(AGENPARL) – Mon 02 June 2025 [cid:27242bf9-5bd6-4c30-ad30-947ed5fa9e7e]
Media Advisory
World Environment Day 2025
Theme: Ending global plastic pollution
5 June 2025
The 2025 edition of World Environment Day – the UN’s principal vehicle for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment – will be hosted by the city of Jeju, in the Republic of Korea, with a focus on ending global plastic pollution.
Plastic pollution can alter habitats and natural processes, reducing ecosystems’ ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people’s livelihoods, food production capabilities and social well-being.
Led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) since 1973, World Environment Day is celebrated annually on 5 June. This year, it calls for collective action to tackle plastic pollution. By drawing inspiration from nature and showcasing real-world solutions, the campaign will encourage individuals, organizations, industries, and governments to adopt sustainable practices that drive systemic change.
Countries worldwide are currently negotiating an international legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution, with negotiations set to continue in August 2025.
Members of the media are invited to cover official events planned in the host country and regions across the globe.
Official and WED Host Country Events
* Commemoration Ceremony: Shared Challenge, Collective Action (#BeatPlasticPollution)
In commemoration of World Environment Day 2025, this official ceremony will spotlight the urgency of plastic pollution as a shared global challenge affecting all life on Earth.
Date: 5 June 2025 | 14:00 – 15:00 KST
Location: ICC Jeju, Tamna Hall A, Jeju, South Korea.
* Future Generation Forum: Action for a Circular Generation
This youth-led forum will feature inspiring voices from young environmental innovators in civil society and business, sharing ideas and insights to tackle plastic pollution and build a more circular future.
Date: 4 June 2025 | 15:00 – 17:00 KST
Location: ICC Jeju, Ocean View, Jeju, South Korea
Learn more about the official events and other associated events here.
Global and regional activities and events to watch out for:
GLOBAL YOUTH EVENT
* Webinar: From Land to Sea: Youth Leading the Change to Beat Plastic Pollution.
The Tide Turners Youth Webinar, organized by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts Advocacy Champions, in collaboration with UNEP, aims to spotlight the critical link between land-based plastic pollution and ocean health, while showcasing the power of youth-led action in restoring ecosystems.
Date: 6 June 2025 | 14:00 – 16:00 EAT
Location: Online
AFRICA
* High-Level Panel Discussion
In Kenya, UNEP will host a high-level panel discussion covering #BeatPlasticPollution. His Excellency Kang Hyungshik, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to UNEP, will deliver a keynote address on the country’s initiatives and progress.
Date: 4 June 2025 | 12:00 – 13:30 EAT
Location: Turkana Terrace, Recreational Center of the UN Office at Nairobi, Kenya
* Community Action for Fresh Water Webinar
Community Action for Fresh Water, the innovative partnership between Rotary and UNEP will host a webinar exploring the issues of plastic pollution in freshwater bodies and share best practices of how people around the world are making a real difference addressing plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems.
Date: 5 June 2025 | 17:00 – 19:00 EAT
Location: Online
ASIA PACIFIC
* 2025 World Environment Day Event
Hosted by UNEP China Office and the China Environmental Protection Foundation, the event will feature around 100 participants from government, civil society, and the private sector. The program blends art and advocacy through performances, panel discussions, and a youth-led poetry reading, all promoting the #BeatPlasticPollution campaign.
Date: 3 June 2025
Location: UN Compound, Beijing, China
* Tide Turners Plastic Challenge – National Youth Summit
This event is part of UNEP’s flagship initiative designed to empower young people to combat plastic pollution through action, innovation, and advocacy. The summit will spotlight inspiring stories and showcase best practices from youth leaders across the country who are making a tangible difference in their communities by reducing plastic waste.
Date: 2 June 2025
Location: UN House India, New Delhi, India
EUROPE
* Intergenerational Dialogue on Plastic Pollution: Bridging Generations for Change – Ending Plastic Pollution Together
The dialogue will bring together different generations to explore the past, present, and future of plastics, and to generate actionable solutions to plastic pollution. The event is also an EU Green Week partner event.
