ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Marking World Environment Day, top Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials on Friday renewed pledges to preserve the autonomous region’s natural majesty and continue efforts to create a “greener and cleaner” Kurdistan.

June 5 marks a United Nations-designated day for “encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment,” according to the official World Environment Day website. The UN first established the annual observance in 1972.

Every year, a country is picked to host an event to mark the date that has its own theme and slogan. The 2020 celebrations took place in Columbia, with its focus being biodiversity and its accompanying “Time for Nature” slogan.

Hunting animals and unmanaged cutting down of trees are both prohibited in the Kurdistan Region. This approach has been adopted by many residents of rural areas, resulting in stunning mountainscapes in several locations for as far as the eye can see.

“Kurdistan is home to some of the most beautiful natural environments and habitats in the world,” said Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in a tweet. “This government is working hard to preserve and sustain them, but as Kurdistanis, we each have our own responsibility.”

“On #WorldEnvironmentDay, we reiterate our commitment to a greener and cleaner Kurdistan and a more sustainable planet,” Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani tweeted.

He added, “Protecting the nature is an essential part of addressing factors that are damaging our environment, including pollution.”