On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the
United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
(UNGA), in it
resolution UN 68/205 decided to proclaim 3 March, the
international day of the adoption of the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on the planet
raise awareness and benefits fauna and flora in 1973, as World Wildlife Day. The
commemoration was proposed by
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
to celebrate and raise awareness of the world's wild
fauna
Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
and
flora
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
.
UNGA Resolution
In its resolution, the General Assembly reaffirmed the intrinsic value of wildlife and its various contributions, including ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational and aesthetic, to
sustainable development
Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...
and human
well-being
Well-being is what is Intrinsic value (ethics), ultimately good for a person. Also called "welfare" and "quality of life", it is a measure of how well life is going for someone. It is a central goal of many individual and societal endeavors.
...
.
The General Assembly took note of the outcome of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, held in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
from 3 to 14 March 2013, in particular Resolution Conf. 16.1 designating 3 March as World Wildlife Day, in order to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora, and recognized the important role of CITES in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the survival of species.
The General Assembly requested the CITES Secretariat, in collaboration with relevant organizations of the United Nations system, to facilitate the implementation of World Wildlife Day.
Themes
2025: "Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet"
2023: "Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation"
2022: "Recovering key species for
ecosystem restoration"
2021: "Forests and Livelihoods: sustaining people and planet"
2020: "Sustaining all life on earth"
2019: "Life below water: for people and planet"
2018: "Big cats - predators under threat".
2017: "Listen to the young voices".
2016: "The future of wildlife is in our hands", with a sub-theme "The future of elephants is in our hands".
2015: "It’s time to get serious about wildlife crime".
References
External links
World Wildlife Day page on UN.orgOfficial website of World Wildlife DayOfficial Facebook page of World Wildlife DayOfficial Flickr page of World Wildlife Day*
Under Secretary Novelli Delivers Remarks at a World Wildlife Day Event 2016, Wikimedia Commons
{{Commons category, World Wildlife Day
United Nations days
March observances