India, June 9 -- While in Nice to represent UNESCO, the United Nations agency responsible for ocean science, Audrey Azoulay will call for stronger engagement from States to support global oceanographic research and the scientists who conduct it. The commitments made at this Conference will contribute to the objectives of the UN Decade of Ocean Science, led by UNESCO, which since 2021 has already enabled the development of more than 700 projects with a total budget of $1.5 billion.

Mapping the seabed and its biodiversity is the foundation upon which all marine knowledge depends. It is essential for understanding the effects of climate disruption, protecting ecosystems, forecasting disasters, and guiding the management of marine areas. Led...