Rwanda hosts World Environment Day on 5 June
Rwanda, a country in transition towards a green economy, has been designated as the host of World Environment Day (WED) on 5 June. The 2010 theme, "Many Species – One Planet – One Future", highlights the wealth of species and ecosystems on the earth and their importance for human well-being.
WED 2010 aims to become the world's largest affirmative action event for the environment. Planned activities include school-organized tree planting, car-free days, photo contests about biodiversity, bird-watching excursions, public park clean-ups, exhibitions, petitions, and national campaigns for the environment.
World Environment Day shares the same commitments as the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD). The DESD seeks to change the world through education. It engages people through innovative ways of learning about biodiversity. Focusing on education and training, it addresses the interlinking issues of ecosystems and livelihoods, the interactions of nature with culture, society and economy, and the actions we can take without affecting our quality of life. This includes communication, education and public awareness work with UNESCO Associated Schools, the World Heritage Education Programme, the MAB network of Biosphere Reserves, the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
WED targets a wide audience, from children to heads of state, community groups and multinational companies and encourages them to make a commitment to respecting the earth and its resources.
Kigali, Rwanda's capital, will host this world event with a multitude of activities taking place over several days to inspire the people of Rwanda, the East African region and beyond to safeguard the environment.
In 2009, Internet users from over 80 countries registered their activities on the WED website and hundreds of people posted tips about environmental protection. Over 10,000 people joined the movement "Twitter for Trees".
Message from Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO