Masibekela High leads build-up to World Environment Day
Rural school leads campaign on Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature
Masibekela High School, about 20kms South of Mbabane, hosted a build-up campaign to World Environment Day which will be commemorated around the world on the 5th of June 2020 under the theme: “Only One Earth.”
The school forged partnerships with various organisations in the public and private sector to raise awareness on green living and its impact on peoples lives. The celebration started with an awareness walk on the main road leading to Mhlambanyatsi where the students and partners helped to pick up litter.
The event was also used to set up an environmental club at the school under the green initiative led by the Eswatini Environment Authority, the Eswatini Youth Biodiversity Network and the University of Eswatini.
The United Nations in Eswatini participated in the celebration through the UN Communications Group (UNCG) by mobilizing contributions from all agencies and sharing UN programmes with the audience.
Nontobeko Mlangengeni, UNDP Programmes Officer, highlighted that UNDP was working on various projects to improve environmental sustainability and address the impact of climate change. Their work on improved waste management capacities at national and local levels included a campaign, Phatsa Sakho, to discourage the use of plastics. She invited the school and the young people to apply for funding under the small grants initiative on projects that are on environmental sustainability.
Nelsiwe Ndwandwe, UNESCO Programme Officer, shared how UNESCO was working with schools around the country to set up environmental sustainability clubs. She also shared UNESCO’s initiative on biosphere reserve which is currently implemented in the Lubombo Region. Biosphere reserves are ‘learning places for sustainable development’. They are sites for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity.
World Environment Day 2022 is the biggest international day for the environment. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and held annually since 1974, it has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach. It is celebrated by millions of people across the world.
This year, the commemoration of World Environment Day focuses on “Living Sustainably in Harmony with Nature”.
Written by
Sibusiso Mngadi
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