Bamyan – In celebration of World Environment Day 2015, UN Environment and Afghanistan’s National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA) hosted a week of events in the Central Highlands to raise awareness and bring together a broad spectrum of stakeholders around the topics of climate change and environmental resilience.
The week of activities, which lasted from 05-09 June, included the official declaration of the Shah Foladi as the country’s latest protected area, a field visit with senior government officials to Band-e Amir, treks in the iconic landscape of the Koh-e Baba mountains, and conferences on climate change and resilience in Bamyan and Daikundi provinces. The events brought together more than 150 participants from government, civil society, and academia to address the country’s urgent environmental needs.
Participants at one conference on climate change and resilience in Afghanistan
This year, H.E. President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Mr. Abdullah Abdullah, and the Cabinet of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan officially declared that henceforth 05-12 June will be celebrated annually as Environment Week in Afghanistan.
“This year’s events have shown the way forward for environmental collaboration in Afghanistan” said Mr. Andrew Scanlon, UN Environment Afghanistan Country Programme Manager. “Exploring the ecological treasures and beauty of Afghanistan’s mountain areas and sharing this with all citizens is a clear path to peace for this wonderful country” he continued.
Every year World Environment Day provides Afghanistan with a valuable platform for raising greater public awareness about the importance of conserving its environment and safeguarding natural resources and rural livelihoods. This year, considerable outreach was achieved through campaign and advocacy events, hosting of conferences, and media engagement via radio and print.
UN Environment’s activities for World Environment Day 2015 form an integral part of UN Environment’s Building Environmental Resilience in Afghanistan (BERA) programme, made possible by the generous support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Department for International Development (DFID), European Commission, and the Ministry of Environment of Estonia.
For more information, please contact:
Andrew Scanlon, Country Programme Manager, UN Environment Afghanistan,andrew.scanlon[at]unep.org
Saeeda Gouhari, Knowledge Management Unit Coordinator, UN Environment Afghanistan,saeeda.gouhari[at]unep.org
Sophie Brown, Communications Advisor, UN Environment Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch, sophie.brown[at]unep.org
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