To mark World Environment Day, the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) went green and opened its park, the Ariana Park, to the public on Saturday, 5 June 2010. The event attracted 6,500 persons to the Park, a record number of visitors for an open day at the United Nations.

During the opening ceremony, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Sergei Ordzhonikidze, stressed that “we have one planet” and called on everyone to work together to protect it for coming generations. “Each and everyone of us can make a difference by making greening a personal priority”, he said. The ceremony was also attended by Swiss Federal Councillor and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Micheline Calmy-Rey, by Isabel Rochat, State Councillor, in charge of Security, Police and Environment, Republic and Canton of Geneva, by Sandrine Salerno, Mayor of the City of Geneva, and by Anja Wyden Guelpa, the Chancellor of the Republic and Canton of Geneva.

Mr. Ordzhonikidze, Ms. Calmy-Rey and Ms. Anja Wyden Guelpa later unveiled an oak tree, a gift from the Geneva Canton authorities, in a symbolic gesture to support the United Nations Billion Tree Campaign launched by the United Nations Environment Programme to address environmental degradation.

In addition to the opening of the Ariana Park, a multitude of activities for all ages, focused on biodiversity to mark the International Year of Biodiversity 2010, were held in the Park, on the Place des Nations and at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Under brilliant summer skies, visitors were able to observe the rich biodiversity of the 46-hectare park and enjoy the many information stands, debates, concerts, guided tours, children’s games and other activities proposed.

In 2009, UNOG was awarded the prestigious “Certificat de réserve naturelle” by the Fondation Nature et Economie, a Swiss non-profit organization. The certificate was given in recognition of the efforts carried out by UNOG to achieve a carbon neutral status and set an example in this field, in line with priorities outlined for the United Nations by the Secretary-General.

The event was made possible by a close cooperation between the United Nations family in Geneva and the Swiss authorities at the federal and canton levels, as well as with the city of Geneva. A number of additional partners from various sectors, including the Permanent Missions to the United Nations Office in Geneva of Brazil, Denmark, Italy, Japan and Rwanda, also contributed to its success.

Programme
Poster
Speech
Image Gallery

For more detailed information on the day, click here (www.journeeverteonugeneve.org).

See how UNOG integrates the greening dimension in all areas of our operations to limit our own carbon footprint, click here.