Trees, Trash and Toxic Leaded Petrol Targeted in this Year's World Environment Day Celebrations in Kenya

Nairobi, 30 May 2002 - An ambitious tree planting scheme, an action plan to phase out poisonous leaded petrol in East Africa and clean ups of litter-strewn areas are among some of the highlights of this year's World Environment Day (WED) in Kenya.

Some 6,500 indigenous trees are to be planted in an environmentally damaged part of the Aberdare Mountains. The restoration scheme will improve the health of local rivers by retaining moisture in the land and by stabilizing soils. The initiative, backed by bodies including the Kenya Government's Forest Department, the Kijabe Environment Volunteers and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is also part of the "Responsible Consumer Behaviour" scheme. UNEP is planting sufficient trees to offset its use of paper at its headquarters here in Nairobi.

The action plan to phase out lead in petrol is to be drawn up by representatives of governments, industry and civil society from countries including Burundi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Kenya. They will be converging on UNEP headquarters for a workshop that takes place between June 5 and June 7.

Lead in petrol had been identified by experts across the globe as a health hazard. Children exposed to high levels of lead in the air appear to be less intelligent. Lead in petrol is also a key stumbling block to the introduction of cleaner fuels and vehicles, which could play a key role in reducing levels of a wide range of air pollutants in East African cities and towns.

Meanwhile 20 clean ups, with a major focus on the Makadara area of Nairobi, will take place on June 8. An exhibition at the National Museums, "Turning Trash into Cash", aims to demonstrate that rubbish and litter also have a value and can be recycled into a wide range of useful products.

The activities in Kenya are part of worldwide celebrations centred on the annual WED of 5 June. More than 100 countries are to mark this important day with this year's international host city being Shenzhen in China. "Despite formidable economic development over the past few decades, the city has proved a model of environmental stewardship in curbing pollution and managing the urban land in an Eco-friendly way", the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Klaus Toepfer said.

Here in Kenya, the main event this year will be held at Athi River, which is an export-processing zone. It is a fast growing small industrial town, faced with various environmental problems such as pollution, waste management, water treatment etc. Athi River will be used to create environmental awareness.

This being the Year of Mountains as well as the Year of Eco-tourism, a mini exhibition will bring together tourism operators and Wildlife services at the Village Market. An essay, art and photographic contest attracting school children and youth out of school is ongoing in Nairobi to demonstrate, in line with the global theme, how human activities have affected the environment.

At the United Nations complex in Nairobi, UNEP, Beiersdorf East Africa (BDF) and the International Amateur Athletics Association (IAAF) will jointly hold the NIVEA Environmental Run and information fair for school children at the UN grounds in Gigiri on 5 June. The event will feature over 200 students, aged between 15 and 17 years old, drawn from local and international schools in Nairobi. It will kick off with a run of

2.5 kilometres. The two winning schools will receive exciting prizes, which include a weekend at Crater Lake and a day trip to Paradise Lost. After the run, UNEP will hold an Environment Information Fair, which will give the students an insight into various environmental issues. The activities at Headquarters will also include a photo exhibition and games including a raffle with many valuable prizes.

According to Mr. Toepfer, this year's theme, "Give Earth a Chance", "calls on each and every one of us to contribute to the healing of the ailing planet. In spite of considerable efforts and significant achievements, many of the problems that plagued the Earth during the twentieth century, still linger. More than ever, we need to take the necessary steps to ensure that the environment remains at the top of the global agenda".

This theme, the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan said "is meant to convey a message of urgency about the state of the earth and the broader quest for sustainable development". This Day is one of the principal avenues through which the United Nations stimulates world-wide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

Note to editors:

World Environment Day is a people's event with colourful activities such as street rallies, bicycle parades, green concerts, essays and poster competitions in schools, tree planting, as well as recycling and clean-up campaigns.

All sectors including communication, airlines, restaurants, industries, shopping centres, public service and relief services are coming together to support this edition of the WED. The main sponsors include: Kencell Communications, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Hotel Inter-Continental Nairobi, Beiersdorf East Africa, Standard Chartered Bank Kenya, Tysons Ltd, Pembe Flour Mills, Ultimate Security, Postal Corporations of Kenya, Bus Track and British Airways.

World Environment Day is also a multi-media event, which inspires thousands of journalists to write and report enthusiastically and critically on the environment. In Nairobi, Capital FM, KISS FM, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, Kenya Television Network and East African Standard Newspaper have devoted themselves to promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues. The Postal Corporation of Kenya has kindly agreed to prepare a "slogan dye" with the WED 2002 logo on it and will stamp this logo on all mail going through the major post offices in Kenya between 1 and 5 June 2002 (General Post Office (GPO) Nairobi City Square Nairobi, Mombassa and Kisumu).

The United Nations General Assembly established World Environment Day in 1972, to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. WED is commemorated each year on 5 June.

You are invited to attend these events. Feel free to send a colleague if you cannot attend.

For details of the events please contact: Angele Luh, Regional Information Officer at Tel: 254 2 624292, Fax: 254 2 623928, E-mail: Angele.Luh@unep.org or David Ombisi, Programme Assistant, Regional office for Africa, Tel: 254 2 624221, Fax: 254 2 623928, E-mail: David.Ombisi@unep.org or Patricia L. Jacobs, Associate Information Officer, UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya on Tel: 254 2 623088, Mobile 0722 520231; fax: 632692,

e-mail: patricia.jacobs@unep.org

UNEP News Release 2002/41