March 21, International Forest Day
March 21 is the International Forest Day and the World Down Syndrome Day.
Within the framework of the event, a screening of the animated manga "Forest is my friend" was held and was attended by children with Down's syndrome together with the Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture Kakha Kakabadze, the Head of the National Forestry Agency Kakha Tsertsvadze, the Permanent Representative of UNDP in Georgia Nick Beresford and the Deputy Ambassador of Japan Suzuki Toshiuki.
The animated manga Forest is My Friend is part of a large-scale information campaign dedicated to the importance of a harmonious relationship between man and nature. The film was created with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Japanese Embassy, and the National Forestry Agency.
"We attended the screening of the manga Forest is My Friend together with our Children of the Sun," said the Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture, Kakha Kakabadze, who spoke about the importance of a healthy environment at the event and noted that the forest is a unique treasure that constantly needs care, in which the role of society is significant.
"Environmental education and raising awareness about the importance of forests is our main priority. People should have the opportunity to discuss environmental issues and get involved in solving problems", said the Head of the National Forestry Agency, Kakha Tsertsvadze.
Within the framework of the event, young people were awarded for the best script of the 2nd episode of the animation. The United Nations Development Program announced the competition in cooperation with the Center for Environmental Information and Education. Within the framework of the competition, three winners were identified: Barbara Arabuli, a student of the public school of Laphanaantkari village of Dusheti municipality; Ecoclub AIA (Nia Adeishvili and Nutsa Onofrishvili) and Ecoclub "Chlorophyll" of public school N1 of Mtskheti (Luka Imerlishvili, Giorgi Odishelidze, Mariam Katsarava, Keti Gulbatashvili, Lizi Mrevlishvili, Mariam Tsheliashvili). Prizes and gifts were given to the winners.
"The forest is wealth and is of special importance for Georgia because more than 40% of the country's territory is covered with forests. This project is an example of how forest protection brings benefits to the economy as well as to any person. The involvement and activity of young people play a major role in forest protection. Our forest protection awareness campaign was built around the Japanese manga-style animation Forest is My Friend. We are glad that this creative project has become a source of inspiration and activity for many young people in Georgia," said Nick Beresford, Permanent Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Georgia.
