UN to mark World Oceans Day

The United Nations will commemorate the World Oceans Day, which falls on Monday, with a reception and music performance, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

This year's celebration of the World Oceans Day, which will feature "Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet", coincides with the first day of the 25th meeting of the States Parties to the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, said Dujarric at a daily news briefing here, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the spokesman, a reception will be held here at UN Headquarters in New York. The winners of the Annual World Oceans Day Oceanic Photo Competition will be announced and the winning photos will be projected in large format.

A quartet of the UN Orchestra will also perform.

At sunset on Monday, the Empire State Building will be lit in the World Oceans Day colours of white, blue and purple, representing the different depths of the ocean.

Human activities, including overexploitation, destructive fishing, as well as unsustainable aquaculture practices, marine pollution, habitat destruction, climate change and ocean acidification are taking a significant toll on the world's oceans and seas.

World Oceans Day was first introduced in 1992 to raise awareness of the crucial role the sea plays as sources of food, oxygen and medicine. It was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008 and is observed on June 8 each year.