On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the
United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...
(UNGA), in it
resolution UN 68/205 decided to proclaim 3 March, the
international day
Lists of holidays by various categorizations.
Religious holidays
Abrahamic holidays (Middle Eastern)
Jewish holidays
*Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread – 7 days of consumption of matzo with wine and avoidance of leavened foods ...
of the adoption of the
(CITES) on the planet raise awareness and benefits fauna and flora in 1973, as World Wildlife Day. The commemoration was proposed by
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
to celebrate and raise awareness of the world's wild
fauna
Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...
and
flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''.
E ...
.
UNGA Resolution
In its resolution, the General Assembly reaffirmed the intrinsic value of wildlife and its various contributions, including ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic, to
sustainable development
Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
and human
well-being
Well-being, or wellbeing, also known as wellness, prudential value or quality of life, refers to what is intrinsically valuable relative ''to'' someone. So the well-being of a person is what is ultimately good ''for'' this person, what is in th ...
.
The General Assembly took note of the outcome of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, held in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
from 3 to 14 March 2013, in particular Resolution Conf. 16.1 designating 3 March as World Wildlife Day, in order to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora, and recognized the important role of CITES in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the survival of species.
The General Assembly requested the CITES Secretariat, in collaboration with relevant organizations of the United Nations system, to facilitate the implementation of World Wildlife Day.
Themes
2023: "Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation"
2022: "Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration"
2021: "Forests and Livelihoods: sustaining people and planet"
2020: "Sustaining all life on earth"
2019: "Life below water: for people and planet"
2018: "Big cats - predators under threat".
2017: "Listen to the young voices".
2016: "The future of wildlife is in our hands", with a sub-theme "The future of elephants is in our hands".
2015: "It’s time to get serious about wildlife crime".
References
External links
World Wildlife Day page on UN.orgOfficial website of World Wildlife DayOfficial Facebook page of World Wildlife DayOfficial Flickr page of World Wildlife DayUnder Secretary Novelli Delivers Remarks at a World Wildlife Day Event 2016{{Commons category, World Wildlife Day
United Nations days
March observances