SHOAL App linkThe IOC is working to support ocean research institutes around the world to strengthen public engagement and build greater ocean literacy. The IOC Ocean Literacy Action Plan and Strategy has been developed as support to the IOC Capacity Development Strategy, which has an output dedicated to increased visibility and awareness. 

IOC Ocean Literacy information can be found here. 

An Ocean Literacy Portal has been developed to serve as a 'one-stop shop' in universally providing resources and content to all. Different education and information resources, projects, tools, methods, reports, programmes and materials can be found on the website. It also includes the Ocean Literacy toolkit. The Portal platform is also integrated with the SHOAL app - the 'social hub of ocean action and literacy'.

At the 31st Assembly of the IOC, a proposal to establish an IOC Group of Experts on Ocean Literacy was endorsed, with these initial Terms of Reference.  At the 33rd Assembly in 2025, Member States endorsed The Ocean Literacy Plan of Action (2026–2030), promoting global awareness and local empowerment through education and stakeholder engagement.

Key focus areas of the plan include:

  • Integrating Ocean Science into Education: Systematically incorporating ocean science concepts and principles into formal education curricula worldwide.
  • Informing Policy: Embedding Ocean Literacy into national and international policy, climate adaptation frameworks, and sustainable blue economy strategies.
  • Fostering Behavioural Change: Developing initiatives that translate ocean awareness into tangible, positive actions for ocean sustainability.
  • Boosting Public & Digital Engagement: Leveraging emerging technologies like virtual reality (VR) and data visualization, and amplifying global campaigns like GenOcean to reach new and diverse audiences. 

Information on IOC governance for Ocean Literacy implementation and coordination is available at https://oceanliteracy.unesco.org/governance 
 

UK Contributions

The UK contributed to the review of the IOC Ocean Literacy Plan of Action, with two contributions including from John Parr (see Annex 3 here). The UK is also involved with the UN Ocean Decade Action 'Ocean Literacy With All', represented by the Ocean Conservation Trust. 

UK Contacts  
John Parr (MBA, Sea Change Coordinator)
Emma McKinley (Senior Research Fellow at Cardiff University) - UK representative on Group of Experts on Ocean Literacy for the 2025-2027 period.