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INTERNATIONAL YOUTH REVIEW OF CHAPTER 25 IN AGENDA 21
UNITED NATIONS E/CN.17/2002/PC.2/6.Add.2
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
(Original: English)
Commission on Sustainable Development acting as
The preparatory committee for the World Summit on Sustainable Development First Substantive Session
28 January – 8 February 2002
Secretary-General's Note for the Multi-stakeholder dialogue Segment of the Second Preparatory Committee
Addendum No 2: Dialogue Paper by Youth
Prepared by the Ad Hoc Working Group for the International Chapter 25 Youth Review, an international coalition of youth organizations from around world.
International Youth Review of Chapter 25 in Agenda 21: Working with Others to Find a Way Forward
Section 1: Introduction
Chapter 25 of Agenda 21 begins by stating, "The involvement of today’s youth in environment and development decision-making and in the implementation of programmes is critical to the long-term success of Agenda 21". Never has it been more obvious that today’s youth are committed to undertake this responsibility. Youth commitment to and energy for sustainable development has been exemplified in the number of youth events that have taken place to assemble youth worldwide to create an understanding of the problems and an identification of solutions. This includes, but is not limited to: UNEP’s Global Youth Retreat at the 21st Session of the Governing Council in February 2001; the Borgholm Youth Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development in May 2001, the 4th Dakar World Youth Forum of the UN System in August 2001; the Baku Youth Earth Summit in September 2001; and the UNESCO Youth Forum at the 31st Session of the General Conference in October 2001. As such, this review draws from the many existing youth declarations, recommendations and calls for action that resulted from recent global youth collaboration.
Youth around the world have been asked by the UN’s Johannesburg Summit Secretariat to collaborate and mobilize existing youth networks for the preparation of this dialogue paper. This work, along with the papers submitted by the eight other Agenda 21 major groups, aims to serve as an independent review of the progress made on major group chapters of Agenda 21. It is submitted with the understanding that it will be translated and distributed at PrepCom II in January 2002 and possibly made available at subsequent PrepCom meetings.
Youth recognize that the dialogue papers submitted by Major Groups could likely be the only papers in the Summit’s official documentation written by stakeholders outside the UN system. Youth are collectively thankful for this opportunity and sincerely hope that this review will be used in addressing the concerns of youth at the Johannesburg Summit.
Upon a request from the Secretariat to submit this review, an "Ad Hoc Working Group for the International Chapter 25 Youth Review" was formed. The work was accomplished by youth from around the world working through six regional drafting groups. These were South America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Southwest Asia, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe and North America. Some of the youth involved represent larger youth constituencies and organizations, while others acted as individuals representing their own views. Many were participants at recent global youth events or part of an existing network, such as the UNEP Youth Advisory Council. The work was accomplished through Internet communication and teleconferences. A list of the youth involved is included in Appendix I.
By virtue of being called a dialogue paper, which generally implies two-way communication, youth also note that this paper acts only as an initial step in the collaboration of work between youth, the WSSD Bureau, the Johannesburg Secretariat, governments and other stakeholders in the process leading up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. We look forward to continuing the dialogue during the planned multi-stakeholder dialogues segments at the PrepComs and through other opportunities, especially with regards to the creation of partnerships for the implementation of solutions.
We have followed the Secretariat’s suggestion that this review identify the progress achieved with regards to the implementation of Chapter 25, as well as examine future priorities. As such, the paper has been organized into four main sections. Three sections are directly related to the major issues for which action is outlined in Chapter 25 of Agenda 21. These include access to education and awareness for sustainable development, access to information and participation in all levels of decision-making and lastly youth employment. An additional section has been added to include those issues not included in Chapter 25, but which must be addressed as youth have a significant role to play in achieving progress regarding these concerns.
Each section follows a specific format. It begins with a description of the commitments made in Agenda 21 in relation to the issue under review. This is followed by a brief discussion about progress achieved and remaining concerns. The most important part of each section is the statement of suggested actions for the implementation of solutions.
The review is so structured because of three guiding notions that youth around the world have to transmit to all stakeholders involved in the preparations for Johannesburg. This review is one effort to make known these key notions, which conveyed simply, are: Urgency, Partnerships, and Implementation. This principle message is simple and we only hope that it stays at the forefront of all processes related to the Johannesburg Summit. Youth remain committed to working with others to find a way forward.