Date: 5 June 2025 | 15:00 – 17:30 CEST
Location: European Committee of the Regions, Brussels, Belgium (in-person and livestreamed)
* Our Home – World Environment Day concert
In collaboration with UNEP, the Geneva-based Orchestre des Nations will host a one-hour concert under the theme, ‘Our Home’, showcasing the poetry of images, the power of music and the strength of words united to raise awareness of today’s ecological emergencies.
Date: 5 June 2025 | 20:30 CEST
Location: Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland
* Film Screening: Ocean with David Attenborough
To mark World Environment Day 2025, World Oceans Day, and the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, a special screening of the documentary Ocean with David Attenborough will take place at Cinema Palace in Brussels, Belgium. In this powerful film, Sir David Attenborough explores the ocean’s most pressing threats, from destructive fishing techniques to mass coral reef bleaching, while also highlighting inspiring ways we can protect and care for our marine ecosystems. The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring the film’s Director and other experts.
Date: 3 June 2025 | 19:00 – 22:00 CEST
Location: Cinema Palace, Brussels, Belgium
NORTH AMERICA
* World Environment Day, New York
UNEP’s New York Office will commemorate World Environment Day with the support of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN. Remarks by Ligia Noronha, Head of UNEP in New York and Assistant Secretary-General, and HE Ambassador Joonkook Hwang, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the UN, will be followed by pre-recorded statements featuring:
* Mr. António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
* Mr. Philemon Yang, President of the General Assembly
* Ms. Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director
Date: 5 June 2025
Location: Room 12, UN HQ, New York, USA
* Launch of a Massive Nature Mural
In the city of Chicago, Street Art for Mankind launched a 245-foot mural in the lead up to World Environment Day 2025 as part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The artwork calls for action to protect communities from environmental harm in an equitable manner and to save our planet and its biodiversity.
Date: 31 May2025
Location: Chicago, USA
LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN
* Mexico Flagship Event
Mexico will launch its National Beach and Coastal Clean-Up and Conservation Campaign 2025–2030 with a flagship event in Puerto Progreso, Yucatán. The event will include volunteer-led clean-up brigades and a formal ceremony with the Minister of Environment, the Governor of Yucatán, and UNEP’s Deputy Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Date: 5 June 2025 | 05:00 – 12:30 CST
Location: Malecón Tradicional, Puerto Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico
* Webinar: Academia’s Contribution to Plastic Waste Management in Latin America and the Caribbean
UNEP in partnership with the University Consortium for Sustainable Waste Management in Latin America and the Caribbean will host a regional webinar to highlight the role of academia in advancing knowledge, innovation, and green skills to combat plastic pollution.
Date: 5 June 2025 | 14:00 – 15:00 EST
WEST ASIA
* Launch of a National Biodiversity Database
On 3 June, to celebrate World Environment Day, Qatar will launch its national biodiversity database, marking the close of a three-year project funded by Qatar and implemented by UNEP.
Date: 3 June 2025 | 09:00 AST
Location: The Ritz-Carlton, Doha, Qatar
Here’s how to get involved:
* Add your event on the global map
Organize an event focused on #BeatPlasticPollution or broader environmental action, and share it online.
* Share photos and videos
Selected submissions may be featured in the WED 2025 Live Updates and included in the wrap up report.
* Join the multilingual social media campaign
Help amplify the message by using the official hashtags (#BeatPlasticPollution and #WorldEnvironmentDay) and sharing UNEP’s campaign assets across your channels. Join the social media challenge and tell us how nature inspires you to #BeatPlasticPollution.
See also: Editable templates for additional languages.
Access toolkit: Find all communications materials: social media cards, feature stories, videos, design templates, key messages, brand guide and logos.
Download b-roll: View b-roll package featuring Jeju, Korea: Resources: 2025 filming in Korea.
Other resources: WED 2025 website | Event registration | Campaign brief | Key messages Creative concept | Theme and host country.
Notes to Editors
About World Environment Day
World Environment Day on 5 June is one of the biggest international days for the environment. Led by UNEP and held annually since 1973, the event has grown to be the largest global platform for environmental outreach, with millions of people from across the world engaging to protect the planet. This year, World Environment Day joins the UNEP-led #BeatPlasticPollution campaign to end plastic pollution.
About Beat Plastic Pollution
Since 2018, the UNEP-led #BeatPlasticPollution campaign has advocated for a just, collective, and global transition to a world free of plastic pollution.
About UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.