changeadminIndia’s Minister of Earth Sciences (Independent Charge), Dr. Jitendra Singh and the UNESCO emissary Vidar Helgesen held a bilateral meeting today with focus on the conservation of oceans.
Minister Singh is leading the Indian delegation to the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France. The high-level conference, being held from June 9 to 13, is deliberating on advancing global efforts for the sustainable use of oceans.
The United Nations Ocean Conference, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, brings together heads of state, ministers, scientists, and civil society leaders to discuss ways to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goal 14, to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.
Dr. Jitendra Singh held bilateral discussions with Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
The meeting centred around enhancing global ocean observation capabilities, with India expressing its commitment to contribute through both satellite-based technologies and in situ observation systems.
During the interaction, Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted India’s efforts to improve scientific understanding of the Indian Ocean, particularly in the context of climate studies and monsoon forecasting.
“Strengthening ocean observation infrastructure is crucial not only for better climate prediction but also for unlocking the economic potential of the blue economy,” he noted.
Helgesen, in turn, encouraged India to play a more active role in contributing to the IOC’s global coordination mechanisms, particularly in the areas of data sharing, ocean services, and regional observation efforts.
The conversation underscored the importance of multilateral cooperation in addressing challenges such as sea level rise, marine pollution, and biodiversity loss.
India’s participation in the UNOC3 comes at a time when coastal states are increasingly recognising the strategic and economic value of oceans.
With its extensive coastline and significant dependence on the monsoon cycle, India is positioning itself as a key player in global ocean governance, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
Dr. Jitendra Singh is expected to participate in a series of multilateral engagements during the week, underlining India’s priorities in marine science, capacity building, and equitable access to ocean data.
In media interaction, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the challenges of the ocean concerns need to be addressed collectively because nearly 70% of the earth’s surface is occupied by oceans and the oceans know no political or geographical boundaries, and therefore, the good and bad effects emanating from the oceans affect the humanity, regardless of the nationality or the country.
He said the ocean concerns are mainly of two natures, (a) those emanating directly from the oceans like global warming leading to rise in the temperature of ocean waters, also rise in the ocean water levels, etc., and (b), those relating to the pollution of the ocean waters, like oil spill over, plastic, etc.
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