One Planet One Ocean

The United Nations Postal Administration issued six se-tenant mini-sheets of four stamps each (for a total of 24 commemorative stamps) on the theme “One Planet, One Ocean”, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the International Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

Oceans and their adjacent seas cover more than two thirds of the surface of the Earth. The living and non-living resources they contain are a necessary element for the survival of life on the planet. It is the oceans that make life on Earth uniquely sustainable within the solar system. The sustainability of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the climate in which we live is dependent upon the oceans.

The oceans also provide for the cultural, social and economic well-being of the majority of the world’s population. Sustainable development is highly dependent on the wise management of the oceans and coasts based on scientific knowledge.

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO was founded in 1960 to promote international cooperation and to coordinate programmes in research, services and capacity-building, in order to learn more about the nature and resources of the ocean and coastal areas and to apply the knowledge gained to the improved management, sustainable development and protection of the marine environment, and to assist the decision making processes of its 136 member States. At the basis of the establishment of IOC was the recognition that:

“the oceans, covering some seventy percent of the earth’s surface, exert a profound influence on mankind and even on all forms of life on Earth … In order to properly interpret the full value of the oceans to mankind, they must be studied from many points of view. While pioneering research and new ideas usually come from individuals and small groups, many aspects of oceanic investigations present far too formidable a task to be undertaken by any one nation or even a few nations.”

Title: One Planet One Ocean
Date of Issue: 6 May 2010
Country: United Nations
Denominations: US $0.44, US $0.98, € 0.65, € 0.55, F.s. 1.00, F.s. 0.85