The resolution declaring May 20th as World Bee Day was adopted at the plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly on December 20th, 2017. See the Letter to the Editor.
Bees and other pollinators are extremely important when it comes to ensuring the global safety of the food supply chain. Every third spoonful of food depends on pollination. By pollinating crops, bees also provide a significant source of jobs and income for farmers, which is particularly important for developing countries. An international study of IPBES estimates that the annual global food production which depends on pollination is worth between USD $235 and $577 billion. In addition, bees also have an important role in nature conservation. Studies of UN Agencies and the International Union for Conservation of Nature show that bee populations and the populations of other pollinators have significantly decreased, making them more and more endangered.
Therefore, the Republic of Slovenia, on the initiative of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association, initiated procedures in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2015 to declare World Bee Day, and proposed a resolution which would emphasize the importance of bees and other pollinators.
