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We celebrate World Environment Day
on June 5.
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WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
Photo credit from top to bottom: Boudewijn Huysmans, Aaron Burden, Elizabeth Gottwald, Casey Horner.
The United Nations designated 5 June as World Environment Day to highlight that the protection and health of the environment is a major issue, which affects the well-being of peoples and economic development throughout the world.
The celebration of this day provides us with an opportunity to broaden the basis for an enlightened opinion and responsible conduct by individuals, enterprises and communities in preserving and enhancing the environment.
The year 1972 marked a turning point in the development of international environmental politics, with the first major conference on environmental issues, known as the Conference on the Human Environment, or the Stockholm Conference. Later that year, on 15 December, the General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/2994 (XXVII) designating June 5 as World Environment Day and urging “Governments and the organizations in the United Nations system to undertake on that day every year worldwide activities reaffirming their concern for the preservation and enhancement of the environment, with a view to deepening environmental awareness.”
UNESCO has an important track record in advancing ecological sciences through pioneering work on ecosystems, biosphere reserves, capacity building, scientific assessments and policy briefs to assist decision-makers in managing natural resources sustainably. UNESCO mobilizes the knowledge, know-how and practices of local communities and indigenous peoples to support their inclusion in environmental decision-making. Its World Network of Biosphere Reserves demonstrate ways to safeguard natural ecosystems and biodiversity through science, education and participatory approaches while promoting innovative economic development that is environmentally sustainable and socially and culturally appropriate.
A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL
“We know that the closer people are to their natural environment, the more likely they are to appreciate nature and its biodiversity, to be aware of our common heritage, and to understand the paramount importance of safe air, which we all depend on for life, well-being and for the future of our planet. This spirit guides UNESCO’s action, embodied in a unique global network of UNESCO-designated sites, designed to bring people closer to nature, and which draws a new map of the world – a map of peace that goes beyond borders, that extends to women and men across generations, and to the living species and the environment around them.”
— Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Environment Day 20
Home → What’s On → Events → International Days → June 5
International days are celebrations and calls to action. They are for everyone to participate in. This is how you can take part in an International Day in three simple steps.
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Why are International Days important? They provide unique opportunities to transmit UNESCO values to the world.
INTERNATIONAL DAYS
International days also provide a unique opportunity to engage citizens on global issues, to mobilise political will and resources to address these problems, but also to celebrate and reinforce the achievements of humanity as well as remember some of our darkest times as they guide us towards building a better world.
The United Nations International Days are for everyone, all around the globe. Because they are open, you can have an important role to play in them. NGOs, universities, schools, press and more will be putting together campaigns, events, and calls to action worldwide to provide further opportunities to engage, learn, and transmit the values and knowledge associated with each International Day. They serve as an important vehicle to connect the local to the international.
At their root, UN International Days contribute to the achievement of the purposes of the UN Charter and promote awareness of and action on important political, social, cultural, humanitarian or human rights issues. International days are at the heart of the United Nations Charter. They work to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security.
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