HYDERABAD, JUNE 09, 2025: To make awareness about the role of the oceans in our everyday life and inspire action to protect the ocean and sustainably use marine resources, every year, June 8 is celebrated as the official World Oceans Day (WOD) since 2008, recognized by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Since creation of WOD there has been a new theme each year that shapes the annual event and aims to raise awareness on the dangers that our oceans face and its impact on human life. This year’s theme is Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains. On this occasion, INCOIS celebrated World Ocean Day on 9 June 2025.
Dr.Balakrishnan Nair, Director, INCOIS, in his welcome address highlighted INCOIS’s role on this year’s theme. Dr.Hasibur Rahaman, Scientist-F, briefed about World Ocean Day History and elaborated on this year’s theme. Mr. N. Suresh Kumar, Scientist-E at INCOIS, shared his experiences and challenges faced during his Antarctic expedition. Dr. Trishneeta Bhattacharya, Senior Research Fellow, INCOIS, summarised the recently concluded “Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOP)” conference at INCOIS and shared the recommendations of the conference. She highlighted the ECOF initiative being conducted under the banner of Decade Collaborative Centre for Indian Ocean Region (DCC-IOR) established at INCOIS, Hyderabad, as part of the ongoing activities of the UN Decade of Ocean.
Prof. Harilal Menon, Vice Chancellor of Goa University, Goa, graced the occasion as Guest of Honour and delivered a special talk on “From coastline to community: Partnering for Resilience in an ocean warming scenario.” In his talk, he highlighted the role of the ocean in biological productivity and its changes due to global warming, coastal resilience, and the need for collaborative work of research and academic organisations with the coastal community.
The Chief Guest, Prof. V. Balakista Reddy, Chairman of the Telangana Higher Education Council (TGCHE), delivered an enlightening talk on the “Blue Economy and its Opportunities” and the significance of the Academia Social Responsibility (ASR), etc. The session concluded with vote of thanks to all dignitaries and participants.
