The purpose of the UNESCO Chair in Oceans, Clean Water, and Health at UCSF is to coordinate outreach across sectors and continents to advance sustainable development goals pertaining to the management of waters and marine systems for their associated public health and climate resilience co-benefits.

Scholarly work at this nexus is supported by and jointly advances targets related to adaptation, capacity building, and environmental sustainability. This Chair helps bridge medical and water-focused communities of practice.

The specific objectives of this Chair are to:

  • Foster international academic exchange and knowledge-sharing by connecting researchers, educators, and practitioners to enhance understanding and solutions around ocean sustainability, clean water, and public health
  • Strengthen teaching and training by developing educational resources, workshops, and capacity-building programs for students, researchers, and civil society
  • Advance civil society engagement by supporting local and global education initiatives that increase public understanding of health, clean water, and ocean sustainability
  • Contribute to international policy and discourse on ocean sustainability, clean water, and public health
Overview of the UNESCO Chairs program

"The University Twinning and Networking/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNITWIN/UNESCO) Chairs Programme, launched in 1992 to promote international inter-university cooperation, has grown to include around 1100 Chairs and 50 networks across 130 countries. This network of universities around the world supports UNESCO's work in education, the natural and social sciences, culture and communication, to help address pressing challenges and contribute to the development of their societies. The UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Network teams contribute at each stage of our work: from the exploration of emerging issues, through the development of international normative instruments to the implementation of policy recommendations at the national level. They also bring together partners in academia, civil society, local communities, and policy-makers in dialogue from project implementation."

         - UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme