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AFRICA
ALGERIA
In Algeria, an exhibit of
forest products, a book fair, tree planting, a video screening and an exhibit
of posters and photos on the environment marked World Environment Day.
The Prefecture of Wilaya
de Bejaia organized a number of successful activities, including an exhibit,
a prize-giving ceremony and a film screening. On 3 and 4 June operation
"Clean the Mediterranean" took place and 26 beaches were cleaned.
This endeavour was undertaken in collaboration with the Department of Tourism,
the Islamic Scouts of Algeria and various ecological clubs.
On 5 June, in the presence
of the head of the prefecture and the Director of the Technical Service,
a ceremony in the Cultural Centre of the City was held where prizes to
the winners of the painting competition on the environment were presented.
This effort was undertaken in collaboration with the Department of Education
and involved primary and secondary school students. A collage of the various
works was presented to the students on that occasion.
In Tazalt, in collaboration
with the Department of the Environment, the ecological club organized,
from 5-7 June, an exhibit on the environment at the public garden of the
town. In addition, conferences on the environment and hygiene were held.
In the town of Ouzelaguen,
the Mayorís office organized an exhibit on community hygiene. In addition,
information was disseminated to schools on the importance of hygienic practices
and on the preservation of the environment.
In the town of Sidi-Aick,
the Sanitation Department organized an awareness day on water-borne diseases.
Information on the recycling and treatment of solid waste from urban centres
was also disseminated.
In the town of Timezit, City
Hall organized a conference and an exhibit on the environment, as well
as environmental education courses in schools.
BOTSWANA
World Environment Day in
Botswana was commemorated in schools. Activities included environmental
drama, quizzes, debates and lectures on the importance of the protection
of the environment to society.
CAMEROON
In Cameroon, World Environment
Day was commemorated for one month from 5 May to 5 June. Activities undertaken
included a rally, an exhibition and a guided tour of thematic parks and
sites of environmental importance to the municipality.
COTE DíIVOIRE
Every year, Cote díIvoire
celebrates World Environment Day by organizing a number of environmental
awareness and education activities aimed at all segments of society. This
year was no exception.
ETHIOPIA
The 1999 World Environment
Day (WED) was celebrated in Addis Ababa and the regions with a range of
activities, under the theme, Our Earth Our Future, Save It Keep It Clean
and Green.
The Environmental Protection
Authority, as a lead organization for environmental matters, created the
forum to bring together the stakeholders, including governmental, non-governmental
and international organizations, business, embassies, religious institutions,
schools and individuals.
The WED Organizing Committee
consisted of the Environmental Education and Public Relations Service of
the Environmental Protection Authority, the Addis Ababa City Administration
Environmental Protection Bureau, the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History
Society, the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce, the Addis Ababa City Administration
Education Bureau, the Addis Ababa City Administration Health Bureau, the
Organization of African Unity (OAU) and Forum for the Environment.
The following activities
were carried out from the 4 to 6 June 1999:
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Cleaning residential areas,
streets, factory premises school compounds, hospitals and clinics in Addis
Ababa;
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of Addis Ababa;
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A youth march took place in
the capital with youngsters singing and calling for urgent actions to clean
the environment;
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A school music band and the
Federal Police brass band played at the main squares and in the streets
of the capital;
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Several hundred students marched
from four directions and converged on Mesquel Square (the cityís main square),
where Seleshi Demisse known as "Gashe Aberra Molla" and his group performed.
On 5 June, at the Economic Commission
for Africa (ECA), the main event was attended by representatives from community,
government, non-governmental and international organizations, individuals
and school children. The gathering was addressed by His Excellency Dr.
Mohammed Seraye, Deputy Speaker of the House of the Federation of the Democratic
Republic of Ethiopia, Dr. Tewolde B. Gebre Egziabher, the General Manager
of the Environmental Protection Authority, Mr. Samuel Nyambe, Resident
Representative of UNEP and the representative of the Royal Netherlands
Embassy.
