UNESCO shines a light on ocean research

Les sciences océaniques à l’honneur à l’UNESCO 2 © Cyril Bailleul

At a fringe event held on Thursday 26 June 2025 during the 33^rd session of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission General Assembly, Monaco’s permanent delegation to UNESCO and the IOC hosted a screening of the documentary “Ocean with David Attenborough”, followed by a round table discussion at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris.

In her opening address, H.E. Ms Anne-Marie Boisbouvier, the Principality’s Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, spoke about Monaco’s historic commitment as a permanent member of the IOC since its establishment in Copenhagen in 1960, and the enduring legacy of Prince Albert I, a pioneer of oceanography whose expeditions led to the creation of the world’s first ever bathymetric chart. His visionary work was the inspiration for the GEBCO project aimed at mapping the floor of the global ocean by 2030, under the auspices of the IOC and the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO).

After the screening, an expert panel including the director and producer Keith Scholey, Dr Sylvie Tambutté (Scientific Director at Monaco Scientific Centre), Dr Valérie Masson‑Delmotte (palaeoclimatologist and Research Director at the Climate and Environmental Sciences Laboratory/CEA), and Dr Rafael González-Quirós (oceanographer and Director of the Gijón Oceanographic Centre) took questions from an audience of over 700 attendees. The thoughtful discussions served to highlight the great beauty of the oceans and the issues they face, along with the scientific research being carried out in the field, particularly in Monaco.