| Contribution to World Environment Day |
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| Tuesday, 23 December 2008 12:47 |
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6 - 7 June 2006, The EU/UNDP Enhancement
of Living Standards in Karakalpakstan Project contributed to the
national celebrations of the World Environment Day by organizing
learning-hour events for children and teachers in the districts of
Shumanai, Karauzyak, and Kegeily in Karakalpakstan.
 This year the communities decided
to concentrate their attention on the problems created by waste.
According to Environmental Performance Review of Uzbekistan conducted
by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, waste generated per
capita stands at 300 kg/year in cities and it is higher in urban areas.
This pattern is similar to other countries in both Central Asia and
central and Eastern Europe.Children watched a cartoon on waste
management, courtesy of the National Commission of the Republic of
Uzbekistan for UNESCO and the Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO
produced in cooperation with PLANET 3 "Waste Management". They took
home the colourful booklets that complemented the video. Teachers
received a manual on waste management to be used at school. Thanks to
the ELS project, the Mahalla Fund Resource Centres and various school
libraries have now video copies of the cartoon and booklets for future
use. Children and teachers discussed the
importance of clean environment for their lives and the development of
their communities. They also shared ideas on how their families can
contribute to achieve the MDG 7" Ensure Environmental Sustainability"
and how they can contribute to keep their communities clean, for
example by putting waste in special containers and not abandoning it in
the streets where it can be dangerous to people’s health. Education and
awareness help people to appreciate the damage that waste can do to
their environment but also its economic potential. While waste cannot
be eliminated, children learned that communities can reduce its
environmental impact by preventing or recycling it, wherever possible.
For example, home and animal waste can be recycled as a biological non-
toxic fertilizer to increase soil productivity of household plots. Both UNDP and the EU assist
countries to protect the environment and manage waste production. For
example, the Sixth Environment Action Programme of the European Union
in Brussels identifies waste prevention and management as a top
priority for all European member states. In Uzbekistan, UNDP supported
the development of the National Waste Management Strategy and Five-Year
Action Plan. Waste management schemes have been piloted in Bukhara and
Navoi oblasts.
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News and Events Contribution to World Environment Day