Nairobi, 12 October
2010 The death of Linda Norgrove, a respected
environmentalist and humanitarian, has shocked
and deeply saddened her former colleagues
at the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP).
Linda, who was 36, worked
for UNEP and the United Nations Office for
Project Services in Afghanistan from 2005
to 2008.
Working in often challenging
conditions, she helped mould UNEP's country
programme in Afghanistan, addressing fundamental
environmental issues which were affecting
the lives and livelihoods of the Afghan
people. She was part of the UNEP Kabul team
which received the organization's prestigious
Baobab Award for outstanding achievements
in 2008.
Linda was working for
an aid agency when she was kidnapped on
26 September. She died tragically during
a rescue attempt on Friday. An investigation
will be launched to determine the circumstances
behind her death.
She led the development
of Afghanistan's first plan of action for
adaptation to the impacts of climate change,
as well as an assessment of Afghanistan's
readiness to comply with its international
obligations under relevant multilateral
environmental agreements. She also laid
the foundations for UNEP's current community-based
natural resource management and protected
areas programmes in Afghanistan.
Among her many achievements
were biodiversity conservation projects
under UNEP's Global Environment Fund (GEF)
in which she worked closely with Afghanistan's
Ministry of Agriculture and the National
Environmental Protection Agency.
Linda also served with
the UN in Laos as Head of the Environment
Unit, a joint UNEP and UN Development Programme
post. Her hard work and dedication helped
to establish an important Poverty and Environment
Initiative in Laos.
Known for her professional
integrity, dedication and generosity, Linda
won the respect and admiration of colleagues
in the UN and the humanitarian community.
+ More
Tree-planting campaign
takes root in Africa
Nairobi, 8 October 2010
- Hundreds of people from different walks
of life - from young schoolchildren to army
officials - are planting trees across East
Africa in the latest activities to be registered
under Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree
Campaign (BTC) run by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP).
As part of the event,
which is the fourth installment of the annual
Play for the Planet initiative,UNEP will
plant over 1,000 trees in Mombasa, Kenya
from 8-10 October. Organised by UNEP's Children
and Youth programme (Tunza), the event seeks
to demonstrate to young people how to protect
and restore their environment, and this
year will bring together over 300 young
people for a weekend of beach-side sports
and tree planting at a school for the physically
disabled.
The young tree planters
will also assist the Mombasa City Council
in planting 500 seedlings along major roads
as part of an effort to green the coastal
city. UNEP is cooperating with the non-government
organization, Mavuno Michezo, to coordinate
the event.
Also on 8 October, the
Greenbelt Movement, an organization founded
by BTC patron, Wangari Maathai, will plant
100,000 trees in Kenya's Mau Forest complex.
The forest is the most important source
of water for human consumption in the Rift
Valley and Western Kenya and serves as the
water catchment area for the already receding
Lake Naivasha.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring
Sudan, a UN-backed project to plant over
30,000 trees in the Darfur region is in
full swing, and already 16,000 trees have
been distributed. The trees will provide
much needed shade for internally displaced
peoples (IDPs) living in camps in El-Daein,
Kass, Muhajeria and Graida. Children attending
schools near the camps will also benefit
from a greener learning environment. The
schoolchildren and IDPs will not only participate
in the tree-planting, they will also be
responsible for the after-care of the seedlings.
Last year police from
the United Nations-African Union Mission
in Darfur (UNAMID) also planted 52,000 trees
alongside the local community which were
added to the BTC roster.
UNEP's Plant for the
Planet: Billion Tree Campaign is a worldwide
tree planting initiative. Businesses, governments,
organisations and individuals are encouraged
to enter tree planting pledges on the BTC
website. Since the campaign's inception
in 2006, a total of 11.9 billion trees have
been pledged, 10.3 billion of which have
already been planted.
