Photo/Cao Nguyen Vu, 1st Place Above Water Seascapes 2022.
In celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Annual World Oceans Day Photo Competition in 2023, the Photography for Sustainable Oceans exhibit draws on winning entries from past editions of the competition and centers around the three core, integrated and indivisible elements of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.
The photographs represent some of the most powerful images from recent years and show how photography can highlight challenges and solutions in relation to sustainable development in the ocean sphere and raise the profile of SDG 14, “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”, which has so far attracted the least investment of any of the Goals.
Sharing these images, supplemented with information on ocean health and the Sustainable Development Goals, improves ocean literacy and understanding of the role of the ocean in a changing climate, and the effects of climate change on the ocean.
Economic Growth
The Sustainable Development Goals aim to encourage sustained economic growth by achieving higher levels of productivity as well as through technological innovation.
Lauren Owens Lambert
2nd Place Gender and Oceans 2019
Cao Nguyen Vu
1st Place Above Water Seascapes 2022
Joanna Smart
1st Place Innovation 2020
Giacomo d’Orlando
1st Place Nature Based Solutions and Ocean discoveries 2022
Social Inclusion
The social dimensions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development include targets on social inclusion, the eradication of extreme poverty, the reduction of inequalities, inclusive policies for cities, as well as inclusive and participatory decision making.
Amitava Chandra
2nd Place Coastal Communities 2022
Des Bowden
3rd Place Gender & Oceans 2019
Cao Nguyen Vu
3rd Place Above Water Seascapes 2022
Environmental Protection
At the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the need to protect the planet from degradation, including by emphasizing sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations.
Henley Spiers
1st Place Gender and Oceans 2019
David Palfrey
3rd Place Science in Action 2020
Franck Gazzola
2nd Place Science in Action 2020
Nuno Rodrigues
3rd Place Nature Based Solutions and Ocean Discoveries 2022
Tom Vierus
2nd Place Nature Based Solutions and Ocean Discoveries 2022
Nat Sumanatemeya
2nd Place Underwater Seascapes 2022
The information in this exhibit has been sourced from the Second World Ocean Assessment, with supplementary information from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization.
This exhibit is organized by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations.
This exhibit was launched in May 2023