BACKGROUND

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on 5th June every year. WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations (UN) stimulates worldwide awareness on environment and climate change to encourage political attention for positive environmental action.

WED was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972.

This year, the World Environment Day will be celebrated for the 43rd time globally and Rwanda celebrates WED in a special way by dedicating a whole week prior to 5th June as the National Environment Week (NEW).

WED is a good opportunity to build upon the success made when Rwanda hosted WED at the International level in 2010.

WED 2015 THEME

The theme for this year’s WED celebration is "Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care”. This theme aims to raise people’s awareness about the importance of sustainable production, consumption and sustainable lifestyles.

The theme is a timely reminder of our role in reducing our ecological footprints, water use, support enhanced biodiversity and minimise the amount of waste and use resources efficiently.