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.
* *** *
The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) is proud to join the world in celebrating World Water Day. The theme for this year's celebration is "Be the Change," highlighting the vital importance of water and how to protect and manage this precious resource for future generations.
The 8th Planetary Defense Conference (PDC) of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) organized with the support of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Geosciences Commission of the Austrian Academy of Sciences will bring together world experts to discuss human knowledge about potentially hazardous asteroids and comets and possible defensive action in the event that one of them is on a collision course with Earth.
"Nowruz marks new beginnings.
A “new day”.
A new year.
The arrival of spring and rebirth of nature.
For more than 300 million people around the world, it is a time for family and friends to come together, reflect on the past and look forward to a brighter future." — António Guterres
Global production of cocaine has jumped dramatically over the past two years following an initial slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
