The Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, celebrated the International Day for Biodiversity, commemorated globally on May 22 each year.

The United Nations General Assembly established the International Day for Biodiversity in 2000. The theme for 2024, “Be part of the plan,” is a call to action in support of biodiversity and aims to achieve the targets set by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in preparation for the 16th Conference of the Parties, scheduled for October 2024 in Cali, Colombia, which will be the first COP since the adoption of the new Global Framework in December 2022.

This event is part of the global celebrations listed on the website of the Convention on Biological Diversity and is also recognized as an activity of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Always committed to young people, the Foundation mobilized more than 180 young people during this ceremony through seven actions focused on education programs for Sustainable Development.

At the Hassan II International Center for Environmental Training, about a hundred participants attended a conference raising awareness about the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and the initiatives taken by various actors in the field of biodiversity preservation. This event included interventions by representatives of the government, the private sector, IUCN member associations, Moroccan stakeholders, civil society and PHD students from the Hassan II University of Casablanca affiliated to the African Green Universities and Youth Education Network “AGUYEN”.

The Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection and its academic arm, the Hassan II International Center for Environmental Training, contribute to raising awareness and building capacity on biodiversity. Initiatives such as the workshop series “Biodiversity in Action: Know, Act and Engage” and the Side event at the 6th United Nations Environment Assembly have notably raised awareness among Youth, including young project leaders, Young Reporters for the Environment, University PHD Students and the private sector, thus supporting Target 21 of the Global Biodiversity Framework ensuring that practitioners and the public have the necessary resources for optimal management of biodiversity.