UN Day celebration in Bonn: United to address the climate change

Bonn, 14 October 2017 – The historic Marktplatz in the center of Bonn came alive with lively crowds, festive music, fun activities and colorful balloons as the UN Day celebration unfolded. The UNCCD secretariat joined in the festivities to promote the role of sustainable land management in addressing climate change-related issues and the importance of combating land degradation and desertification to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030. 

UNCCD Deputy Executive Secretary Dr. Pradeep Monga together with Lord Mayor of Bonn Mr. Ashok Sridharan welcomed thousands of visitors to the celebration that took place under the slogan adopted by nineteen UN organizations based in the city, “Shaping a sustainable future.” In his opening speech, Dr. Monga congratulated the city of Bonn on “thinking globally, acting locally” in matters of sustainability, setting the example for others.  

Dr. Monga also highlighted the role of UN Bonn in strengthening local and global partnerships to achieve a sustainable, climate-resilient and inclusive future by building the capacity of stakeholders and supporting education and training, promoting volunteerism, health and human security, biodiversity conservation and disaster risk reduction.

The UNCCD exhibition stand received hundreds of visitors who asked for information on secretariat’s work and shared their views on land issues. More than 90 participants took the Capacity Building Marketplace quiz, and over 200 people signed the #LoveLand4Climate petition to show their solidarity in promoting sustainable land management for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

You can get a glimpse of the UN Day in Bonn by visiting Flickr.