All people are called to join the #ForNature (#PorLaNaturaleza) campaign through digital platforms.
PANAMA CITY/NAIROBI – Today, on World Environment Day 2020, citizens, companies, organizations and governments around the world are celebrating through digital platforms the role of biodiversity to maintain the health of people and the planet.
Celebrated since 1974, World Environment Day is the United Nations’ largest annual event for environmental action.
With the slogan Nature Hour, World Day will be an opportunity to call on world leaders to put nature care at the center of post-COVID-19 recovery plans.
This year, Colombia will be the global host of the celebration, with the support of Germany.
The global health crisis of COVID-19 has shown that when we destroy biodiversity, we destroy the system that supports human health and life. By upsetting the delicate balance of nature, we have created conditions for the further spread of pathogens, including coronaviruses.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) stands in solidarity with the billions of people around the world who suffer the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean hardest hit by disease. The immediate priority at this time is to protect people by limiting the spread of the virus.
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As governments pass stimulus packages to support job creation, poverty reduction, development and economic growth, it will be key to “rebuild better,” advancing green investments, such as renewable energy, smart housing, sustainable public transport, among others, all guided by the principles and standards of sustainable production and consumption.
UNEP calls on people from all walks of life to join the World Day campaign with the hashtag #ForNature (#PorLaNaturaleza) through social media conversations and virtual events.
To this end, it has made available a guide that will guide the action of individuals, religious groups, companies, cities, governments, schools, youth and civil society organizations.
Online discussion agenda for June 5
The Government of Colombia has prepared an agenda for high-level debates on June 5 through digital platforms.
The conference will be opened by the President of the Republic of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez, the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia Ricardo Lozano, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Inger Andersen, the President of the Inter-American Development Bank Luis Alberto Moreno, the Founder and CEO of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab, the President and CEO of the World Resources Institute Andrew Steer, and will have a message from the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres.
A series of panels with international speakers will discuss how to put nature conservation at the center of the development model. The crucial role of the Amazon for the resilience of our planet, the sustainable use of biodiversity, the links between biological diversity and the COVID-19 pandemic and other key issues to “rebuild better” in the post-COVID era will be addressed. -19.
Join the global conversation
To participate in the conversations of the #ForNature (#PorLaNaturaleza) campaign:
- Log in to UNEP’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, which will be linked from our Instagram bio.
- You will find conversation threads in Spanish at the top of our channels. Share with the world why action to conserve nature is important to you and use creative resources to express yourself (photos, videos, GIFs). Be sure to include the hashtags #ForNature and #WorldEnvironmentDay.
- Label a couple of people, organizations or companies in your response and ask them to tell the world why nature conservation is crucial and what they are doing about it.
Countless other activities to participate in as well as a calendar of virtual events can be found on the World Environment Day website.
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