World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on June 5 every year and has been celebrated since 1972. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly to commemorate the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. It is on the same day, that the General Assembly created the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which is now the United Nations’ principal agency for environmental action. Over the years, the day has focused on such issues as acid rain, oceans, water, ‘green cities’, desertification, climate change, air pollution. WED is one of the practical channels through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances both individual and political attention and action. Last year (2008), the international WED celebrations were centered in New Zealand with focus on Fostering Low-Carbon Economies. Uganda’s national WED celebrations were held at Arua Grounds, Arua town, in Arua District under the local theme “Save Energy for Better Livelihood” derived from the global theme. The day gives all of us chance to play part in our own capacities to contribute towards ensuring sustainable development.

Theme for WED 2011 Celebrations and Justification

The global host country for 2011 is India, a country in which forests constitute more than 20 percent of geographical land mass. India is the second most populous nation in the world with around 1.2 billion people. It has the seventh largest land mass on the planet, 3.28 million square kilometers, providing home to a largely Hindu population. The country faces serious environmental challenges related to population increase and uncontrolled urbanization, industrialization, and the massive intensification of agriculture. The problems include deforestation, pollution, loss of water resources and wildlife trade.

This year’s World Environment Day theme – Forests: Nature at Your Service the need for both conservation and sustainable use of forests. World Environment Day 2011 will help to raise awareness on the serious impacts of deforestation and forest degradation. This will serve to protect the habitat for species. Engaging governments, NGOs, private sector and individuals in action and spreading the word on the importance of forests will preserve ecosystems and encourage sustainable use of forests.

Uganda's Theme for 2011 Celebrations

This year 2011, Uganda will commemorate International Year of Forests (IYF) and the local theme is “Plant a Tree: Save Life” With the current encroachments on the forests, Uganda should use this opportunity to direct efforts to recovering degraded forests and other ecosystems. Since we still depend so much on our biomass for our energy needs, we should re-emphasize tree planting to create a renewable and dependable energy base as well as maintain our forest. Sustainable oil exploration should also be emphasized to prevent the environmental problems such as biodiversity loss that have been seen in some oil-rich countries in the past