UNECA Executive Secretary Abdoulie Janneh, on the occasion of a tree-planting ceremony in celebration of Nelson Mandela International Day, highlighted that the human and environmental benefits of planting trees will touch and change the lives of millions of people, and said the ceremony was a vehicle to strengthen the sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of forests.
18 July 2011: In a statement on the occasion of Nelson Mandela International Day, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Executive Secretary Abdoulie Janneh said the human and environmental benefits of planting trees will touch and change the lives of millions of people.
The statement was read at a tree-planting ceremony in Entoto National Park, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, organized by the South African embassy, for which UNECA contributed 200 trees.
Noting that 2011 is the International Year of Forests, Janneh said the celebrations had made Nelson Mandela International Day a unique and important vehicle to raise awareness and strengthen the sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations. [UNECA Press Release]