The United Nations Honours ZDDT tree planting initiative

Written by Lewis Jones, ZDDT Field Correspondent Friday, 13 May 2011 14:27

BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE – Months of meticulous planning and dedicated implementation in an Urban Greening initiative by ZDDT, paid handsome dividends recently, when these efforts were awarded recognition by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Above: Deputy Mayor of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Cllr. Amen Mpofu plants a sapling

Central to granting of the honour, was a six month long programme funded by relief agency GIZ, with assistance from the German Government. The initiative, conducted in cooperation with Bulawayo and Gweru City Councils, local elected Councillors and their Community Action Teams, is a pilot project that covered the Cities of Bulawayo and Gweru, saw 4800 trees planted in a total of 48 Wards.

The United Nations agency visited ZDDT’s website, hosted in London, and noted the publicity surrounding this particular programme. They then made contact with the Trust, who submitted formal documentation and details pertaining to the exercise. Consequently, accreditation under the Global Billion Tree Campaign has been conferred on ZDDT as well as membership granted for this world wide initiative. Chief to some of the privileges that come with accreditation is permission granted to members, for use of the Campaign’s logo, in correspondence, publications, and promotional materials and on website mastheads.

Begun on 8 November, 2006, in Nairobi, Kenya, the campaign seeks to raise awareness of the interdependence between humankind and the planet’s ecosystems. This includes linkages with tree-planting and climate change mitigation, the restoration of bio-diversity, air and soil quality and food security.

For ZDDT, this prestigious honour, conferred by the United Nations, is undoubtedly a commendable  recognition of the Trust’s dedicated commitment to restoration of local communities in Zimbabwe; a goal that is principle to its work.

 

 

 

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