WMU Holds UN Day Workshop at Malmö Latinskola

In connection with United Nations (UN) Day 2021, the World Maritime University (WMU) hosted two workshops on the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for students at Malmö Latinskola, an upper secondary school in Malmö, Sweden. The workshops took place on 21 and 22 October as a part of the school’s annual UN Day activities. Roughly 60 students participated in interactive and creative sessions focused on solutions and actions to meet the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), in particular, Goal 14 - Life Below Water, and Goal 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation.

The workshops began with an introduction to WMU and the University’s efforts in supporting achievement of the UN SDGs. The topic of decreasing diversity and impact of resources extracted through human activities led to lively discussions about the complexity of legal, economic, societal and behavioral dimensions to ocean issues, including social injustice and challenges of regulatory enforcement. 

With guidance from WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute PhD candidate experts in the Land-to-Ocean Leadership and Closing the Circle programmes, the students worked in groups to tackle crucial ocean and water issues on the topics of Climate Change and Coastal Cities, Marine Biodiversity and Ocean Pollution, UN SDG Linkages to Underwater Classrooms, and Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Resources. They successively created “UN SDG and Ocean Research Posters” to present to the class on their respective topics summarizing key challenges, potential solutions and tangible actions.

The students appreciated the emphasis that everyone can make a difference. One student said, “We need to do more, both individually and as a group. It can start with small initiatives, like eco-sensible travel, picking up litter, or encouraging our parents to recycle more.” Another remarked, “I feel very inspired. I feel I can now connect these issues to a bigger picture after today.” Overall, the workshop sparked great interest and creativity among the students and revealed a true motivation to tackle the tough issues facing the world ocean that affect us all, including future generations. 

This was the third annual visit of WMU to Malmö Latinskola in recognition of UN Day. WMU welcomes further collaboration with local schools to engage and empower youth, give back to the community, and build capacity locally in Malmö.