Paris, 18 January 2007 - From Paris, France, the United Nations Environment Programme launches a second appeal to the international community to join its first global tree planting project Plant for the Planet: the Billion Tree Campaign.

Several partners in France (Planète Urgence, ADEME - Botanic - Comité 21 - Groupe Yves Rocher - Forestavenir - Fédération des Forestiers Privés de France - France Nature Environnement - Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Pêche - Ministère de l'Ecologie et du Développement durable - Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle - Nature & Découvertes - Office National des Forêts - IUCN - UNESCO-MAB) offer their support to the initiative, which will help mitigate climate change and catalyze environmental action around the world.

Governments, civil society organizations, farmers, local authorities, children and youth, the corporate sector and the public at large are encouraged to enter tree planting pledges on the website www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign,with the objective of planting and caring for a total of one billion trees worldwide during 2007.

This people-centred campaign is raising awareness of the interdependence between humankind and the planet’s ecosystems, as well as the linkages between tree planting and climate change mitigation, the restoration of biodiversity, air and soil quality, and food security.

To date, over 157 million tree planting pledges have been recorded, including 5.5 million in France.

UNEP’s call to action will help regenerate the environment, and will also instil social responsibility in the public’s mind, while creating associations between tree planting and positive actions to save the Planet.

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UNEP and Israel sign Memorandum of Co-operation

Nairobi, 18 January 2007 - The Executive Director of UNEP Mr. Achim Steiner and H.E. Ambassador Emanuel Seri signed today a memorandum of co-operation (MOC) between UNEP and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel represented by its Center for International Development Cooperation MASHAV. The MOC establishes a formal cooperation in implementing the UNEP Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support and Capacity Building. The objective of the Memorandum is to coordinate the professional as well as the operational resources of UNEP and MASHAV to support governments of developing countries and countries with economies in transition, at all levels, to realize their environmental goals through human and institutional capacity. Both parties look forward to a fruitful co-operation.

UNEP reaffirms support to "Green" Olympics in Beijing

Nairobi, 11 January 2007 - The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reaffirmed today the environment as a major priority for Olympic Games.
Support to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Organizing Committee was among the main subjects discussed by the President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge and the head of UNEP, Achim Steiner when they met in Nairobi.

Mr. Rogge also welcomed UNEP’s offer to conduct an environmental audit of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. He and Mr. Steiner also agreed that the IOC will liaise with BOCOG and UNEP on a coordinated campaign to promote the environmental aspects of the Beijing 2008 Games.

UNEP which has worked with the IOC since 1994 believes that sport and mass spectator events can act as an important vehicle for galvanizing global interest and action for sustainable development. This view is shared by the IOC and the two executive heads reaffirmed their interest in working together in ensuring that the environment is mainstreamed in the Olympic Games.

The two also reflected on how best to assist Vancouver to implement its environmental programme and welcomed upcoming discussions between UNEP and the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee on the environmental aspects of the 2010 Games

The environment is the third dimension of the Olympic Movement. It has become one of the main criteria for the evaluation and selection of cities to host the Olympic Games and is also a major priority for the preparation and staging of the Games.
For more information about UNEP cooperation with the IOC please visit on web site: http://www.unep.org/sport_env/Olympic_Games/index.asp