• The motto of the celebration appleas to people: “We can be the generation that finally makes peace with the Earth. We can be #GenerationRestoration"

This year's World Environment Day, June 5, the most significant international day for action aimed at protecting the environment, focuses on restoring the quality of the land, overcoming the risk of desertification, and building resilience under the motto "Our Earth. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.”

All over the world, ecosystems are threatened. Land degradation threatens the human rights to life, health, food, water, and a healthy environment. Land degradation affects 3.2 billion people, or 40% of the world's population, and mainly those who are least prepared for it: rural communities, smallholder farms, and the poor. By 2030, drought, land degradation, and desertification could force 135 million people to migrate as the climate crisis worsens. Land degradation could reduce global food production by 12%, causing food prices to increase by up to 30% by 2040, experts from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) predict.

World Environment Day is coordinated by UNEP and has been held annually since 1974, becoming the largest global platform for promoting environmental action. In 2024, it takes place with the message that successfully restoring the land requires an approach that harnesses the knowledge, drive, and ambition of all generations. The holiday's motto advocates global environmental change, inviting people as follows: “We can be the generation that finally makes peace with the Earth. We can be #GenerationRestoration.”

As every year, the team of the Ministry of Environment and Water has initiated numerous events and, together with thousands of people in Bulgaria and around the world, will celebrate the World Environment Day. In Sofia, the celebration will be held on June 5 at 6:00 p.m. in front of the "Cabana" Cinema (located in the Park of the National Palace of Culture) and is organized as part of the final informational event of the Operational Program "Environment 2014-2020". In the park there will be sculptures of the "inhabitants" and 28 boards with photos and information about the results from the implementation of the successful environmental projects under the OPE 2014-2020 as part of the results of the Cohesion Policy in Bulgaria. A hot air balloon will indicate the location of the event, and Dara, Stefan Valdobrev and the Usual Suspects will take care of everyone's good mood.

The Minister of Environment and Water Petar Dimitrov will be the guest of seventh-graders from the 120th Primary School "Georgi S. Rakovski" in the capital, to converse about how World Environment Day invites people to think about what can be changed in our everyday life. to reduce the damage caused by human pressure on land and nature.

An accompanying festive event in the capital, organized by the Environment Executive Agency (EEA) in partnership with the "Krasno Selo" district of Sofia Municipality, delighted children of various ages on Children's Day, June 1, in the Hipodrum Park. They had fun with many games, songs, dances and fairy-tale characters, among them the special assistant of the EEA team in environmental protection - Super Eco.

The regional divisions of the Ministry of Environment and Water will conduct over 60 diverse initiatives throughout the country in partnership with educational institutions and non-governmental organizations in individual regions. You can see the initiatives to be carried out HERE.

More about World Environment Day '2024