The Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and thee Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO (IOC UNESCO) are joining forces for Ocean Literacy. Together, they will boost the EU-wide ocean literacy initiative that DG MARE has set up, the EU4Ocean coalition.

This cooperation will support the activities of the EU4Ocean coalition in the next 3 years by:

• further promoting and facilitating the uptake of the ocean literacy,
• enhancing their impact and visibility,
• expanding the outreach of the coalition,
• empowering society at large to take actions for the ocean via collective initiatives and campaigns initiated by the EU4Ocean coalition

Through this collaboration, the EU4ocean initiative is now part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). The United Nations´ "Ocean Decade" supports efforts to restore ocean health. It gathers ocean stakeholders to ensure the scientific support for sustainable ocean development. The IOC UNESCO coordinates the Decade, inviting the global ocean community to work together for the ocean we need for the future we want!

As one of the seven Ocean Decade Outcomes and one of the ten Ocean Decade Challenges, ocean literacy plays a key role in the Ocean Decade Implementation Plan to rally the international community. An Ocean Literacy Framework for Action was developed throughout the Decade. A number of flagship programmes, such as the Ocean Literacy With All Programme by IOC-UNESCO, are already working towards this.

The cooperation – starting on February 1^st, 2022 - will support the work of the 3 communities under the EU4Ocean coalition, namely the Platform of members (mostly civil society organisations), the Youth for Ocean Forum (its dedicated youth network) and the Network of European Blue Schools (that embed ocean literacy principles in school curricula).

The cooperation with IOC UNESCO will support and strengthen the activities of the coalition and the achievement of its overall objectives, will mobilize stakeholders and bring visibility to it, create synergies with the Ocean Decade by encouraging and facilitating links to endorsed Decade programmes, including the IOC-UNESCO-led Ocean Literacy With All Programme, and encourage endorsement of initiatives and activities as Ocean Decade Actions.

The project will also facilitate access to the UNESCO networks, in particular those related to marine science, sustainability, climate change and education in general.