Interview: Better ways needed to achieve oceanic sustainable development - UNESCO expert

In an interview with Xinhua, Dr. Wendy Watson-Wright, assistant director general and executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IOC-UNESCO), told Xinhua: "It is very clear that China is placing a great deal of emphasis on the ocean," she said. "I know China wants to take more of a leadership role, for instance, in disaster risk reduction and tsunami warnings. They are also very interested in helping developing countries in Africa, in terms of capacity development."

As the World Oceans Day falls on Friday, Watson-Wright said ocean protection will be one of seven top issues at the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20), a major international environmental conference.