His Excellency Mr. George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia, has by Proclamation declared Friday, February 2, 2018, as World Wetlands Day and is to be observed throughout the Republic as a Working Holiday.

The Proclamation calls on citizens and foreign residents within the territorial confines of Liberia to join the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to organize and execute appropriate programs that would make the event meaningful towards the sustainable management of wetlands and water bodies.

According to a Foreign Ministry release, the celebration of the event is intended to focus worldwide attention on the importance of wetlands, their values and benefits in general, and the Ramsar Convention in particular, so as to stimulate political attention and action to empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development.

This year’s observance will take place under the global theme: “Wetlands for A Sustainable Urban Future” and under the national theme: “Save the Wetlands, Save Our Future.”

The Proclamation says the observance is intended to raise awareness and highlight the vital roles of healthy wetlands in reducing the impacts of extreme vents such as flood, drought and cyclones on the communities and to help build resilience to such conditions.  

The convention on Wetlands of International Importance, known as Ramsar Convention, was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Capsian Sea and as designed by the United Nations, is observed on the 2^nd day of February of every year as Wetlands Day and has been celebrated by all UN member countries worldwide since 1997, the release quotes the proclamation as saying.