• Overview
  • Schedule

World Environment Day 2024

Join the #GenerationRestoration action in Bangkok on 5 June!

World Environment Day is celebrated annually on 5 June to put a spotlight on environmental challenges of our time. World Environment Day 2024 focuses on land restoration, stopping desertification and building drought resilience. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the global host of this year's edition. 

Asia and the Pacific is exceptionally rich in biodiversity. Land-use changes and land degradation caused by factors such as extensive agriculture, deforestation and unmanaged urbanization and sprawl, are reducing the biodiversity of many land ecosystems. Healthy soils store massive amounts of carbon, which, if released, would cause a huge spike in planetary warming. Changes in water courses, pollution and unsustainable consumption of water resources are causing water-related stress and reduced aquatic biodiversity. Globally the equivalent of one football pitch of soil is eroded every 5 seconds. Yet, it takes 1,000 years to generate 3 centimetres of topsoil.

The Asia and the Pacific region, home to two-thirds of the world’s population, is facing increasing impacts of water stress and land degradation. These are being caused by a number of factors, including population growth, rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, and a changing climate that is accelerating droughts. The majority of people in Asia and the Pacific live in cities, with increasing urbanisation expected to increase the impacts of water stress and urban droughts. Cities produce more than half of global waste and at least 60 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, which result in polluting waterways and further reducing available freshwater.

Through the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), actors are scaling solutions for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, including in Asia and the Pacific, to increase drought and climate resilience and reduce land degradation. By restoring land and productive systems, humanity can secure a nature-positive, net-zero future, safeguarding a healthy planet for all.

On 5 June 2024, UNEP and ESCAP are bringing together partners and stakeholders in Asia and the Pacific to discuss priority areas on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience in the region. The event will explore solutions applicable for the region, such as circular water resource use, sustainable food production and drought resilient urban development.

Registration: https://indico.un.org/event/1011718/ 

Zoom link for online participation: https://zoom.us/j/92551030591 (passcode: WED@5June)

05 Jun 2024

Time & Place
Event Details
09:00
Opening Session Remarks, Mr. Renaud Meyer, Acting United Nations Resident Coordinator for Thailand
Welcoming remarks from hosts UNEP and UNESCAP
Opening of World Environment Day 2024, pre-recorded video Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director
09:15
Session 1 – Restoring nature and lives with the Decade of Ecosystems Restoration Co-organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Moderator: Dr. Dindo Campilan, Regional Director for IUCN Asia and the Pacific

Introducing the Decade of Ecosystems Restoration and restoration awards 2024
- Sheila Wertz, Forestry and Biodiversity Module Leader and Senior Forestry Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
- Makiko Yashiro, Regional Coordinator for Nature Action, UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

Deep dive into ecosystems restoration through World Restoration Flagships
- Ananta Bhandari, Head of Forest and Landscape Program, WWF Nepal – Terai Arc Landscape
- Willy Missack, National Consultant, FAO – Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Flagship
- Apri Susanto Astra, Programme Coordinator Coasts and Deltas, Wetlands International Indonesia – Building with Nature

Q&A
10:15
Session 2 – Getting ready for the dry years Moderator: Flavia Reale, Programme Management Officer, ESCAP

Investing in multi-hazard early warning systems for drought
- Temily Baker, Programme Management Officer, Disaster Risk Section, UNESCAP
- Groundwater and urban water management under changing climate and demands
- Thanapon Piman, Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute

Discussion and Q&A

Japan’s approach to marine plastic pollution
- Tomoe Kotani, Deputy Director Division of Global Environment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan

Q&A
11:15
Break 15-minute break
11:30
Session 3 – World Environment Day 2024 flagship event for Asia and the Pacific Moderator: Lily Riahi, Programme Management Officer, UNEP

High-level opening of World Environment Day flagship event
- Representative of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (speaker tbc)
- Marlene Nilsson, Deputy Regional Director, UNEP Asia and the Pacific
- Sangmin Nam, Director, Environment and Development Division, UNESCAP

Local Government Action: example from Bangkok
- Pornphrom Vikistreth, Advisor to the Governor of Bangkok, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration

Restoring a river ecosystem to sustain livelihoods and increase climate resilience
- Aban Marker Kabraji, UNDCO Senior Advisor Climate Change and Biodiversity
- Regional Premiere of the RESTORE: Living Indus Initiative’s video

Quiz on World Environment Day

Closing
00:30
Lunch reception Lunch reception in front of Theatre Room