IUCN and The Ocean Race join forces
11th Hour Racing Team delivers the boat back to France after the Transat Jacques Vabre race, with an Ocean Race configuration of six onboard.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is collaborating with The Ocean Race to organise impactful sports events and global activities that will ‘amplify awareness towards sustainability’.
It’s hoped that the alliance between the world’s largest environmental organisation and network and the ocean racing event will provide the global drive and focus for a broader understanding of key environmental issues.
“With the global pandemic pushing the pause button on most of the key environmental summits that were due to be held this year, it is critical that, as ocean advocates, we join forces to increase global awareness of the very real issues that are facing both the ocean and nature as a whole,” says Richard Brisius, Race Chairman, The Ocean Race.
“The global pandemic has given us the opportunity to stop, recharge, rethink and refocus on what we want the world to look like. It has shown what is important is a shared focus on what we should prioritise as a community. Working with an organisation such as The Ocean Race gives us a unique opportunity to drive increased public awareness of sustainability and related matters,” says Minna Epps, Director of IUCN’s Global Marine and Polar Programme.
“The collaboration will allow both IUCN and The Ocean Race to create mutual initiatives for common areas of action and work together to enhance the outreach and engagement of each initiative. During the course of The Ocean Race, IUCN will be able to help us identify, for example, the key local conservation NGOs at each stopover city, so that we are able to work with them to develop a sustainable legacy from the race. We will also be looking to see how we can support the IUCN Science Programme reach a wider audience, as well as integrate this into our existing science and learning programme,” says Brisius.
IUCN is composed of over 1,200 member organisations from across 208 states and government agencies and civil society groups. It says it is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
