Her standout entry was powered by a “tidal wave of emotion”, mentioned the UN postal company’s Director Normal Masahiko Metoki.
The postal service, formally often known as the Common Postal Union (UNU), organized the competitors in partnership with the Worldwide Maritime Group (IMO) and the UN Academic, Scientific, and Cultural Group (UNESCO).
The competition – now in its 54th yr – invited younger individuals aged nine-15 to mirror on the necessity to shield seas and oceans underneath the theme, Think about you’re the ocean, along with the 2025 UN Ocean Convention.
The competitors goals to construct consciousness in sustainability, marine conservation and the interconnectedness of ecosystems worldwide, underscores UPU.
Heal the ocean, heal your self
“You will need to bear in mind, once I develop sick, the rain forgets its rhythm, the rivers run hole, and the wind begins to hold sorrow as a substitute of seed. If you heal the ocean, you start to heal your self. So come again to me, like a child returning to their mom,” she writes.
Second place was awarded to 16-year-old Phạm Đoàn Minh Khuê of Viet Nam, whose letter appealed to a famend movie director to create a film highlighting the crucial state of the ocean.
Third place went to 13-year-old Kanlanfe Ingrid Ouali from Burkina Faso, honoured with the bronze medal for her letter the place the ocean reminds us that humanity’s survival and prosperity are inseparably linked to its personal.
Inspiring younger voices
“True energy lies not simply in what we are saying, however in what we do”, mentioned Dr. Matheickal, Director of the Technical Cooperation and Implementation Division at IMO.
“I additionally wish to gently remind everybody right here that ocean safety can be about individuals, about inclusion, variety, and fairness. Everybody’s voice issues. Each kid’s dream counts.
“And collectively, we will construct a world the place oceans are clear, communities are protected, and hope just isn’t a want, however a plan,” mentioned Dr. Matheickal.
Ms. Demiriz closes her letter with the phrases, “Overlook not that I lengthy to hold your pleasure, mirror your surprise.
“Look after me not as a chore, however as an act of affection. And I’ll give again to you greater than you can ever take; extra magnificence, extra oxygen, extra life…”
Her passionate phrases go away readers with a heartfelt reminder of the ocean’s enduring generosity, and the accountability humanity bears to guard it.
Learn Reyyan Demiriz’s full letter right here.
