6 June 2013
World Environment Day Celebrations Focus on Reducing “Foodprints”
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Commemorated annually on 5 June since 1972, this year's World Environment Day (WED) was celebrated around the theme, 'Think.Eat.Save - Reduce Your Foodprint,' and highlighted the importance of achieving a sustainable food future through a reduction in food waste.

This year's celebrations were hosted by Mongolia, with thousands of activities taking place worldwide.

unep-world-environment-day5 June 2013: Commemorated annually on 5 June since 1972, this year’s World Environment Day (WED) was celebrated around the theme, ‘Think.Eat.Save – Reduce Your Foodprint,’ and highlighted the importance of achieving a sustainable food future through a reduction in food waste. This year’s celebrations were hosted by Mongolia, with thousands of activities taking place worldwide.

In a message to mark the Day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said WED’s theme underscored that food loss and waste “is something we can all address.” He noted that food production currently outstrips demand, yet 870 million people are undernourished globally. He drew attention to the Zero Hunger Challenge launched at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20, or UNCSD), and urged all actors to reduce food waste, minimize environmental impacts, and “move towards a world where everyone has enough to eat.”

Also to celebrate the Day, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) released a paper titled, ‘Reducing Food Loss and Waste,’ while Kenya’s Suzanna Owiyo, who was recently appointed as a UNEP National Goodwill Ambassador, launched the ‘Soko Bila Waste – Every little thing Counts’ initiative, which will sensitize vendors, consumers and farmers to the importance of reducing food waste. [World Environment Day Website] [CBD Executive Secretary Message] [UNEP Press Release on Food Waste Initiative] [IUCN Press Release] [IFAD Press Release] [UNCCD Press Release] [Bioversity International Press Release] [World Agroforestry Centre Press Release] [UN Secretary-General Message] [UN News Story] [UNEP Press Release on Shanghai Student Conference] [UNEP Press Release on Mongolian Host Celebrations] [UNEP Press Release on WED Preparations] [GEF News Release]

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