The Team from UN House Gets Its Hands Dirty Joining the World Cleanup Campaign

The United Nations Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) and friends from UN agencies at the UN House rolled up their sleeves to help combat the waste crisis. With a glint in their eyes and gloves on their hands, the team dedicated their time and effort to clean up the spaces around the UN House.

The clean-up activity was part of the global action of World Cleanup Day, initiated by the “Let's Do It” movement, which has spread across 197 countries and territories, amassing a staggering 71 million volunteers who have cleaned up 325 metric tonnes of waste this year alone. “Let's Do It Kosova”, the Kosovo branch of the movement, has been organizing this campaign since 2012 and was particularly active this year. While planning an action with KFOR Carabinieri in Pristina in the second week of October, they engaged with schools, municipalities, foreign embassies and local communities to clean nearly a dozen sites in September alone with more to come soon. See some of the most important social media posts here  with the links to media stories.  Read more about Let's Do It Kosova inspiring work here.

World Cleanup Day serves as a reminder that it is our duty to take action for future generations. According to Luan Hasanaj, the Cleanup Day reminds community members of what must be done to keep our environment clean and inspires participants not to stop until the last piece of trash is removed, sorted and recycled and prevented from harming our nature. The proposal to mark a day of global action against waste on 20 September signifies a major step for World Cleanup Day, helping amplify its reach and impact.

Kosovo’s engagement in World Cleanup Day is longstanding. In 2019, Let’s Do It Kosova coordinated a live global session of World Cleanup Day. This year, on 15 July, the UN High Level Political Forum organized a clean-up event in New York, with Let's Do It World, combining art and action: LINK (we can insert video still here as well). The team from UN House joined this initiative by collecting more than 30 bags of solid waste and posting signs calling for littering to end, and the team engaged the municipal/public cleaning company, Pastrimi, to tackle an illegal dump site near their office. Along with a bicycle lane in the area, the clean-up is expected to receive more attention from the municipality to keep it free of solid waste. All parties at the UN House are committed to maintain the cleanliness of their surroundings and promote a healthy environment.

However, the challenge in Kosovo is not insignificant. Kosovo cities, especially larger ones, have faced a major challenge of littering and illegal waste dump sites for many years. River basins are also littered with plastic and other materials, which create a physical hurdle to waterways, potentially causing floods and other risks.

Nonetheless, there is good news on the horizon! In addition to World Cleanup Day and other actions taken by the UN and the Government, the forthcoming ban on plastic bags in Kosovo, expected to be rolled out soon, is predicted to significantly reduce street litter and raise awareness about the environmental impacts of single-use plastics.

Efforts to support reduced pollution and environmental sanitation, such as the clean-up activity, align closely with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. By participating in this clean-up activity, UN Kosovo team and the people of Kosovo not only contribute to these global goals, they also set a powerful example for other organizations and communities.

The UN calls on all communities and individuals to follow the example set by the Let’s Do It Kosova team and the UNDCO team in Kosovo. Together, we can make a significant impact and help preserve our planet for future generations. So, let's roll up our sleeves, put on our gloves, and get to work! After all, a cleaner world is a happier world.