Section 2: Access to Education and Creating Awareness for Sustainable Development
Education and Awareness- Commitments in Agenda 21
Chapter 25 of Agenda 21 has several sections that address education and its relationship to children and youth communities. At the Rio Summit in 1992, world leaders recognized the vital link between access to quality education and the health and well being of the international youth community. They also recognized the need for capacity building within youth communities in order to make positive progress towards global sustainable development efforts. Chapter 25 makes the following references to education and building awareness for sustainable development:
Each country, by the year 2000, should ensure that more than 50 per cent of its youth, gender balanced, are enrolled in or have access to appropriate secondary education or equivalent educational or vocational training programmes by increasing participation and access rates on an annual basis. (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.5)
Governments, according to their strategies, should take measures to:
Ensure access for all youth to all types of education, wherever appropriate, providing alternative learning structures, ensure that education reflects the economic and social needs of youth and incorporates the concepts of environmental awareness and sustainable development throughout the curricula; and expand vocational training, implementing innovative methods aimed at increasing practical skills, such as environmental scouting (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.9d)
Establish task forces that include youth and youth non-governmental organizations to develop educational and awareness programmes specifically targeted to the youth population on critical issues pertaining to youth. These task forces should use formal and non-formal educational methods to reach a maximum audience. National and local media, non-governmental organizations, businesses and other organizations should assist in these task forces. (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.9f)
Chapter 36 of Agenda 21 is entirely dedicated to promoting education, public awareness, and training for sustainable development. The chapter focuses on three program areas: reorienting education towards sustainable development; increasing public awareness; and promoting training. For example, the following statement in Chapter 36 relates specifically to youth.
Relevant authorities should ensure that every school is assisted in designing environmental activity work plans, with the participation of students and staff. Schools should involve schoolchildren in local and regional studies on environmental health, including safe drinking water, sanitation and food and ecosystems and in relevant activities, linking these studies with services and research in national parks, wildlife reserves, ecological heritage sites etc. (Agenda 21, Paragraph 36.5e)
Education and Awareness- Progress Achieved and Remaining Concerns
The word ‘education’ is mentioned over 600 times in Agenda 21; second only to the word ‘government’. The importance of education – both formal and non-formal – to making forward progress towards sustainable development is recognized in nearly every chapter. Yet many national governments have yet to take concrete, decisive steps towards developing effective formal and non-formal education strategies for sustainable development.
UNESCO estimates that there are more than 130 million children in the world, the majority of them girls, who are not enrolled in school. Access is particularly difficult for ethnic minorities, children with disabilities and those with HIV/AIDS. Education for sustainable development is lacking significantly. Youth believe that the commitments made in Agenda 21 on the issue of education have not been duly addressed since 1992. Some of the key issues of concern are:
Access to and enrollment in basic formal education (equally for young females and males) is still very low in many countries.
Quality of education is endangered in many countries because of insufficient social and financial appreciation of educators.
Furthermore, the teaching community is not being given education for environment and sustainable development training when they are earning their teaching credentials.
Educators and students do not have a guaranteed voice in international sustainable development discussions at the United Nations, as they are not a recognized major group.
The formal education system is still quite traditional, rigid and does not allow for integration of knowledge, creative-thinking, and experiential learning – all of which are important characteristics of education for sustainability. There is a lack of integration of sustainable development issues into the formal education system.
Nearly 10 years after Rio, and 30 years after Stockholm, most of the people of the world still do not have a good understanding of sustainable development and why it is important. Many have never heard of Agenda 21.
There is still limited scientific, sociological and economic information on what steps need to be taken to move the world towards sustainability thus making education and awareness building difficult.
There is a lack of access to information on local, national, and international sustainable development issues, which has led – in the youth community – to a lack of awareness and limited capacity building for youth action.
The capacity of youth organizations to develop "for youth by youth" formal and non-formal education for sustainability programs is highly limited due to lack of resources and recognition of the importance of this type of programming.
Much informal education of young people is coming from media, advertising, and mass marketing sources, as this is where financial resources are focused. Non-profit agencies dedicated to education for sustainable development do not have the same resources or influence necessary to counter these often anti-sustainability messages that dominate many cultures. Privatization of education services is also becoming a concern in the current trade-dominated global culture.
Education and Awareness- Suggested Actions and Identification of Implementation Partners
The international youth community feels the following actions would greatly improve the implementation of educational and awareness-building commitments for sustainable development as set forth in Agenda 21.
