CEDARE

World Wildlife Day
2026-03-03
World Wildlife Day is on March 3 every year to raise awareness of endangered animals and plants, and ways to fight against wildlife crime.
About World Wildlife Day
Wildlife trade is one of the most profitable illicit trades in the world, estimated at up to $10 billion annually. Illegal wildlife trade of elephant ivory, rhino horns, and tiger products, is widespread in many countries, particularly in Asia and Africa. It is controlled by dangerous crime syndicates that traffic wildlife like drugs or weapons.
On December 20, 2013, the UN added World Wildlife Day to its calendar as an official event to be celebrated from March 3, 2014, onwards. It declared the day out of concern that wildlife crime had negative economic, environmental and social impacts worldwide.

International Women’s Day
2026-03-08
International Women’s Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women’s groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.
Women’s Achievements and Challenges
The purpose of International Women’s Day (IWD) is to uphold women’s achievements, recognize challenges, and focus greater attention on women’s rights and gender equality. It is celebrated worldwide to spotlight women, their issues and achievements, and has a different theme each year.
“The world has made unprecedented advances, but no country has achieved gender equality.” writes the United Nations, and has set a goal for gender equality by 2030. The UN sees International Women’s Day as “a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.”
Events and Marches
According to the United Nations, women earn 23% less than men globally and occupy only 24% of parliamentary seats worldwide. On International Women’s Day, March 8, various events are held worldwide. Like seminars, marches, and concerts, the events celebrate women and highlight the inequalities that women experience worldwide. The focus at the events picks up on various themes such as innovation, the portrayal of women in the media, or the importance of education and career opportunities.
Women of all backgrounds: Political, community, and business leaders, as well as leading educators, inventors, entrepreneurs, and television personalities, are usually invited to speak on the day.
Public Holiday in Many Countries
International Women’s Day is a public holiday in Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (half-day for women), Eritrea, Germany (some areas), Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Laos (women only), Madagasgar (women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Nauru, North Korea, Russia, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Zambia.
International Women’s Day is a national observance in many other countries.
The History of International Women’s Day
We observe it on March 8. This date was chosen by the United Nations as International Women’s Day to commemorate a women’s demonstration in Petrograd (Saint Petersburg), Russia, in 1917 that marked the turning point in the Russian revolution. In 1917, Russia still followed the Julian calendar, so the demonstration took place on February 23, which in the western Gregorian calendar is March 8.
The UN drew global attention to women’s concerns in 1975 by calling for an International Women’s Year. It also convened the first conference on women in Mexico City that year. The UN General Assembly then invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace in 1977. The day aimed to help nations worldwide eliminate discrimination against women. It also focused on helping women gain full and equal participation in global development. International Men’s Day is celebrated on November 19 each year.

International Day of Forests
2026-03-21
Celebrate International Day of Forests
The UN works with governments, community organizations, and the general public to promote both local and global activities for the International Day of Forests. Activities include:

Tree planting campaigns.
Photo exhibits that portray the importance forests and trees.
Sharing infographics, videos, news and messages via social and other media.

Public Life
International Day of Forests is a global observance and not a public holiday.
About International Day of Forests
Forests cover about one third of the world’s land mass. Roughly 1.6 billion people, including more than 2000 indigenous cultures, depend on forests for their livelihood. Forests are vital to the planet for many reasons, including:

Providing shelter for more than half of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects.
Contributing to the balance of oxygen, carbon dioxide and humidity in the air.
Protecting watersheds, which supply fresh water to rivers.

The UN first celebrated the International Day of Forests on March 21, 2013. This initiative follows from the International Year of Forests.
Did You Know?
Deforestation accounts for 12 to 20 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, according to the UN.

World Water Day
2026-03-22
The United Nations’ (UN) World Water Day is held on March 22 each year. Events are organized on or around this day to increase people’s awareness of water’s importance in environment, agriculture, health and trade.
Background
Agenda 21 is a worldwide action plan for areas where human activities may affect the environment. It was adopted at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992. Agenda 21 recommended various measures, including creating World Water Day.
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 22, 1992, declaring March 22 to be the World Day for Water each year. Countries were encouraged to develop activities to highlight local needs for water. The first World Day for Water was observed in 1993.
The Water for Life Decade was launched on World Water Day in 2005. This decade will run from 2005 to 2015 and give a high profile to women’s participation and the UN’s water-related programs.

Earth Hour
2026-03-28 20:30 - 21:30 (Africa/Cairo)
Earth Hour is an annual environmental campaign that brings attention to the effects of climate change by asking people to switch off lights at homes and businesses for an hour at 8.30 pm (20:30), local time, usually on the last Saturday of March.
In 2025, CEDARE supported Earth Hour by raising awareness on its official website and Social Media and marking the occasion with a special online initiative.
About Earth Hour
Earth Hour is a global WWF (formerly known as World Wildlife Fund) climate change initiative. It is an event that aims to create awareness of people taking responsibility toward a sustainable future by turning the lights off. Earth Hour is not to be confused with Earth Day.
Background
Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. This event saw 2.2 million homes and businesses turn their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change that year. Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating in 2008. Global landmarks such as the, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness for Earth Hour. In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour.
WWF, which organizes the annual Earth Hour event, aims to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment. It also focuses on building a future where people live in harmony with nature.

International Day of Zero Waste
2026-03-30
The International Day of Zero Waste is observed annually on March 30. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 14, 2022, to designate this day to raise awareness about waste management and promote sustainable practices.
Date: March 30 each year.
Purpose: To highlight the importance of sustainable waste management and encourage the transition to a circular economy.
Organizers: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) facilitate the observance.
