a shared vision encapsulated in 10 key points, offering recommendations to rebalance the relationship between humans and the ocean.
Guidance includes integrating ocean education into school curricula, with the aim of fostering a deeper understanding of, and respect for marine environments. This initiative comes as the world gears up for the third United Nations Ocean Conference, scheduled to take place in Nice, France, in June next year.
A partnership between Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailboat racing syndicate and Unesco, coinciding with the 37th America’s Cup, was announced at the event in Venice. As part of this collaboration, the Unesco and Sea Beyond logos will adorn the sails of the Luna Rossa during the competition on August 22.
The tie-up is expected to amplify the visibility of the race team’s projects and commitment to marine conservation on a global scale.
The Sea Beyond project is an educational program that has been supported by the Prada Group since 2019. Over its three editions, Sea Beyond has reached 35,000 secondary school students worldwide, promoting ocean education principles. In 2023, Prada presented its Ocean and Climate Village exhibition at Qingdao’s Haitian Center, its first foray outside of Italy. The Chinese coastal city is home to prestigious marine research centers and an active community of ocean science academics.
During the two-day event in Venice, Asilo della Laguna, a documentary centered on preschool children from Venice, was screened for the press and delegates. The film follows Prada’s Asilo della Laguna project, an outdoor educational activity launched in 2023 that teaches children about the importance of preserving the lagoon ecosystem.
Renowned architect Philippe Starck and Patrick Weil, founder of the NGO Bibliothèques Sans Frontières, introduced the Sea Beyond Ideas Box at the event. This multimedia library, developed in collaboration with Unesco’s Ocean Literacy team and Prada, is designed to provide educational resources to vulnerable communities.
During the same day, surfer Maya Gabeira Guinness, female world record holder and Unesco ambassador for Ocean and Youth, National Geographic explorer Giovannni Chimienti, Titouan Bernicot, National Geographic explorer and Founder of Coral Gardeners, Carmelo Isgrò, founder of MuMa Milazzo, and actress and activist Valentina Gottlieb, shared their experiences of urging people to protect the oceans.