On the occasion of World Environment Day (WED), established by the UN in 1972 and celebrated annually on June 5, CAFRAD – the Pan-African Intergovernmental Organization – joins the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the international community in reaffirming its commitment to sustainable development, the ecological transition, and building a greener future on the African continent and around the world.

This international event highlights the need to invest in a clean future and reduce carbon emissions, while encouraging individual and collective initiatives to protect the planet. The first celebration, under the slogan “One Planet Earth,” took place in 1973.

For decades, the world has heard the climate crisis: warnings, objectives, and deadlines follow one after another, but action is often hampered by various interests. Today, more than ever, no one is immune to the warnings issued by nature, whether it be marine pollution, global warming, sustainable consumption, or wildlife crime. The situation is a wake-up call, prompting millions of people to become aware and resolve to change on a personal level and to get involved on a larger scale.

Over the years, this World Environment Day has become essential. It is an opportunity to raise awareness, to make the necessary decisions for each of our shared challenges, and to gain greater support for this noble and beneficial cause for all, so that we can work together to implement measurable climate initiatives. This represents a true paradigm shift and a fundamental change in the production and consumption system at all levels. Eco-anxiety, solastalgia, and new pathologies linked to environmental degradation are becoming widespread. We need, here and now, a new structural economy—a purple economy—that promotes the Third Nature and the rights of nature and the land. Degrowth and deglobalization are no longer enough. We must go far, beyond responsible, humane, and ethical development in service to humanity. We need a completely different world.

Each year, World Environment Day is hosted by a different country, where the official celebrations take place. World Environment Day 2026, coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and hosted in Azerbaijan, focuses on the theme of “Climate Action.”

The overarching international slogan for this year’s event is “#ClimateNow,” with a strong emphasis on halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and raising urgent awareness about record temperatures and the consequences of global warming. The global campaign calls on everyone to take action and join a world already on the move.

While Azerbaijan hosts the global celebration, a multitude of events, campaigns, and creative actions are taking place across all continents, on screens, in the streets, and in communities around the world. World Environment Day is the world’s largest platform for raising public awareness about the environment and is celebrated by millions of people worldwide. This celebration of environmental action and the power of governments, businesses, and individuals to create a more sustainable world brings together more than 150 countries each year.

Committed to supporting African states, the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD), sensitive to this issue, calls on public and private administrations to take significant measures to address climate change. True to its mission, CAFRAD works to strengthen capacities in terms of internal management of sustainable development, integration of climate risk, and provides training on all Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria.

CAFRAD – a pan-African intergovernmental organization – welcomes the involvement of various stakeholders in “safeguarding our common home” (Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, 2015) through energy efficiency, waste management, and, above all, encourages them to undertake more measurable initiatives aligned with global sustainability frameworks.

Indeed, during the delayed celebration of Africa Day on Monday, June 1, 2026, CAFRAD, in collaboration with its partners, launched the Integrated Regional Sustainable Development Programme. The strategic roadmap of CAFRAD’s new Director General, Dr. Coffi Dieudonné Assouvi, prioritizes economic, ecological, digital, and smart transformation, as well as the resilience of states and territories. In this context, the first edition of the high-level international forum, held from May 11 to 13, 2026, under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, concluded with CAFRAD’s commitments to the digital, energy, ecological, and smart transformation of Africa. The “Africa We Want” initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are strategic priorities for the African continent.