The head of the U.N. Environment Program announced Friday in Tokyo the launch of the world's largest photography contest in anticipation of World Environment Day.

In town for today's World Environment Day celebrations, UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer kicked off the third UNEP photography contest under the theme of "Focus on Your World" at a news conference.

Today Toepfer is to present UNEP's Global 500 Awards to 17 individuals and groups recognized for protecting the environment.

"It is the last World Environment Day in this century, and it is not by chance that we are here in Japan," Toepfer said, adding that awareness and technology are two keys to overcoming the myriad environmental problems and that Japan can contribute in these areas.

The contest is designed to allow people to express their feelings about the environment while heightening awareness of environmental issues through photographs.

UNEP expects tens of thousands of images to be submitted by shutterbugs, both professional and amateur, from more than 150 countries.

Prior contests, held in 1992 and 1995, yielded more than 70,000 entries from more than 150 nations. Entries will be accepted until the end of next April, and the results and winners will be announced in September 2000.

The photographs will form "a collection of visual opinions of the planet's health and well-being at one point in time ... to create an awareness that provides us with a snapshot of our planet at the end of one millennium and the beginning of the next," UNEP spokesman Tore Brevik said.

"World Environment Day is also a good opportunity," said Hiroshi Yoshida of the Environment Agency, "for Japan to demonstrate its active involvement in working on environmental issues."

Yoshida expressed hope that UNEP will play an increasingly central role in resolving environmental problems and pledged continued human and financial support from Japan.