The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), working in partnership to facilitate the global celebration of the United Nations World Wildlife Day 2019 (March 3), announced today the theme of the day as- ‘Life below water: for people and planet’.
The World Wildlife Day 2019 aligns closely with the Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life below water, which focuses on marine species, and will be an opportunity to highlight the critical issues and values of marine wildlife to our everyday lives. The occasion will also celebrate successful initiatives to conserve and sustainably manage these species, and to scale up support for future initiatives.
Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, UN Assistant Secretary General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme notes, “Oceans regulate our climate, produce half the oxygen we breathe, provide nourishment for 3+ billion people, and absorb 30% of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere and fully 90% of the heat from climate change. To ensure that oceans and marine species are preserved and protected, nature-based solutions that bring together public, private and civil society partners need to be replicated and scaled-up.”
…World Wildlife Day 2019 will be marked by a series of events and media activities around the world, including a high-level event at UN Headquarters in New York on 1 March (Friday). As part of these activities, CITES and UNDP are also partnering with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival to organize an international film showcase focusing on marine species – “Living Oceans Film Showcase”. The Film Showcase will help raise global awareness of the importance of life below water to our everyday lives, explore the critical challenges facing marine ecosystems, and highlight inspiring solutions.
