Deyata Sevana to minimise global warming

The national tree planting campaign, Deyata Sevana-Shelter for the Nation which got off the ground on November 15 is indeed a huge boost to the environment at a time when global warming is impacting nature and wreaking havoc with the climate.

Under the Deyata Sevana programme 1.1 million trees were planted throughout the country in just 11 minutes on this day launching the week-long celebrations held to mark President Mahinda Rajapaksa's second term in office and also his 65th birthday. The first tree saplings were planted at Temple Trees by the President and the First Lady at the auspicious time of 10.07 a.m.

It is said that in about two decades time the 1.1 million saplings planted on this day would absorb 168,196 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year and release 24,096 metric tons of oxygen into the atmosphere annually.

Trees don't merely beautify the environment as you know by now. They provide us with fresh air, most importantly the oxygen we breathe to survive and also medicine, food, fuel, timber and even manure.

Trees also provide shelter to birds and animals, help retain the richness of the soil, prevent soil erosion and regulate the water cycle.

The Deyata Sevana tree planting campaign went global with tree saplings being planted at the Sri Lankan High Commission premises in New Delhi, India and Washington DC, USA.

How many of you participated in the tree planting campaign to make our little country an eco-friendly nation?

Trees are our wealth, so, we must stop cutting trees and plant more trees to protect our country by minimising the effects of global warming.According to the chairman of the Central Environment Authority, Dr.Charitha Herath,records will be maintained for each sapling planted under this campaign.

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is on December 2:

Let's fight modern slavery

The United Nations' (UN) International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is annually observed on December 2 to remind people that modern slavery works against human rights.

The day also encourages people to put meaning to the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that "no one shall be held in slavery or servitude," through their actions. This holiday is not to be confused with the UN's International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

The United Nations is committed to fighting against slavery and considers bonded labour, forced labour, the worst forms of child labour and trafficking people as modern forms of slavery. Some sources say that more than one million children are trafficked each year for cheap labour or sexual exploitation. These types of slavery are global problems and go against article four of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that 'no one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms'.

However, today even in our country there are children who are especially kept in servitude and also used to do various types of work, mostly due to poverty. Despite all the stringent laws, child labour continues. Do not turn a blind eye if ever you know of any children who are being forced to work, like slaves in the past.

The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery recalls the adoption of the UN Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others of.

To remember the convention, a UN report of the Working Group on Slavery recommended in 1985 that December 2 be proclaimed the World Day for the Abolition of Slavery in all its forms. By 1995, the day was known as the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.

On December 18, 2002, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2004 the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition. On November 28, 2006, the assembly designated March 25, 2007, as the International Day for the Commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The UN also annually observes the UN's International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on August 23.