The theme of this year's Competition is Deserts and Desertification , mirroring the fact that 2006 has been designated the International year of Deserts and Desertification and it is also the theme for World Environment Day 2006. Around 1/3 of the world's population in the planet live in drylands. Their degradation and desertification is a very real threat to people's lives and livelihoods, as well as to the health of the planet as a whole.

Children who will be between the ages of 6 and 14 years on World Environment Day 2006 ( 5 June 2006 ) from Africa are invited to submit their paintings on the theme to the UNEP Regional Office for Africa by 20 January 2006 .

The Competition is organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Japan-based Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer AG and the Nikon Corporation.

Winners for the regional competitions will be announced in April 2006. Winners for the global competition will be announced on World Environment Day, 5 June 2006 . The regional first prize winners and the global winner will each receive a cash prize and a trip to the 2006 official World Environment Day celebrations in Algiers .

For full rules - including on guidelines and information on how to submit a painting, please see the Painting Competition website: http://www.unep.org/tunza/paintcomp15

For more information, please contact
Theodore Oben,
Head, Children and Youth Unit,
Division of Communications and Public Information, UNEP.
Tel: +254-20 623282;
E-mail: theodore.oben@unep.org

Entries from Africa should be sent to:

Information Officer
UNEP Regional Office for Africa (ROA)- Room A-120
P.O Box 30552
Nairobi 00100, KENYA
Phone :(254 20) 62 42 92
Fax: (254 20) 62 39 28
Email: roainfo@unep.org