UNIS/SGSM/1300
1 March 2023
On World Wildlife Day, we reflect on our responsibility to protect the magnificent diversity of life on our planet.
And we recognize our abject failure.
Human activities are laying waste to once-thriving forests, jungles, farmland, oceans, rivers, seas, and lakes.
One million species teeter on the brink of extinction, due to habitat destruction, fossil fuel pollution and the worsening climate crisis.
We must end this war on nature.
The good news is that we have the tools, the knowledge, and the solutions.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which has helped protect thousands of plants and animals.
And last year’s agreement on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework marked an important step towards putting our planet on a path to healing.
As this year’s theme – ‘Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation’ – highlights, we need to work across governments, civil society, and the private sector to turn commitment into action.
And we need much bolder actions now to cut emissions, accelerate renewables, and build climate resilience.
Throughout, we need to place the voices of local communities and indigenous people – our world’s most effective guardians of biodiversity – front and centre.
Today and every day, let us all do our part to preserve natural habitats and build a thriving future for all living beings.
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"On this International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, I call on countries to heed the lessons of past health emergencies to help prepare for the next." — António Guterres
The new Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations (Vienna), Matilda Aku Alomatu Osei-Agyeman, presented her credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
The new Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the United Nations (Vienna), Andrew Williams, presented his credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
The new Permanent Representative of Armenia to the United Nations (Vienna), Andranik Hovhannisyan, presented his credentials today to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Ghada Waly.
