SERIES OF EVENTS AT UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS WILL MARK WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, 5 JUNE

4 June 1997

Press Release
OBV/6
UNEP/7

SERIES OF EVENTS AT UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS WILL MARK WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, 5 JUNE

19970604 Programme by UNEP Will Recognize 25 Years Of International Commitment to Environmental Protection

NEW YORK, 3 June (UNEP) -- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will recognize 25 years of international commitment to global environmental protection at a series of events at United Nations Headquarters on World Environment Day, Thursday, 5 June.

The Day will involve leading figures from the scientific, business and entertainment communities, who will bring their unique perspectives to the current state of the environment, highlighting future environmental challenges and possible ways to address them. It will also mark the twentieth anniversary of the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, which led to the creation of UNEP. Parallel events will take place in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

The highlight of the Day will be an expert symposium, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. in Conference Room 4, organized by UNEP in association with the Permanent Missions of the Republic of Korea and Sweden. Among the featured speakers will be Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, who will speak on "The United Nations General Assembly Special Session: From Vision to Action". Tom Lovejoy, Counsellor for Biodiversity and Environmental Affairs to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, will consider "A Scientific Assessment of the State of the Earth", while Irving Mintzer, Executive Editor of "Global Change" magazine, will address the question of "Climate Change: From Scientific Assessment to Political Action".

Sylvia Earle, Oceanographer and Chairman of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research, will speak on the theme "From Lands to Seas: The Persistence of Human Impact". Paul Tebo, Vice-President of the Safety, Health and Environment Excellence Center of E.I. DuPont, will speak on the topic "From Risks to Benefits: The Industrial Perspective", while Linda Descano, Vice-President for Environmental Affairs of Salomon, Inc., will speak on "From Risks to Benefits: The Financial Perspective".

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The afternoon session will also include video messages from the Prime Minister of Sweden and the President of the Republic of Korea. In addition, participants will hear the introduction of the "Seoul Declaration on Environmental Ethics", to be launched earlier that day in Seoul.

The Day will conclude with a reception, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Public Lobby, on the theme "Communicating from the Heart: Outlook from the Stars". The guests -- actress Alexandra Paul and actor Esai Morales -- will speak on the role the entertainment community can play to raise public awareness and spur individual commitment to the sustainable use of the planet's natural resources.

Earlier in the day, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Conference Room 4, a programme for schoolchildren is being organized with the Department of Public Information (DPI). The multimedia event includes a screening of the video, "How much is enough?", as well as a briefing with question-and-answer session by Adam Rogers, author of the UNEP community action guide, "Taking Action". There will be a personal appearance by actress Ariana Richards, who has appeared in "Jurassic Park", among other films.

Also in the morning, there will be a cyber quiz contest, "How well do you know your environment?". Based on the United Nations World Wide Web site's "CyberSchoolBus", participants will interact with a group of students in Mexico City via the Internet. Following the cyber event, musician Don Knaack, known as "The Junkman", will perform on musical instruments made of junk, found objects and recycled household gadgets. Children will be invited to participate in the music-making.

The diplomatic community, Secretariat staff, representatives of non- governmental organizations and the media are cordially invited to attend any of the Day's events.

For more information, contact: Jim Sniffen, UNEP Information Officer, Regional Office for North America, tel: (212) 963-8094/8210, fax: (212) 963- 7341, e-mail: sniffenj@un.org; or Pierre Quiblier, UNEP Liaison Officer, Regional Office, tel: (212) 963-8144, fax: (212) 963-7341, e-mail: quiblier@un.org.

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