The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) informed on February 2, 2023 that Côte d'Ivoire has been chosen to host the celebration of World Environment Day 2023, scheduled for June 5.

“The scourge of plastic pollution is a visible threat that has significant negative effects on every community in the world” is the theme proposed for the occasion, focusing on solutions to pollution according to Jean-Luc Assi, Ivorian Minister of the Environment and of Sustainable Development. Governments, businesses, and civil society will come together to find and advocate for solutions.

More than 400 million tons of plastic are produced every year worldwide, half is designed to be used once and less than 10% of the total is recycled according to experts. Thus, 19 to 23 million tons of plastic end up in lakes, rivers and oceans. World Environment Day will be supported by the government of the Netherlands, which is among the countries taking ambitious action across the lifecycle of plastics this year.