The UNCCD - CBM at the UN Day 2018

23 October 2018
Story

Last 20th of October 2018, the UNCCD as well as other UN organizations present in Bonn, organized the UN Day which took place in Bonn’s Markt Platz. This year, the event had the theme "Leaving no one behind".

For this event, the UNCCD - CBM prepared a list of activities involving the general public of all ages.

For the kids, the CBM prepared ‘Escape from the Labyrinth of Desertification’ where the youngest were challenged with the chance to win UNCCD t-shirts, Mandalas and other UNCCD material.

For the general public, the UNCCD - CBM prepared, with other fellow UNCCD interns a special Quiz, where the audience had to answer questions as regards 8 relevant UNCCD categories (Drought, Migration, Food Security, Sand & Dust Storms, Land Degradation Neutrality, Sustainable Development Goals, Gender and Sustainable Land Management). In this way participants got a glimpse of the global challenges threatening the future of mankind.

There was a Crosswords Puzzle, where the audience was challenged to find key words and key initiatives of the UNCCD such as (Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Development, Biodiversity, Desertification, Life on Land, the Great Green Wall, Soil Erosion, Deforestation, among others).

A lot of the attendants had the chance to support the UNCCD with signs of SDG15 and SDG13.5, World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD2018) or Life on Land. Among the many visitors who came to support UNCCD and its work, were the Mayor of Bonn Mr. Ashok Alexander Sridharan and the Consul General of Turkey in Cologne Mr. Baris Ceyhun Erciyes.

The objectives of the UNCCD - CBM at the UN Day were to increase engagement through the raising of awareness as regards the role of the UNCCD within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030, the importance of land as a key element to stand up for sustainable development and the purpose and activities of the Capacity Building Marketplace (CBM) hailed as an exemplary platform made BY and FOR people.

Attendants were informed about the CBM exhibitions and events carried out in 2018 as well as how to make use of the Marketplace website in simple steps.

The UNCCD – CBM believes that events of this nature are crucial to engage the general public in supporting the United Nations, the UNCCD in addressing the global environmental challenges we face. This UNCCD exercise has been coordinated by Ms. Katya Arapnakova (UNCCD Librarian), with the participation of different senior UNCCD officers, UNCCD interns and the full UNCCD - CBM Team.