The United Nations (UN)’s World Cleanup Day 2024 is annually observed across the globe on September 20 to raise awareness of the importance of clean-up initiatives in sustainable development.
- 20th September 2024 marks the first ever observance of the World Cleanup Day.
Events 2024:
i.The inaugural event of the observance was held in the city of Tromsø, Norway under the theme “Arctic Cities and Marine Litter”.
ii.The event was hosted with support from UN-Habitat, Global Resource Information Database (GRID) -Arendal, and the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, the municipality of Tromsø, the Fram Centre, and Let’s Do It World
iii.The event aims to inspire global communities to adopt sustainable practices that protect the arctic regions.
Background:
i.On 8th December 2024, the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/78/122 and proclaimed the 20th September of every year as the World Cleanup Day.
ii.The resolution also invites United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to facilitate the observance of the day.
iii.The observance was recommended by the United Nations Habitat Assembly in its resolution 2/3 of 9 June 2023.
Global Initiatives:
i.The Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) initiative, led by the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) and sponsored by the World Bank (WB), aims to minimise marine plastic pollution and promotes innovation to transform plastic usage and production.
- It has facilitated beach clean-up initiatives in Bangladesh with BRAC, the Maldives with the Maldives Authentic Crafts Cooperative Society, and Sri Lanka with the Negombo Recycling Club.
ii.The National Solid Waste Management Policy was introduced by the Maldives in June 2024 with support from the WB-funded Maldives Clean Environment Project.
- It emphasises on implementing its Single Use Plastics Phase-out Plan and stresses further actions to reduce plastic waste.
Initiatives by India:
i.Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: It is also known as the Clean India Mission, which was launched in 2014 to make India cleaner and free of open defecation and litter.
- The campaign includes provisions for plastic waste management, such as boosting waste segregation and establishing plastic waste management systems.
ii.International Coastal Cleanup Day: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) takes part in this event to educate and encourage people to keep beaches clean and prevent pollution of the marine environment.
iii.Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar/Clean Coast Safe Sea: This is a 75-day campaign, launched in 2022 to clean up 75 beaches along India’s coastline.
iv.In June 2024, The Ocean Cleanup partnered with the Bharat Clean Rivers Foundation (BCRF) to launch a campaign to combat plastic pollution in India’s rivers, beginning in Mumbai (Maharashtra).
Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023:
i.In January 2024, Droupadi Murmu, the President of India presented the Swachh Survekshan (Cleanliness Survey) Awards 2023 in New Delhi, Delhi.
ii.Indore (Madhya Pradesh, MP) and Surat (Gujarat) were jointly recognised as the cleanest city in India under the category of cities with a population over 1 lakh.
iii.Indore has been ranked as the cleanest city in India for the seven consecutive years since 2016.
About United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat):
Executive Director– Anacláudia Rossbach
Founded– 1978
Headquarters- Nairobi, Kenya
