Target of planting 50,000 trees in line with World Earth Day 2026

The theme for this year’s World Earth Day, observed on April 22, is “Our Power, Our Planet.”

Marking World Earth Day 2026, the Sri Lanka Branch of the International Police Association launched the **“Plant a Tree”** initiative, as part of the *Green IPA* project introduced by the International Police Association in 2024.

The programme was ceremonially inaugurated on the morning of 22.04.2026 with the planting of a sapling in front of Police Headquarters, under the patronage of the Chairman of the International Police Association, Inspector General of Police, Attorney-at-Law Priyantha Weerasuriya. He stated that the primary objective of this initiative is to plant 50,000 saplings islandwide this year through the Community Policing and Environmental Protection Directorate, in collaboration with Public Safety Committees.

The successful implementation of the *Green IPA* project in 2024 earned the Sri Lanka Police international recognition as the branch that planted the highest number of saplings among 68 participating countries. During that initiative, the Sri Lanka Police contributed 5,000 saplings to the country.

The inaugural event was attended by several senior officers, including the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of the Community Policing and Environmental Protection Directorate, Mr. R.A.R.N. Rajapaksa, the Secretary General of the Sri Lanka Branch of the International Police Association, and the Women’s Chief Inspector of Police, Mrs. Sunethra Seneviratne.