Dr. Yohei Sasakawa (Chairman, The Nippon Foundation) received the Ocean’s 8 Award at a ceremony held at the United Nations Headquarters, New York on 6 June 2017. The Award was given in recognition of Dr. Sasakawa’s outstanding contributions in the field of ocean science. The award ceremony was held during the Conference of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG).

In accepting the Award, Dr. Sasakawa announced the launching of the NF-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, which aims to produce a complete map of the world’s ocean floor by 2030. This Project is jointly undertaken by The Nippon Foundation and the Guiding Committee of the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO). Other recipients of the prestigious Award included Mr. Craig McLean of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and HRH. Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco.

Professor David Attard (Director, IMLI), on behalf of the Institute, wishes to congratulate Dr. Sasakawa on his well-deserved recognition.