UNIS/SGSM/1415
24 June 2024
The Day of the Seafarer is a time to celebrate and recognize the two million people around the world who operate the ships that carry more than 80% of the volume of world trade.
Seafarers are vital in ensuring a seamless flow of essential goods that eventually make it into markets, homes, and onto our tables. Without them, the world would not be able to transport the large quantities of commodities that societies require to survive.
But their own lives have been put on the line in the face of grave threats.
Attacks on international shipping routes and acts of piracy are unacceptable. Ships and seafarers must not be held hostage and hijacked. Seafarers should not be collateral victims in wider geopolitical conflicts.
Seafarers from across the globe provide a vital source of income to their families back home, while on long voyages at sea. Let us together salute them for their essential work and support their safety.
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We must transform how we produce and consume, and how we value nature, says the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, "Biodiversity is the bedrock of life and a cornerstone of sustainable development.... Biodiversity loss is a global challenge. No one country, however rich or powerful, can address it alone. Nor can they live without the rich biodiversity that defines our planet."
LGBTIQ+ people around the world face an onslaught of hate speech, attacks, and restrictions on their rights. The power of communities is the theme this year which reminds us that we are strongest together. "LGBTIQ+ people, and those working with them to secure their rights, have proved time and again the value of communities in providing support and driving change," says UN Secretary-General António Guterres
"From the telegraph to radio, from the Internet to Artificial Intelligence, technology has transformed how we live, work, and connect." — António Guterres
Barbados signed and deposited its instrument of ratification for the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 8 May 2025.
