Home | News & Events | Earth Day 2021: U.S. Embassy Supports Launch of Green Refugee Communities Project for Environmental Conservation | April 22, 2021
Kampala, April 22, 2021 – Today is Earth Day, and the United States Mission in Uganda is pleased to announce the launch of the Green Refugee Communities project for environmental conservation. An initiative of the 2019 Alumni of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Mandela Washington Fellowship, the three-month activity will engage refugees and refugee hosting communities to replant the forest cover which was lost when the refugee settlements were established, and to mitigate the effects of climate change caused by deforestation. The project is being implemented by 2019 YALI participants in cooperation with the U.S. Mission, Uganda’s National Environmental Management Authority, the Office of the Prime Minister, and the Tunaweza Foundation.
U.S. Embassy Kampala | April 19, 2021
(as prepared for delivery at The American Center, Ggaba Road, Kampala)
Kampala, Uganda Good afternoon everyone. It’s an honor to join you for this launch of the YALI [Young African Leaders Initiative] 2019 Alumni Green Refugee Communities project for environmental conservation.
This Thursday, April 22, is Earth Day. The first Earth Day events were organized in the United States in 1970 as a response to growing public concern about the degradation of our environment. The event united a disparate group of individuals, civil society organizations, and politicians concerned about a range of issues, from industrial pollution to the loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife.