International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) Day is annually observed across the world on the 3rd Saturday of September to raise public awareness about coastal cleanliness and the adverse impact of pollution on marine life.
ICC Day 2024 was observed on 21st September 2024.
- ICC Day 2023 was observed on 16th September 2023 and ICC Day 2025 will be observed on 20th September 2025.
Theme:
The theme of International Coastal Cleanup Day 2024 is #SeaTheChange.
Background:
i.The International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) was first organised by the Ocean Conservancy, an organisation that works to protect the ocean, its wildlife, and the communities that depend on it.
ii.The first-ever International Coastal Cleanup event hosted by Linda Maraniss and Kathy O’Hara, the members of Ocean Conservancy, was observed in 1986 on the west coast of Washington state, the United States of America (USA).
iii.The ICC day is conducted in various parts of the world under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) in the South Asian Region.
Observance in India:
i.The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has been coordinating the ICC activity in India since 2006.
ii.The ICG organised the ICC Day 2024 across all coastal states and Union Territories (UT) as part of the government’s ongoing ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan‘.
- The ICC-2024 campaign was marked by coordination among Central and State governments, local corporations, non-governmental organisations, fishing groups, ports, oil agencies, and other private companies.
iii.The Indian Coast Guard Station (ICGS) Karaikal led a beach cleanup initiative with 750 participants at the Karaikal and Velankanni beaches. It was organised in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
iv.The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) conducts Swachh Sagar Surkashit Sagar, a mega citizen-led beach clean-up drive in coastal states and UTs of India to mark ICC Day.
- It was organised by five MoES institutes, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), National Centre for Ocean and Polar Research (NCPOR), Centre for Marine Living Resources and Ecology (CMLRE), and National Centre for Earth System Sciences (NCESS).
About Ocean Conservancy:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Janis Searles Jones
Headquarters – Washington, D.C., United States of America (USA)
Established – 1972
