World Environment Day 2021 calls for urgent ecosystem restoration

MEDIA ADVISORY

Where: Global

Date: 5 June 2021

More information: https://www.worldenvironmentday.global

What:

Celebrated every year on June 5, World Environment Day is the United Nations’ biggest annual event for positive environmental action to encourage worldwide awareness of the need to protect our planet. Since the first World Environment Day in 1974, the event has grown to become a global platform for positive public outreach on the environment in over 100 countries. 

The 2021 World Environment Day is hosted by Pakistan on the theme of “Ecosystem Restoration” under the campaign “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.”This year, the Day will also serve as the formal launch of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030. The official hashtags for the Day are #GenerationRestoration and #WorldEnvironmentDay. Celebrations around the world take place with a hybrid of digital and in-person events. 

Ecosystem Restoration



This year, World Environment Day calls for urgent action to revive our damaged ecosystems.

Humans are losing and destroying the foundations of our survival at an alarming rate. Over 4.7 million hectares of forests – an area larger than Denmark – are lost every year.

As a result, ecosystem loss is depriving the world of carbon sinks such as forests and peatlands. Global greenhouse gas emissions have grown for three consecutive years and the planet is on track for potentially catastrophic climate change.

By shrinking the area of natural habitat for wildlife, we have created ideal conditions for pathogens – including coronaviruses – to spread, something that has been brought into sharp focus with the emergence of COVID-19.

Events to watch out for on UNEP’s website and social media platforms:

World Environment Day 2021 will see the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: A global rallying cry for everyone – from governments to corporations and citizens – to do their part in healing our ailing planet. 

• The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) will be officially launched through a virtual event on June 4, 13:00 UCT. The event will bring together a colourful and dynamic program of high-level dignitaries announcing their commitments to restoration and the Decade, celebrities, restoration practitioners, indigenous community leaders, scientists, poets, musical performance and visual impressions of restoration success stories.

Confirmed speakers include:

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres
• Pakistan’s Prime Minister and World Environment Day Host Imran Khan
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel
• President of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chairperson of the African Union Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi
• Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley
• A message by Pope Francis
• Dr. Jane Goodall
• UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Gisele Bundchen
• Musical performances by Reggae-singer Rocky Dawuni, DJ Don Diablo and many more.

• Accompanying this is a global restoration report by UNEP: Becoming#GenerationRestoration: Ecosystem Restoration for People, Nature and Climate - to be released on 3 June 2021. The report documents how restoration meets multiple needs, the financial investment required for it in the coming decade, and the expected returns for people and nature.

• As part of its celebrations as host country for World Environment Day 2021, Pakistan is celebrating the completion of a billion trees as part of its 10 billion Tree drive and also taking up a large voluntary pledge under the Bonn Challenge, also a new Marine Protected Area and innovative announcement around Nature financing including flotation of the country’s first Green bond. Also expected is the announcement to initiate a Global Alliance of Ecosystem Restoration together with other interested partner countries to be finalized later.

Pakistan will make the announcement as part of the main host-country event, taking place at the Jinnah Convention Center in Islamabad and officiated by Prime Minister Imran Khan with the participation from a host of dignitaries from around the world including, Inger Andersen, UNEP’s Executive Director, and senior officials from The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN-Habitat, UNDP among others as well as from the governments of Germany and Saudi Arabia. The event will also feature songs and videos on Pakistan’s Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme.

• World Environment Day features a truly inspiring speaker this year. The young poet, Jordan Sanchez, has an interesting background: born and raised in the Bronx, New York City of Puerto Rican, Congolese, and Togolese descent and she has first gained prominence when she was a finalist at the 2019 Climate Speaks Program.

Her interests are predominantly around environmental justice and the disproportionate impacts of climate change and pollution on people of color, a theme more relevant than ever in 2021. While the topic is poignant, Jordan has a skill of framing it around solutions and with optimism, as you can see in her latest poem: https://youtu.be/zohtgdQtEHo. Read more about Jordan here.

For more activities, browse through this extensive list of events hosted by UNEP and supporters, featuring high level speakers, expert panels, virtual tours of products and places, Goodwill Ambassadors, Young Champions of the Earth, film screenings, music sessions and other events taking place in Pakistan, the World Environment Day host country.

For more information, interviews and details, contact:

• Keishamaza Rukikaire, Head of News and Media, UNEP, rukikaire@un.org
• Moses Osani, UNEP News and Media, moses.osani@un.org
• You can also reach out to our regional offices.