In addition, seedlings were
planted on a hill outside Addis Ababa. Promotional materials carrying environmental
messages were produced and distributed, including posters, banners, sun-visors,
stickers, T-shirts, bags.
Young people commemorated the
day in their schools with environmental drama and lectures on the environment.
Members of the Environmental Protection Clubs and interested teachers decorated
high schools by: preparing gardens with plants; planting 500 Eucalyptus
trees and producing a drama entitled "Deforestation". Lectures were
also given by agricultural experts from the forestry and health departments.
The discussion, which ensued, dealt with global warming and its effects.
World Environment Day was
also celebrated by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in cooperation
with the Ethiopian authorities.
The events were extensively
covered by the media. Ethiopian television and radio gave ample airtime
for panel discussions and special programmes. Newspapers also covered the
events and why WED has to be celebrated.
GABON
World Environment Day was
marked by a beach clean-up operation in which high school students, NGOs,
government officials and UNDP participated. In addition, the National School
of Water and Forests, supported by UNDP, assisted an eco-
touristic area. UNDP organized
two activities at the UNís multi-media centre, including an Internet "Chat"
between young people from Gabon, Thailand, Switzerland, Italy and the United
States.
On the night of 4 and 5 June,
75 messages were exchanged. Electronic messages were also sent to the major
forestry companies and the Minister of Environment gave a speech on the
environment.
GUINEA
In the Republic of Guinea,
World Environment Day was celebrated by the pilot education programme,
Ecole
Propre,Ecole Verte (Global 500 laureate) with a competition of the
best drawings, songs and drama on the environment. Thanks to the financial
support of UNICEF, 15 prizes were awarded to the winners on 5 June at the
primary school Kipe 11. This school was chosen as the venue of the main
celebrations because of the example it has set in the areas of hygiene,
health and the protection of the environment. In addition, this school
was able to set-up, thanks to contributions and support from the community,
a block comprising 15 latrines. This effort provided an excellent opportunity
to demonstrate to other institutions what is possible. The event received
a great deal of media coverage on radio, television and in newspapers.
KENYA
World Environment Day was
also commemorated in an enthusiastic way throughout Kenya during a one-week
period. The programme, coordinated by the Regional Office for Africa (ROA)
in collaboration with UNEPís Communications and Public Information (CPI)
Branch and the Resource Mobilization Unit, as well as Kenyaís National
Environment Secretariat (NES), was made possible by the generous contribution
of a number of private sector sponsors, including CFC Bank, KLM, Barclays
Bank, Xerox LTD, Lacote, Acharya Travel Agencies, Co-op Bank, Agip (K)
and the Village Market.
The main national celebration
took place in Namanga and was attended by the Assistant Minister of Environment,
Mr. Mohammed Affey, and the Officer-in-Charge of ROA. Activities included
ipomea weed control, pollution control, exhibitions, clean-up campaigns
and tree planting.
NES mobilized all schools in
activities such as plays and drama based on UNEPís theme, which was translated
into Kiswahili. A national art competition launched by the UNEP Youth Advisory
Council for Eastern Africa (YAC-EA) and other NGOs used the same theme.
UNEP and NES also launched
a search for Kenyaís top 50 success stories in the field of the environment
at rural level, and the winners were announced on WED. Eco-Fest, a family
event, was held at Nairobiís arboretum and a song especially composed for
WED was sung at the UNEP Headquarters celebrations on 4 June.
In addition, a 1,000-gallon
water tank at Nairobiís Hawkers Market (a donation from the Childrenís
Hope foundation) was launched by the wife of the British High Commissioner
to Kenya, FAO and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
(WAGGGS). An environmental initiative for young people called: PLANT-A-TREE,
aimed at enhancing environmental awareness among school children, through
wild life clubs, was also organized.
