ISLAMABAD: World Envi­­ronment Day was observed across the globe, including Pakistan, on Sunday with an aim to emphasise importance of actions needed to improve environment.

The Ministry of Climate Change and other organisations working for protection of environment organised seminars and other events in the four provinces and federal capital.

The day, observed every year on June 5 on the call of the United Nations Environ­ment Programme (UNEP), promotes worldwide awareness and action for protection of environment. Over the years it has grown to be a broad, global platform for public outreach and is widely observed by stakeholders in over 100 countries.

It serves as the ‘people’s day’ for doing something positive for environment and convert individual actions into a collective power that generates an positive impact on the planet earth.

The day is observed to highlight a range of environmental problems, including climate change, waste management, unsustainable consumption, degradation of natural resources and extreme natural disasters.

Last month at the second UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, “Wild For Life” global campaign was laun­ched, led by the UNEP, the UN Development Prog­ram­­me, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the Conven­tion on the International Trade in Wild Species of Fauna and Flora.

The campaign asks everyone to pledge to end illegal trade in wildlife, from ordinary citizens who can ensure that they do not buy prohibited products, to governments who can pursue a change though implementing effective policies to protect species and ecosystems.

Angola, which is this year’s World Environment Day global host, has declared that it will no longer tolerate the sale of illegal wildlife products and is strengthening legislation and increasing border controls as part of efforts to restore elephant populations devastated by the country’s civil war.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2016