PRADA GROUP AND IOC/UNESCO ANNOUNCE A NEW ENHANCED PARTNERSHIP FOR THE SEA BEYOND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME
 

Prada Group to donate 1% of Prada Re-Nylon collection revenues to SEA BEYOND

SEA BEYOND scope enhanced to support ocean-related scientific research 
and humanitarian projects

IOC/UNESCO to open an Ocean Decade Coordination Office in Venice

Paris, June 27^th, 2023 – At the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s Member States Assembly (taking place from June 21^st to June 30^th, 2023), Prada Group and IOC/UNESCO announce a new enhanced partnership within the framework of SEA BEYOND, the educational programme dedicated to the dissemination of ocean literacy principles and ocean preservation, conducted together since 2019.

Today, at UNESCO’s headquarters, an official press conference takes place, with the following individuals in attendance: Vladimir Ryabinin, IOC/UNESCO Executive Secretary and Assistant UNESCO Director General; Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Head of Corporate Social Responsibility; Liborio Stellino, Italian Ambassador at UNESCO; Francesca Santoro, IOC/UNESCO Senior Programme Officer.

In light of the new partnership agreement, which includes Prada Group’s bold commitment to make an ongoing donation of 1% of Prada Re-Nylon collection revenues to further sustain and develop the SEA BEYOND project, a two-year new programme on ocean literacy is presented.

With the substantial increase of resources SEA BEYOND will benefit from, the programme will now extend its scope beyond education, with two new areas of focus related to the ocean: support for scientific research and humanitarian projects.

The aim of this enhanced partnership is for SEA BEYOND to become an open platform, welcoming third-party projects with ocean preservation principles at the core. IOC/UNESCO will scout relevant opportunities and will analyze and validate all the new proposals submitted by Prada Group.

Vladimir Ryabinin, IOC/UNESCO Executive Secretary and Assistant UNESCO Director General, said: “We want to live in harmony with the ocean, and for that, we need to know it. That is why Ocean Literacy is an enabling factor for the success of the Ocean Decade. In a most friendly and fruitful cooperation with the Prada Group, we are seeding ocean knowledge in the minds of school students from many countries. What a great way it is to make people kinder and ocean healthier!”

Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, declared: “It is critical that everyone understands how culture and education are fundamental for making change happen. We need to invest in a constructive dialogue with young generations to contribute to a more sustainable future and preserve our ocean. UNESCO is the only UN agency with a mandate on both education and ocean science and its Oceanographic Commission has demonstrated a strong ability to bring stakeholders together. I am really proud we will continue this journey together”.
 

The new partnership between the Prada Group and IOC/UNESCO will see the opening of an Ocean Decade Coordination Office in Venice, within the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science & Culture in Europe and IOC Project Office on Ocean Literacy are based.

The main objectives of the Coordination Office will be:

• Overseeing Ocean Decade Challenge 10¹ - the United Nations’ programme to Change Humanity’s Relationship with the Ocean - through outreach and initiatives in Venice, with particular attention to youth;
  
  
• Launch of the third edition of the Sea Beyond high school students’ activities;
  
  
• Encourage and support the implementation of a blue curriculum across all Member States. To familiarize governments with this topic, IOC/UNESCO and Prada Group will organize the first World Conference for Ocean Literacy 2024 in Venice (in close alignment with the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona and in preparation of the 3^rd UN Ocean Conference, France 2025);
  
  
• Monitor and report on Ocean Decade achievements as well as identifying gaps and requirements in the field of Ocean Literacy;
  
  
• Support the organization of events and strengthen Ocean Literacy networks (e.g. Blue Schools, Blue Cities and others), developing activities in collaboration with UNESCO’s Ocean Literacy With All programme:
  
  
• Collaborate with governments, research centers, NGOs, the private sector, and civil society to strengthen Ocean Decade activities, particularly in the Mediterranean area;
  
  
• Expand the activities for pre-school students within the Kindergarten of the Lagoon project.
   

Notes to Editors: SEA BEYOND achievements so far

Since 2019, the SEA BEYOND programme has significantly contributed to advancing ocean literacy globally, through a series of initiatives:

• Since its debut, the project has trained more than 600 international secondary school students. In its 1^st and 2^nd edition, 20 secondary schools joined a dedicated educational module from Brazil, China, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. Over the 2^nd edition, students have been invited to freely interpret (with text, graphics, or interactive content), one of the ten challenges of the Ocean Decade. The winning projects were awarded during the UN Ocean Conference event in Lisbon in June 2022;
  
  
• The “Kindergarten of the Lagoon”, an educational programme of outdoor lessons in Venice for children in preschool, which has been launched in January 2023 and already reached more than 120 children;
  
  
• Strengthened understanding of ocean literacy for Prada Group’s ~14,000 employees worldwide, via AWorld app, the official platform selected by the United Nations to live more sustainably.

Prada Group

The Prada Group is socially engaged to contribute to the sustainable development of the communities and stimulate the cultural debate in all its forms of expression. The Group partners with recognized players and international entities to develop educational and training programs, value talent, support scientific research, foster women’s empowerment, and promote local culture and artistic heritage. The Prada Group operates in the luxury sector through the Prada, Miu Miu, Church’s, Car Shoe, Marchesi 1824 and Luna Rossa brands.

UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) promotes international cooperation in marine sciences to improve management of the ocean, coasts and marine resources. The IOC enables its 150 Member States to work together by coordinating programmes in capacity development, ocean observations and services, ocean science and tsunami warning. The work of the IOC contributes to the mission of UNESCO to promote the advancement of science and its applications to develop knowledge and capacity, key to economic and social progress, the basis of peace and sustainable development.

The Ocean Decade

Proclaimed in 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) (‘the Ocean Decade’) seeks to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation to reverse the decline of the state of the ocean system and catalyze new opportunities for sustainable development of this massive marine ecosystem. The vision of the Ocean Decade is ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’. The Ocean Decade provides a convening framework for scientists and stakeholders from diverse sectors to develop the scientific knowledge and the partnerships needed to accelerate and harness advances in ocean science to achieve a better understanding of the ocean system and deliver science-based solutions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The UN General Assembly mandated UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO) to coordinate the preparations and implementation of the Decade.