On the 11th of August 2008, MaltaPost p.l.c. Philatelic Bureau is issuing a set of 4 stamps, the first with only the Euro denomination, to commemorate the International Year of Planet Earth - a joint initiative by UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS).

The International Year of Planet Earth aims to capture people's imagination with the exciting knowledge we possess about our planet, and to see that knowledge used to make the Earth a safer, healthier and wealthier place for our children and grandchildren.

The International Year runs from January 2007 to December 2009, with the central year (2008) proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly as the United Nations Year. The United Nations sees the Year as a contribution to their sustainable development targets as it promotes sustainable use of Earth materials and encourages better planning and management to reduce risks for the world's inhabitants.

The stamps, designed by Paul Psaila, have a face value of Euro 0.07, Euro 0.68, Euro 1.00 and Euro 1.77. The stamps are 44.0 mm by 31.0 mm in size, with a perforation of 13.9 by 14.0 (comb.). All stamps are offset printed on Maltese Crosses watermarked paper by Printex Limited, and are available in sheets of ten. The designs used, represent the earth from its various perspectives; from the desert to the oceans, from vegetation to the beauty of the planet as seen from space.

The stamps will be on sale from the 11th of August at all MaltaPost postal branches in Malta and Gozo, the MaltaPost Mobile Unit, and the Philatelic Bureau at 305, Triq Hal Qormi, Marsa, telephone 25961740, email philately@maltapost.com. Additional information on this and other issues is available on the MaltaPost website at www.maltapost.com.