Paris/Barcelona, 30 September 2024 – Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, received the 2024 La Vanguardia Prize in the Sustainable Development category at a ceremony held on Monday at the Palau de Congressos in Barcelona, in the presence of Pedro Sanchez, President of the Spanish Government. The award recognizes UNESCO's global leadership in ocean protection.

“UNESCO is honoured to receive this award, which recognizes the important work carried out by its experts to better understand, protect and educate about the ocean. I would also like to share this distinction with the thousands of scientists, educators, site managers and artists who work alongside us every day through our global cooperation networks. Saving the ocean is a global challenge that must mobilize us all”, declared Audrey Azoulay.

The La Vanguardia Prizes, created by the newspaper of the same name, are presented each year to half a dozen personalities and institutions for outstanding achievements in fields such as culture, science or entrepreneurship. UNESCO has become the very first international organization to receive this award, in the Sustainable Development category.

The award recognizes UNESCO's cross-disciplinary action to protect the ocean and marine biodiversity, especially through its programmes that support scientific research, environmental education and the safeguarding of marine sites, as well as ancestral know-how and knowledge linked to the ocean.

UNESCO is among the most pioneering organizations in the field of ocean sciences, with the creation in 1960 of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission which has established itself as a global authority within ocean science community.

The Organization is behind the creation of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), which has inventoried more than 190,000 species to date. The Organization also coordinates high-resolution mapping of the seabed.

Since 2021, UNESCO has been leading the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development, which has already raised $1 billion to fund more than 500 projects. The Organization is also helping more than 100 countries to develop their ocean and environmental education, by adapting their school curricula and textbooks.

Finally, UNESCO protects nearly 300 marine sites around the world, which include exceptionally rich ecosystems, thanks to its World Heritage Convention and its Biosphere Reserves programme.