World Oceans Day to be 1st-ever hybrid celebration of annual event

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - The UN will host the first-ever hybrid celebration of World Oceans Day this year, an annual event to mark oceans, which cover over 70% of the planet.

The event will be hosted in-person at UN Headquarters in New York and broadcast live.

The key role that oceans play in sustaining the planet will take the spotlight Wednesday as producing at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, hosting most of the Earth’s biodiversity and being the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world.

Yet oceans are at great risk from things such as overfishing, plastics and ocean debris, and climate change.

Additionally, it is known that oceans are also key to the world's economy, but 90% of big fish populations have been depleted and 50% of coral reefs have been destroyed.

"United Nations World Oceans Day 2022 is the first-ever hybrid celebration of the annual event, featuring both in-person programming hosted at UN HQ in NYC and virtual components for global public accessibility," the UN said on its website.

Many international environmental institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the world are holding various events and activities, including with live coverage and conversations.

Marking the day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Twitter: "On #WorldOceansDay, let's commit to working together with nature and ensuring a healthy & productive ocean for future generations."

World Oceans Day is celebrated annually on June 8 to raise awareness about the importance of the world's oceans and efforts to improve "the deep" since 1992, following the UN Conference on the Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In 2008, the UN General Assembly decided that June 8 would be designated as "World Oceans Day" as of 2009. This year's theme is "Revitalization: collective action for the ocean."