The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) will be celebrating Geographic Information System (GIS) Day from November 16-18, 2020 under the national theme 'Geospatial Technologies: Shaping the Future.' GIS Day is an annual event celebrating the technology of Geographic Information System (GIS). The event is an opportunity for people to learn about geography and the many uses of GIS. 

GIS is a scientific framework for gathering, analyzing and visualizing geographic data that help in decision making for various professional disciplines. The technology assists in developing and implementing solutions that can ultimately enhance and improve the work of Ministries, Departments and Agencies towards sustainable development, wellbeing and quality of life for all Jamaican.

World Town Planning Day (WTPD) is an international event celebrated annually across the world on November 8, in approximately 30 countries on four continent. The am is to increase awareness of planning as a profession and to highlight its important role in the development of the nation.  Jamaica commenced celebrating this event in the 1970s primarily via professional bodies such as the Jamaica Institute of Planners and the Town and Country Planning Authority. The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) in collaboration with the other stakeholders began commemorating WTPD in Jamaica in 2001. Since then, the Agency has sought to engage the wider public increasing their knowledge of the field of Planning and its significance.

World Ozone Day is celebrated on September 16 annually. This year's celebration will be done under the theme 'Ozone for Life: 35 years of Ozone Layer Protection.'

The protection of the ozone layer began with the Vienna Convention in 1985, which was a system desinged for global monitoring and reporting on ozone depletion. 

This was followed by the Montreal Protocol in 1987. This Treaty was signed by 197 countries on September 16, 1987. Jamiaca became a party to the protocol 1993. 

Since 2000, the ozone layer has regenerated at a rate of 1-3% per decade according to a Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion conducted in 2018. It is expected that by 2030 Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone will heal completely; the Southern Hemisphere and Polar regions will follow suit in 2050 and 2060 respectively.

Ozone layer protection efforts have also contributed to the fight against climate change by averting an estimated 135 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, from 1990 to 2010.

The Kigali Amendment, was agreed on in Rwanda in 2016. It was entered into force on January 1, 2019. This Amendment aims to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) which contributes to the increase in greenhouse emissions. 

Jamiaca is going through a ratification process before they can become a party to this amendment.

International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD) is celebrated annually on the third Saturday of September. This year will mark the 35^th year of ICCD and will be celebrated on September 19, 2020, under the theme 'Fighting For Trash Free Seas.' The one-day celebration will expand one week this year, giving you more information on how ICCD has been beneficial to the environment.

Organized internationally by Ocean Conservancy, ICCD charges stakeholders throughout the world with helping to save the lives of marine animals, protecting the world’s beaches and improving livelihoods through strategic beach clean-ups.

For over thirty (30) years, this event has successfully brought NGOs, government agencies, community-based organizations and volunteers from educational institutions together. Such a collaborative and focused approach has led to ICCD being the largest one-day volunteer event in the world.

As a Small Island Development State (SIDS) with more than 90 public beaches, Jamaica is a key stakeholder in the mission of Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Clean-up Day 2020.