We will be mobilizing the world to take action on climate!

With the many environmental challenges and climate stressors The Gambia has been facing, waste management in particular is the major environmental and health concern that is growing at an alarming rate especially in the urban periphery. In urban and rural Gambian communities, paper, plastic, metal, food and human waste cover the streets and natural land. Unregulated disposal and burning of waste are causing many environmental and health concerns that are negatively affecting the land and people that inhabit it. Diseases are spreading, drains are being blocked causing floods, and pollution is destroying the natural habitats humans and animals depend on. Without efficient waste management systems and education at the local level, these issues will continue to deter the livelihoods of many Gambians.   

The Ministry of Environment, National Environment Agency and Kanifing Municipal Council are state institutions at local and central level that have a legal and political obligation to address the waste management in protection of the rights to life and right to health of residents as the Constitution of the Gambia 1997 and the Local Government Act 2004 and the National Environment Management Act 1994 and the Environmental Protection (Prevention of Dumping) Act 1988.

Earth Day The Gambia 2020 will bring environmental experts, teachers, extension workers, community leaders, students and everyday citizens together to share, learn, cooperate and develop action plans to bring back to their communities and improve waste management practices. Most importantly spark a conversation to begin ending the use of single use plastic.

This day is an opportunity to raise public awareness around the world to the challenges regarding the well-being of the planet and all the life it supports.

This event will focus on “Achieving 2030 Sustainable Development Goals through Youth Collaboration and Innovation.”