International
Day for
Preventing the Exploitation
of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
November 6
On
5 November 2001, the United Nations General Assembly declared
6 November of each year as the International Day for Preventing
the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
(resolution 56/4). In taking this action, it considered
that damage to the environment in times of armed conflict
impairs ecosystems and natural resources long after the
period of conflict, often extending beyond the limits of
national territories and the present generation. It
also recalled the United Nations Millennium Declaration,
which emphasized the necessity of working to protect our
common environment.
"If
we are to prevent the environment becoming a victim
of war, then equally we need to ensure that pollution,
contamination and other environmental woes do
not play their part in triggering conflicts in
the first place." --Klaus Toepfer, Executive
Director of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP)
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