Dear Mr. Tsalko, Deputy Ministers of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Chairpersons of the Regional and City Environmental Committees, ladies and gentleman!

First of all allow me to thank you cordially for the possibility to join the Ministry of Environment to celebrate today this very important UN occasion – the World Environment Day 2011, which celebrates its 11th Anniversary this Sunday.

Commemorated every year on 5 June, is one of the key mechanisms through which the United Nations facilitates world wide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

Each year the World Environment Day highlights in its theme one important environmental challenge. In 2011 it goes under the banner of slogan “Forests: Nature at your Service” with the aim to focus the attention of global communities on the significance of the world’s forest ecosystems for the survival and safe living environment of the mankind. The Day’s theme is linked directly to UN designated International Year of Forests 2011.

Symbolic planting action of long-lived trees in the Kletsk district, organized this April by the UN and the Ministries of Nature and Forestry, is a vivid example that our organizations share common vision and understanding of the significance of joint initiatives, aimed to preserve and ensure sustainable management of forest ecosystems in Belarus.

On the World Environment Day the United Nations seeks to attract the attention of the national governments to positive programmes and initiatives that work toward protection or restoring the world’s nature heritage. The experience of Belarus in joint implementation of international environmental projects deserves a special attention and the highest appraisal.

Today, I am very pleased to notice that the Ministry of Environment is one of the key UN partners to address the pressures of ecological challenges in Belarus and on a global scale. In the period from 1997 to 2010 more than 10 joint environmental projects and initiatives on conservation of biodiversity, sustainable land and forest management, climate change, ecological education and tourism have been implemented by the Ministry with the assistance of the United Nations. The projects’ results and best practices were actively introduced and disseminated at the territory of the country, received support and understanding in the neighbouring states and far abroad. Such an outcome advocates the necessity to develop our co-operation further on. And I am glad to mention that the Ministry and the UN are very close to launch a number of new environmental initiatives in the near future.

The topic of environmental protection can not be depleted as it is an initiative that will benefit us all and will continue to favour the following generations with a safer and more prosperous future.

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