New York City to host World Ocean Festival and Ocean March

April 11, 2017

Global Brain

On June 4, 2017, New York City will host the inaugural World Ocean Festival. The Festival, organized by The Global Brain Foundation and hosted by the City of New York, is an effort to raise the voices of millions of people and organizations who care deeply about the Ocean and who will stand together for its protection.

In New York, we are building a more resilient, sustainable and fair city - and that includes supporting and preserving healthy oceans. I am pleased that our city can host the World Ocean Festival focusing on Sustainable Development Goal 14, which is vital to our well-being as a coastal city.

- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

The World Ocean Festival is a public event on June 4 timed to support The Ocean Conference at UN Headquarters in New York City (June 5-9), where heads of state, ministers, marine experts, civil society and the business community will gather to discuss the rapidly deteriorating health of the world’s ocean and what needs to be done to save it. They will also commemorate World Ocean Day on June 8.

The City of New York has shown great leadership in embracing the Sustainable Development Goals, and we welcome the announcement of this public event in support of The Ocean Conference and Sustainable Development Goal 14. This is a critical time for the Ocean. We must rally together and drive conservation and sustainable management of Ocean’s resources.

- H.E. Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly

The World Ocean Festival was announced this Tuesday, April 11, at United Nations Headquarters in New York City at a press briefing by Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs Penny Abeywardena, Founder of the World Ocean Festival and The Global Brain Foundation Natalia Vega Berry, and President of the United Nations General Assembly H.E. Peter Thomson.

The people of New York City and all over the world will be invited to join the World Ocean Festival activities, which include:

• A public Ocean March in New York City’s waterways in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard and the New York Police Department Harbor Unit. Interested participants are invited to register at the World Ocean Festival's website. The Ocean March route will be published along with viewing sites along the route.

• A public Ocean Village celebrating art, education, innovation and tools for action in support of the Ocean. The Village will take place in Gantry State Park in Long Island City, New York overlooking the East River.

The City of New York and The Global Brain are joined by leaders in ocean conservation, advocacy, and sustainable development our Founding Partners Ocean Elders, Mission Blue, and Oceanic, as well Core Supporters including Peace Boat, Connect4Climate, Ocean Collectiv and NGO Committee of Sustainable Development. The event is made possible by support from Founding Sponsor Toyota USA, creator of the Mirai fuel cell vehicle.

New York City has shown a history of leadership in supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals through its One New York program. Launched on April 22, 2015, “One New York: The Plan for a Just and Strong City” is an innovative blueprint for the City’s future that focuses on four interdependent visions: growth, equity, sustainability, and resiliency.

The issues that threaten the Ocean range from illegal fishing threatening species, human sustenance, and economies worldwide; to marine pollution in the form of chemical run-off, spills, and proliferation of plastics filling our Ocean and now entering our food chain; to climate change that is killing our coral reefs, flooding human and animal habitats and feeding a disastrous feedback loop of rising world temperatures.

Nonprofit organizations, foundations, community organizations and others working to promote conservation and sustainable use of the Ocean will be present at the Ocean Village space on June 4 and promoted through a media campaign leading up to the event.

The World Ocean Festival is a public event hosted by the City of New York and organized by The Global Brain Foundation to raise peoples’ voices for the preservation and sustainable use of the Ocean (Sustainable Development Goal 14) in advance of the The Ocean Conference at United Nations Headquarters, which aims to be the game changer that will reverse the decline in the health of our ocean for people, planet and prosperity. For more information about the World Ocean Festival and to register for the Ocean March on June 4, 2017, visit the official website or follow on Twitter @WorldOceanFest, on Instagram @WorldOceanFestival, and on Facebook @WorldOceanFestival.