On 10 May, dedicated organisations and people around the world will join annual celebrations to mark World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), raising awareness on the need for their conservation.

Since 2006, the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) have been organising WMBD in May. All are invited to join the tenth edition of celebrations on Tuesday, 10 May.

The slogan ‘…and when the skies fall silent? Stop the illegal killing, taking and trade!’ evokes the deadly silence that would endure without birds tweeting, quacking, honking or flapping their wings.

This year’s theme - the Illegal killing, taking and trade of migratory birds - highlights the predominant threat to migratory birds across the Mediterranean. The campaign also aims to raise awareness of the importance of the birds to the environment as whole.

The illegal killing, taking and trade of migratory birds causes their populations to decline and may even drive them to extinction. Millions of birds are shot, trapped or glued every year in violation of national and international law. Raising awareness and educating people about the massive scale of these illegal activities will contribute to combating the crime.

As in previous years, WMBD will involve people and dedicated organisations in events across the world such as bird festivals, educational workshops, exhibitions and bird-watching.

A video competition has furthermore been organised by CMS and AEWA, with the best entry set to be the official trailer for WMBD 2016.

Over the last ten years, over 2,000 events have been organised worldwide. Join the campaign and register your event on the dedicated website of World Migratory Bird Day 2016 by clicking here.

For more information please write to veronika.lenarz@cms.int

Leaders and representatives from more than 130 countries will on 22 April sign the climate deal reached in Paris last December, as momentum gathers towards its eventual ratification.

Under the deal, the 196 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed to ensure that the global temperature rise this century will be limited to two degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times and that efforts will be made to limit this to 1.5 degrees, among other commitments

In order for it to enter into force, the agreement – designed to follow on from the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2020 – must be ratified by at least 55 countries, representing at least 55% of global emissions.

China, and the US, together representing 40% of world emissions, are among states to have pledged to ratify the accord as early as possible in 2016. The treaty could enter into force earlier than 2020 if world leaders wish, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has underlined.

Initial national emission reduction pledges were submitted to UNEP ahead of the COP21 conference where the Paris Agreement was reached.

The signing will take place at the UN headquarters in New York and coincides with Earth Day. For more details please write to rie.tsutsumi@unep.org