Proclamation of May 10th as International Day of Argania.

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed May 10th as International Day of Argania in 2021, The resolution A/RES/75/262, submitted by Morocco, was co-sponsored by 113 member states of the United Nations and adopted by consensus.

RESOLUTION 75/262. International Day of Argania. 

The General Assembly, 

Reaffirming its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, in which it adopted a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals and targets, its commitment to working tirelessly for the full implementation of the Agenda by 2030, its recognition that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, its commitment to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and integrated manner, and to building upon the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and seeking to address their unfinished business, 

Reaffirming also its resolution 69/313 of 27 July 2015 on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, supports and complements it, helps to contextualize its means of implementation targets with concrete policies and actions, and reaffirms the strong political commitment to address the challenge of financing and creating an enabling environment at all levels for sustainable development in the spirit of global partnership and solidarity, 

Reaffirming further its resolution 53/199 of 15 December 1998 and Resolution 61/185 of 20 December 2006 on the proclamation of international years and Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/67 of 25 July 1980 on international years and anniversaries, particularly paragraphs 1 to 10 of the annex thereto on the agreed criteria for the proclamation of international years, as well as paragraphs 13 and 14, in which it is stated that an international year should not be proclaimed before the basic arrangements for its organization and financing have been made, Recognizing the value of knowledge, education, science and new technology to sustainable land management, including making use of, inter alia, the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Recalling the adoption of the Rome Declaration on Nutrition,  which reaffirmed that national health systems should integrate nutrition while providing access for all to integrated health services, through a continuum of care approach, as well as its Framework for Action, which provides a set of voluntary policy options and strategies for Governments, as appropriate, Acknowledging the importance of promoting sustainable farming and agriculture, which will contribute to sustainable food production systems and the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems and help to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, Recalling the United Nations strategic plan for forests 2017–2030, and recognizing that forests are home to an estimated 80 per cent of all terrestrial species and that forests, including boreal, temperate and tropical, contribute substantially to climate change mitigation and adaptation and to the conservation of biodiversity, Recognizing that the argan tree (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels), an endemic woodland species found in the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve of Morocco, which was designated a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization biosphere reserve in 1998, is typically a multipurpose tree that plays a very important role in achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions at the local level, Welcoming that “Argan, practices and know-how concerning the argan tree” was inscribed in 2014 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, Recalling that the argan-based agro-pastoral system in Morocco was recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems initiative, on 21 December 2018, Taking note of the 2019 global report on traditional and complementary medicine of the World Health Organization, and recalling that ways could be explored to integrate, as appropriate, safe and evidence-based traditional and complementary medicine services within national and/or subnational health systems, particularly at the level of primary health care, according to national context and priorities, Recognizing further the multiple properties of argan oil, especially in traditional and complementary medicine and in culinary and cosmetic industries, Recognizing with concern that climate change is a major and growing driver of biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation and that the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and ecosystem functions and services, contribute significantly to climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction and food security and nutrition, Welcoming the pledges made to the Green Climate Fund, and emphasizing the importance of continuing to replenish the Fund so that it continues to be one of the main channels enabling the flow of financial resources to mitigation and adaptation projects in developing countries, Emphasizing the need to promote trade for sustainable growth in argan production, and recognizing its contribution to the socioeconomic development of the rural population, Acknowledging that cooperatives and other community-supported agriculture organizations working in the argan field are instrumental in promoting local job opportunities and can play an important role in contributing to food security and in eradicating poverty and hence in contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, Recognizing that argan practices and the sustainable argan production sector contribute to the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of local communities, especially women living in rural areas, 

1. Decides to proclaim 10 May as the International Day of Argania, to be observed annually; 

2. Invites all Member States, organizations and agencies of the United Nations system, other international and regional organizations and civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, the private sector, individuals and other relevant stakeholders to observe the International Day of Argania, as appropriate; 

3. Invites all relevant stakeholders to continue to give due consideration to enhancing international cooperation in support of the efforts to preserve Argania, given its vital role in maintaining ecological balance and preserving biodiversity; 

4. Invites the Department of Global Communications of the United Nations Secretariat, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme to facilitate the observance of the International Day of Argania, mindful of the provisions contained in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/67; 

5. Stresses that the cost of all activities that may arise from the implementation of the present resolution should be met from voluntary contributions, including from the private sector; 

6. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of all Member States, the organizations of the United Nations system and civil society organizations for appropriate observance. 

56th plenary meeting 3 March 2021.