KECD Central Office Staff Celebrate Kawthoolei Tree Planting Month 2025

On July 25, 2025, the central office staff of the Karen Education and Culture Department (KECD) celebrated the Kawthoolei Tree Planting Month 2025.

The event marks eight years of collective reforestation efforts led by the Karen people, who have long upheld their role as caretakers of the land. Amid escalating climate crises and conflict-driven deforestation, this year’s campaign reinforces a bold commitment to the Karen National Union (KNU)-led Kawthoolei Climate Action Plan (K-CAP). Key targets by 2035 include:

1. Reforesting 200,000 hectares of degraded land

2. Reducing deforestation by 50% to protect 220,000 hectares of remaining forest

3. Expanding community-led conservation and agroforestry across all 7 KNU districts

“We call on all Karen people to plant not just for today, but for generations to come.”