Beekeeping is a widespread and global activity, with millions of beekeepers depending on bees for their livelihoods and well-being. Bees provide humans with valuable hive products (such as honey, wax, propolis, pollen and royal jelly) and ecosystem services, including pollination, apitherapy and apitourism. They also can play important economic, cultural and social roles. Together with wild pollinators, bees play a major role in maintaining biodiversity, ensuring the survival and reproduction of many plants, supporting forest regeneration, promoting sustainability and adaptation to climate change, improving the quantity and quality of agricultural productions.

On 20 May 2022, FAO will celebrate World Bee Day through a virtual event, featuring bee and pollinator experts and practitioners from across the world. The event will raise awareness on the importance of the wide variety of bees and sustainable beekeeping systems, the threats and challenges they face and their contribution to livelihoods and food systems. Now is a time to re-think how we can support bees and the livelihoods and systems they, in turn, support.