The Arab Forum for the Environment held its third session in Riyadh on 3 and 4 June 2024 to enhance regional and international cooperation, develop policies and increase financial support. It also highlighted the importance of building partnerships, capacities and raising awareness. 



The forum tackled environmental priorities for the region, including the triple planetary crisis and discussed the importance of environmental commitment to conserve terrestrial ecosystems and enhance food and water security.



An environmental exhibition was held on the sidelines of the Forum and brought together international organizations, civil society and private sector, showcased successful projects and initiatives and raised environmental awareness.

Today sees the European premier of Our Blue World - A Water Odyssey at the Fine Arts Center Bozar in Brussels, to mark World Environment Day. The documentary examines humanity’s relationship with water, why that relationship is off kilter and what we can collectively do to rebalance our water systems.



The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the film’s director Ruán Magan, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Chief Scientist and a British farming representative. Register here for tickets.   

Zoological gardens and aquariums play an important role in ecosystem restoration. Just last month, the Przewalski horse – the last genetically wild horse on the planet – was rewilded again in Kazakhstan, after having survived the last hundred years within zoos. The wild horses are critical grazers, restoring the balance in Kazakhstan’s unique steppe ecosystem.



To celebrate their role in land restoration, zoos around the world celebrated World Environment Day. These include the Dublin and Singapore zoo and Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens in India and the Zoo in Berlin, which organized a Restoration Rally for its visitors. 

Seattle will host a World Environment Day celebration tomorrow. The event will feature guided forest restoration, a bird walk, citizen science projects and the creation of a community mural. The day will culminate in a community picnic to celebrate restoration in Seattle's urban green spaces.  

About 100 Safaricom staff planted over 15,000 trees in the counties of Kericho, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nakuru and Kiambu. The efforts were part of the company’s commitment to grow 5 million trees by 2025, it said.  

UNEP is hosting an exhibit at the Vienna International Center on 5 June to mark this year’s World Environment Day. The exhibit will feature a number of interactive boots focusing on various aspects of land revival.



Organized with a local school, students will participate in a simulated conference on land restoration, and will engage in debates, guided by professional scientists. 

Desertification – one of the biggest environmental threats of our time – refers to land drying up due to reduced rainfall, the expansion of agriculture, including deforestation and poor irrigation practices.  Climate change is exacerbating desertification: right now, around 2 billion people live on drylands vulnerable to desertification, which could displace an estimated 50 million people by 2030. If people cannot grow food, they will need to move to an area where they can, increasing the risk of desertification, and having negative effects on landscapes, wildlife and human health. These issues will be highlighted at United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification COP 16 in Saudi Arabia in December this year.  

Tens of thousands of farmers across Africa are turning their parched lands into thriving farms with the help of an unexpected ally: trees. Using what is known as the “forest garden approach”, they are planting fruit-growing trees on what were one single-crop farmlands. This strategy, recently recognized with a special award from the United Nations, helps regenerate soil and gives impoverished farmers another source of income. So far, more than 41,000 hectares of land have been restored in Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda. 

Volunteers from India’s non-profit Planet for Plants and Animals take on this year’s World Environment Day challenge.  

Join the #GenerationRestoration movement and inspire friends, peers and networks to do the same on their social media channels. Discover how to get involved and help spread the word.  

The Arab Forum for Environment, which runs from 3-4 June, will explore critical environmental issues in the Arab region, including land degradation and drought. The two-day event, which takes place in Riyadh, aims to identify potential cooperation opportunities and establish a regional dialogue. Saudi Arabia is also hosting this year’s World Environment Day.