Under the patronage of HM the King's Personal Representative and President of the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will mark the World Environment Day (WED), observed across the world on June 5, in cooperation with the SCE and the Bahrain Society of Engineers (BSE).
A workshop entitled "Bahrain and Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities" will be held at BSE headquarters in Juffair to mark the occasion.
As part of the International Year of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), this year's World Environment Day will focus on climate change under the theme of "Raise your voice, not the sea level".
The theme aims to shine the spotlight on Small Islands and their unique development challenges and successes, particularly climate change.
The UN team in Bahrain, the SCE and the BSE will join hands to address the climate change issue in the kingdom, being an SIDS country.
World Environment Day (WED) is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment. Over the years it has grown to be a broad, global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated by stakeholders in over 100 countries. It also serves as the ‘people’s day’ for doing something positive for the environment, galvanising individual actions into a collective power that generates an exponential positive impact on the planet.
The objectives of this year's WED are to help build momentum towards the Third International Conference on SIDS in September and encourage a greater understanding of the importance of SIDS and of the urgency to help protect the islands in the face of growing risks and vulnerabilities, particularly as a result of climate change.
WED will be an excellent opportunity to raise a call for solidarity with the islands.