
Observing International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
The Embassy
of Ukraine in the Republic of Kenya, with support of the United Nations
Environment Program, organized November 6, 2017, at the headquarters of the UN
Office in Nairobi, an event to observe the International Day for Preventing the
Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict.
The
commemorative event was held with a view to maintain the topic of the
environmental protection in areas affected by armed conflicts on the
international organizations’ agenda, as well as to encourage Member States to
implement provisions of the relevant international law.
The
Director-General of the UNON Madame Zahle-Work Zewde noted that the event became the first official
commemoration of this International Day at the UN compound in Nairobi and
thanked the Ukrainian Embassy for this initiative. She also delivered this
year's Message by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
occasioned to mark this International Day.
Remarks
were also made by Deputy Executive Director of the UN Environment
Mr. Ibrahim Thiaw who emphasized the need to
consolidate international efforts to prevent and respond to negative
environmental consequences as a result of armed conflicts that are taking place
today in different parts of the world.
Ambassador
of Kuwait H.E. Mr. Qusai Al-Farhan
reminded of his country's contribution to the elaboration and adoption in 2001
of the UN General Assembly resolution which established this International Day.
Ambassador
of Iraq H.E. Mr. Zaid Noori
and Deputy Head of the EU Mission in Nairobi Mr. Sebastian Gil in their
remarks acknowledged significance of the international efforts on conflicts and
the environment and commended active work of the Ukrainian Embassy on this
track, which began with the adoption in May 2016 of the framework resolution of
the UN Environment Assembly "Protection of the environment in areas
affected by armed conflict".
Ambassador
of Ukraine to Kenya H.E. Mr. Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk recognized the importance of abiding by
respective international obligations and the need for implementation of
relevant resolutions and agreements. He also emphasized urgency and
applicability of this topic to Ukraine by drawing attention of the audience to
the latest report of Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office
in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group Amb. Martin Sajdik about major environmental
damage with incalculable consequences following shelling of the Donetsk Water
Filtration Station. He also expressed Ukraine’s commitment to continue
its work on the issue of settlement conflicts and protecting the environment.
On the
occasion of this day, UN Environment also initiated publication of the Op-Ed in
The Guardian on this topic by Executive Director Mr. Erik Solheim,
which, among other things, mentioned that three and a half years of fighting in
the heavily industrialized Ukraine has resulted in contaminating of the
groundwater.
The UN environment
also used the opportunity of the event to announce Massive Open Online Course
on “Environmental Security & Sustaining Peace".
The event
was widely covered by the United Nations Information Center.