DG/ME/ID/2025/35 – Original: English Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Environment Day 5 June 2025 Our planet is facing a triple crisis of climate disruption, biodiversity loss and pollution – and one of the most pressing issues exacerbating this situation is plastic pollution. Plastic is one of the most enduring materials created by humans. Only 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled, with the vast majority ending up in landfills. Microplastics have now entered the food chain, and can be found in soil, in drinking water and even in our blood. This issue is not limited to land: plastic waste makes up 80% of all marine pollution, and it is estimated that by 2050, there could be as many plastic fragments as fish in the ocean. Whether on land or at sea, this pollution has severe consequences – not only for the environment and biodiversity, but also for human and ecosystem health. As we mark this year’s World Environment Day on the theme of plastic pollution, UNESCO is calling for a renewed commitment to life in all its forms. Our Organization’s commitment can be summed up in three verbs: educate, protect and understand. Our efforts to educate include our SEA BEYOND partnership with the Prada Group, which we jointly launched in 2019 to promote ocean preservation and sustainability. Under this programme, we have led awareness-raising initiatives for students on the issue of plastic pollution and its consequences for marine ecosystems. To better protect our planet and the biodiversity it houses, UNESCO is taking action through its network of 759 biosphere reserves, 213 geoparks and 271 natural World Heritage sites. These sites showcase plastic-free alternatives and waste reduction strategies, for example through the World Network of Island Biosphere Reserves’ Zero Plastic initiative. In 2022, we launched a project covering seven biosphere reserves in Latin America and the Caribbean, aiming to assess the impact of plastic pollution on mangrove ecosystems and serve as a foundation for clean-up and restoration efforts. Aiming to combine tangible action with global objectives to build a more sustainable future, the 5th World Congress of Biosphere Reserves will bring together over 2,000 stakeholders from across the world in Hangzhou, China, in September to map out the next decade of the Man and the Biosphere Programme. UNESCO is also working to improve collective understanding of our environment. At the third United Nations Ocean Conference, and in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme and the Nippon Foundation, we will announce the first global assessment report to monitor and respond to marine pollution worldwide. This major step forward comes under the goal of achieving the vision of an ocean free from the harmful impacts of pollution by 2050. On this World Environment Day, UNESCO is calling for recognition that environmental degradation and biodiversity loss are accelerating – and that we all have a role to play in tackling these issues. May this World Day restore hope in our ability to learn about, protect and understand the world around us – and to act for change.