In light of the marine pollution, the climate change upon ocean ecosystems and the habital loss that the ocean is dealing with, the United Nations Development Program lauched the Ocean Innovation Challenge (OIC) in order to face those negative impacts and boost the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 14 (SDGs) targets.
In fact, the OIC is searching for initiatives that are transferable, sustainable and applicable, offering grants rating from $50.000 to $250.000.
With plastics and nutrients resulting ocean pollution, OIC will focus on the SDG.14.1 “Reduce Marine Pollution”.
At a time when the world’s oceans and seas face unprecedented pressures, UNDP’s new Ocean Innovation Challenge will shine a light on innovative, entrepreneurial and creative approaches that can advance ocean and coastal restoration and protection. Supporting the blue economy in this way can help us achieve SDG 14— while spurring economic development and helping to reduce poverty and inequality.
…said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator.
In order to achieve this goal, innovative technologies, policies, regulations and financial instrument will be further enhanced through the challenge.
For the records, the UN Ocean Conference will be held on 2-6 June 2020, in Lisbon, where the targets of SDG14 will be discussed, so as to suppot their implementation.
In this regard, the new UNDP Ocean Innovation Challenge is a most welcome addition to the growing number of ocean incubators and accelerators.
…Peter Thomson, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Oceans, concluded.
Overall, the UK-based PwC through its recent study, informed that there is a general acknowledgement of the importance of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among organizations and there is room for more concrete action to take place to support them, if these are to be achieved by 2030.