The Youth Wildlife and Environment
Movement (YWEM) at Egerton University seized World Environment Day to organize
simple but enjoyable activities aimed at empowering people by creating
awareness and promoting practical involvement of young and old alike. These
included a tree planting ceremony, video shows and a birdwatching walk
at the Egerton University Njoro Campus situated about 25km from Nakuru
town, the leading commercial and administrative center in the Rift-Valley
province of Kenya.
The highlight of the event
was the tree planting on Friday, 4 June 1999 led by the Universityís Vice-Chancellor,
Professor Japheth Kiptoon along Egerton Avenue. The messages from the UN-Secretary-General,
Kofi Annan and from the Executive Director of UNEP, Klaus Toepfer, were
read by the Director of YWEM and the Programme Coordinator of the Faculty
of Environmental Studies and Natural Resources.
WED activities received extensive
coverage in Kenyaís English and Kiswahili media. Banners carrying UNEPís
and the sponsorsí logos were placed strategically throughout the capital.
UNEP-Headquarters
World Environment Day í99
was also marked in a significant way at UNEP Headquarters, Gigiri. The
three-hour programme, attended by some 300 staff, began with an official
ceremony presided by the Deputy Executive Director, Shafqat Kakakhel and
was graced by Kenyaís Minister of Environment, Mohammed Affey, UN Under
Secretary-General for Human Resources, Rafia Salim, and a number of ambassadors
and permanent representatives. Dance, drama and musical performances, revolving
around the WED theme and environmental issues added a celebratory air to
the event.
A tree planting ceremony
where the Deputy Executive Director and the Minister of Environment planted
fruit trees followed the official programme. Following the tree planting,
United Nations Staff turned out in record numbers for a luncheon, which
was organized by UNEP and UNON staff on the occasion of WED. Many staff
donned their national dress and the food tents were adorned with national
and regional decorations. The permanent missions to UNEP demonstrated their
support, not only by their attendance, but also by generously contributing
to the wide array of national dishes. Once guests and staff had a chance
to sample delicacies from all of the regions, the Deputy Executive Director
thanked everyone for their involvement and wished all a happy and successful
WED. UNEP is most grateful to the permanent representatives for their active
participation. At the end of the luncheon, eight raffle prizes donated
by various UNEP vendors and partners were drawn. TOP
SENEGAL
World Environment Day in
Senegal, was used to solidify bilateral relationship between Nations. The
Moroccan Minister of Environment and Chairman of the Corporate Sector Confederation
signed an agreement aimed at working together towards environmental protection.
SIERRA LEONE
In Sierra Leone, World Environment
Day was commemorated with a clean up campaign, which began on 5 June and
ended on 18 August. The exercise coordinated by the organization Happy
Environment and Living Through Hygiene (HEALTH), was undertaken in collaboration
with several youth groups, institutions, NGOs and the Department of Agriculture,
Forestry and the Environment. More than 1,000 trees were planted on the
parade grounds in the capital Freetown.
On 18 August, the pupils
of Class 6 of Murraydeen Preparatory School organized the last clean up
by filling four garbage bags with various waste.
SOMALIA
The celebration of World
Environment Day in Somali-land was held in a zoo where a display of wild
animals soon to be extinct was held. Other activities included a workshop
on hunting, poaching and tree cutting, as well as sports events, tree planting,
environmental drama and art exhibitions.
ZAMBIA
World Environment Day 1999,
under the theme Our Earth, Our Future, Letís Save It! focused on
activities involving the youth to interpret the theme for their future
benefit. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and Environmental
Council of Zambia also participated actively in youth activities during
scout days by offering technical services.
ZANZIBAR
World Environment Day was
celebrated at the International School of Zanzibar. The children and staff
concentrated on recycling. They used rubbish bins made of fuel barrels
(donated by BP Tanzania), and introduced the concept of sorting out waste
into separate bins, each labeled for its proper use. The results of the
different recycling projects were displayed and sold to fund raise for
the development of the school.
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