World Oceans Day

World Ocean Day
A sunset in the White Sea
Observed byAll UN member states, including Argentina Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and the United States
Date8 June
Next time8 June 2025 (2025-06-08)
FrequencyAnnual
First time8 June 1992; 32 years ago (1992-06-08)

World Ocean Day (WOD) is an international day that takes place annually on 8 June. The concept was originally proposed in 1992 by Canada's International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) and the Ocean Institute of Canada (OIC) at the Earth Summit – UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[1] The Ocean Project started global coordination of World Ocean Day starting in 2002. "World Oceans Day" was officially recognised by the United Nations in 2008. The international day supports the implementation of worldwide Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fosters public interest in the protection of the ocean and the sustainable management of its resources.[2] World Oceans Day is observed by all UN member states, incl. Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand and the United States.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Swan, Judith. "About". United Nations. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  2. ^ "World Oceans Day, 8 June". www.un.org. Retrieved 2 February 2020.