World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated by people across the world on Secocnd Saturday of October. Birds can be found everywhere: in cities and in the countryside; in parks and backyards, in forests and mountains, and in wetlands and along the shores. They connect all these habitats and they connect us, reminding us of our own connection to the planet, the environment, wildlife and each other.

Forum: World Migratory Bird Day 2020, “Birds Connect Our World”.

The theme highlights the importance of conserving and restoring the ecological connectivity and integrity of ecosystems that support the natural movements of migratory birds and that are essential for their survival and well-being. On Saturday, 10 October 2020, people around the world will celebrate World Migratory Bird Day – a global campaign dedicated to raising awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve migratory birds.

Statement from the Secretary-General of the United Nations on World Miigratory Bird Day 2020, October 10th.

The theme of this year’s World Migratory Bird Day is “Birds connect our world”. As they travel the globe, migratory birds lift our spirits and remind us of nature, connecting people, ecosystems and nations.

Yet our continued encroachment on nature and the destruction of vital habitats are putting many migratory birds as well as other wild animals at risk of extinction.

Our attack on nature is also having devastating, long-lasting consequences on human health, our economies and societies.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest example of a disease spreading from wild sources to humanity. It has clearly shown the extent to which all life on our planet is interconnected and how human health is intimately linked to the health of our planet.

World Migratory Bird Day is an opportunity to appreciate migratory birds and the Earth’s natural cycles that are so important for human well-being.

As we work towards a post-2020 biodiversity framework, protecting migratory species and their habitats is crucial. We have a collective responsibility to protect all life on Earth and to work together as a community of nations to tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.

As we work together to recover from the pandemic, let us use the response to invest in nature and adopt policies that will build a more resilient and sustainable world.

Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

STATEMENTS

• Statement from Ms. Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme on world Migratory Birds Day 2020

• Statement from Ms. Amy Fraenkel Executive Secretary Convention on Migratory Species

• Statement from Ms. Jane Madgwick, CEO Wetlands International on World Migratory Bird Day 2020

• Statement by Dr Anne Larigauderie , Executive Secretary (IPBES) Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on World Migratory Bird Day 2020

• Statement from Mr. Randeep Hooda CMS Ambassador for Migratory Species on World Migratory Bird Day 2020

• Statement from Ms. Sacha Dench, CMS Ambassador for Migratory Species on world migratory bird day 2020

• Statement from Mr. Ashok Sridharan, Mayor of the City of Bonn on World Migratory Bird Day 2020,

• Statement from Mr. George Aman, President of the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) on World Migratory Bird Day 2020

Statement by Ms. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema; Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity on World Migratory Birds Day 2020.

On World Migratory Bird Day, we celebrate migratory birds and reaffirm our international commitment to protecting them.

This year’s theme, “Birds Connect Our World”, reminds us that migratory birds connect us to our planet, to wildlife and with each other, with beneficial results.

Migratory birds are integral to the fabric of life on Earth. They play essential roles in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and allow us all to benefit from nature’s contributions to people.

Migratory water birds help maintain and improve the quality of wetland ecosystems. Human communities benefit from the resulting ecosystem services, such as water and food, and disaster risk reduction.

Approximately five per cent of the plants that humans use for food or medicine are pollinated by birds. When they travel, birds take the seeds they’ve eaten and disperse them, helping bring plants back to ecosystems that have been destroyed. These birds also serve as a source of food, of economically and culturally important activities such as hunting, tourism and recreation.

Protecting migratory birds presents unique challenges. Their habitat knows no borders, making protection a globally shared responsibility. The relentless destruction, fragmentation and degradation of habitats have damaged critical stopover sites for many species. This loss of resilience not only affects migratory birds but facilitates the spread of infectious diseases including COVID-19.

As we recover and build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic, we must seize this opportunity for strengthened international cooperation in support of our shared future. The protection of biodiversity is more important than ever, and we must take renewed, ambitious action to stop its continuing decline.

To enable this, the Convention on Biological Diversity offers guidelines to Parties on how to effectively incorporate and mainstream the conservation of migratory species into national policies for biodiversity, including into national biodiversity strategies and action plans.

Connectivity is essential for migratory birds. They, unlike we, cannot be locked down. Migratory birds need a network of intact habitats along their entire migration routes to survive. Therefore, we need to ensure that they have places, everywhere.

As confirmed by Heads of State and Government at the recent UN Summit on Biodiversity, biodiversity remains the answer to a number of sustainable development challenges that we face. By addressing the needs of migratory birds - such as land restoration, healthy ecosystems and genetic diversity - we also help ourselves.

Nature has sent us a call to action with regards to the pandemic. We know that biodiversity remains the basis for a sustainable future. Let’s conserve and sustainably use biodiversity. We will not only be helping our feathered friends, on their breathtaking travels, we are also helping ourselves.

CBD Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema

Global map of Events : Join the countries which observe the World Migratory Bird Day.