Celebrate forests every dayMore than 100 international days are celebrated throughout the year, in recognition of a vast range of issues, occupations, activities and cultural values important to humanity. Forests have a link to almost all of them. This page will feature forest links to these days throughout the International Year of Forests. December 11: International Mountain Day
November 20: Africa Industrialization Day
October 16: World Food Day
September 15: International Day of Democracy
August 12: International Youth Day
June 17: World Day to Combat Desertification and DroughtCPF Press release: International institutions call for increased investments for the arid zone forests
April 22: Earth DayCPF Press release: Global forestry institutions call for more community-based forest management The leading international organizations working to protect and manage the world’s forests are calling for governments across the globe to increase communities’ role in forest management. Doing so could contribute to lifting close to a billion people out of poverty, as well as improve the health and vitality of forests. Forests and trees provide poor families with food, shelter, clothing and heating and also generate income through employment and through the sale of goods and services. April 7: World Health DayCPF Press release: Forests provide untapped resources for human health Forests contribute to human health by offering pharmaceutical products and nutritional foods derived from forest products, as well as living environments conducive to good health. They also provide mental and physical health benefits as a setting for exercise and fresh air – especially for people who live in cities and have little daily contact with nature. The nut or seed of Garcinia kola (bitter kola), for example, is used in Central Africa as a purgative, antiparasitic and antimicrobial.
March 22: World Water DayCPF press release: Forests are key to high quality water supply Throughout the world, watershed and riparian forests have an essential role in stabilizing water supply and ensuring its purity.
March 8: International Women's DayCPF press release: Climate change highlights need for women to take greater role in forest management, experts say ahead of International Women's Day In Elisiya, Bangladesh, Alo Rani, 36, weaves a basket from bamboo, an important non-wood forest product. She received financial and technical assistance to develop her bamboo weaving business.
February 20: World Day of Social JusticeThe International Organization for Migration (IOM) uses wood to help rebuild the burned house of a Roma ethnic minority, a victim of persecution, in Lithuania.
February 2: World Wetlands DayCoastal forests are rich habitats for birds and sea creatures. Their leaf litter and detritus enters the marine food web. Mangroves, for example, serve as feeding, breeding and nursery grounds for numerous commercial fish and shellfish. They also offer protection against storm surges and erosion, helping to conserve wetlands and the livelihoods of people who depend on them. CPF press release: Water security depends on forests and wetlands
| Celebrating forests for peopleView a presentation of FAO's activities throughout the year. Special issue of Unasylva
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FAO inaugurates the International Year of Forests with a 
last updated: Monday, January 30, 2012