Bonn,
5 June 2012 - World Environment Day (WED), being
celebrated around the world on 5 June each year, is the
biggest and most widely celebrated UN global day for positive
environmental action.

WED celebrations began in 1972 and this
year, Brazil as host of the Rio+20 Summit, is preparing
to lead what promises to be the largest WED celebrations
in the event’s four-decade history.

Under the WED 2012 theme “Green
Economy: Does it Include You?” people
across the world are set to carry out thousands of environmental
activities promoting the central role of communities in
the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient and socially
inclusive green economy. So far, more than 9,000 activities
from Wellington to Warsaw have already been registered for
WED 2012.

WED 2012 officially launches the Rio+20
Summit in Brazil, which will take place just
over one week later and where the Green Economy in the context
of sustainable development and poverty eradication will
be one of the central themes.

Highlights of the WED 2012 in Brazil will,
for example, include the planting of the first of 50,000
new trees with the UNEP
Goodwill Ambassador Giselle Bündchen.

Other highlights will be the Global Launch
of the UNEP Global Environment Outlook 5 (GEO) on 6 June
2012, which is one of the most comprehensive UN global environmental
assessment reports.

World Environment Day (WED) was established
by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of
the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Through
WED, the UN Environment Programme is able to give a human
face to environmental issues, empower people to become active
agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable
development and advocate partnerships which will ensure
that all nations and peoples enjoy a safer more prosperous
future.

To mark WED 2012 the United Nation's Champions
of the Earth 2012 Award, was also presented to six individuals
whose actions and leadership have demonstrated commitment
to building a sustainable future for the planet through
their work and who have had a positive impact on the environment.

For more information and to learn how you
can participate, please visit the WED campaign website:
www.unep.org/wed