We wish to add our support to the following actions as suggested through existing youth declarations:
The International Student Festival in Trondheim, Norway, (ISFiT) gathered 460 students from 106 countries in March 2001. Supported by students all over the world, the 2001 Trondheim Declaration states that the education community should be recognized as a fundamental force in implementing sustainable development and as a consequence, it should be established as a 10th Major Group. Youth continue to support this action. Partners for implementation include national and international educators and teaching associations as well as national delegations involved in the drafting and decision-making processes of new agreements at the WSSD.
The Baku Treaty Action Statement, drafted at the Youth Earth Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan Republic in September 2001 recommends that curriculum related to sustainable development be accomplished in part through "learning by doing" projects. Youth request that students, teachers and administrators work together to ensure that learning through local, applied, and active methods becomes a utilized tool for sustainability.
We call for increased access to the computer technology and the Internet for young people recognizing its importance as an educational and communication tool. Young People participating in the 4th session of the World Youth Forum of the United Nations System in Dakar, Senegal in August 2001 recommend an increase in technical, technological, material and financial support through the establishment of an Education and ICT fund, which promotes North-South and South- South cooperation, national and regional networking, and government and private partnerships of ICT training centers.
Youth need to be engaged in educational initiatives developed by governments and other NGOs for young people. The importance of for-youth-by-youth education must be recognized by other organizations working on education for sustainable development. The UNESCO Youth Forum of the 31st session of the General Conference held in Paris, France in October 2001 acknowledges the importance of peer education: young people training young people are an underestimated resource. It also calls for a better recognition of non-formal education, through closer cooperation between formal institutions for educational and regional or national branches of youth NGOs.
Additionally, we also propose the following actions:
Integrate principles of sustainable development into the formal educational system. Of particular importance is the integration of sustainability issues into the postsecondary education system, especially programs like law, engineering, the sciences, business and economics, and sociology. Simply having programs dedicated to environmental studies/science is not enough.
Build collaborative international research centers (like a global center of science and education for sustainable development) dedicated to research and develop and test ideas addressing how the world might practically make progress towards sustainability.
Enhance mass media to spread information about sustainable development issues, specifically ideas for how to make positive change from the personal to the international scales, and become an educational tool through channels such as interconnected radio, television and the Internet.
Encourage the corporate sector and labor unions to include sustainable development in their education and training programs.
More scholarship and funding opportunities should be created for young people interested in pursuing research and academic work in the field of sustainable development.
Focus on reducing the gender inequalities in education, including access to technological development.
Recognize that education is a basic human right and that it is required if youth are to find meaningful employment and become engaged in decision-making in their futures. This requires support for young people who have missed the opportunity to be educated, such as street children, migrant populations or any other person outside the formal education systems.
Develop state level ‘Education for Sustainability’ strategies to coordinate and consolidate efforts. Create a set of international indicators to measure progress made towards education for sustainable development that is more comprehensive than the current set of UN CSD indicators on this issue.
Use the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development to identify sustainability in education as a priority theme for discussion and to develop a concrete and comprehensive international plan of action on sustainability in education.
Section 3: Access to Information and Engagement in All Levels of Decision-Making
Information and Engagement - Commitments in Agenda 21
Several of the objectives and actions described in Chapter 25 make direct commitments to youth involvement and engagement in all levels of decision-making. If the involvement of today’s youth is critical to the long-term success of Agenda 21, then clearly processes must be in place to promote meaningful dialogue between the youth community and all levels of government on its implementation. Chapter 25 addresses the issue of youth access to information and decision-making through the following commitments:
Each country should, in consultation with its youth communities, establish a process to promote dialogue between the youth community and Government at all levels and to establish mechanisms that permit youth access to information and provide them with the opportunity to present their perspectives on government decisions, including the implementation of Agenda 21. (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.4)
Each country and the United Nations should support the promotion and creation of mechanisms to involve youth representation in all United Nations processes in order to influence those processes. (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.7)
Governments, according to their strategies, should take measures to:
Establish procedures allowing for consultation and possible participation of youth of both genders, by 1993, in decision-making processes with regard to the environment, involving youth at the local, national and regional levels. (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.9a)
Promote dialogue with youth organizations regarding the drafting and evaluation of environment plans and programmes or questions on development. (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.9b)
Consider for incorporation into relevant policies the recommendations of international, regional and local youth conferences and other forums that offer youth perspectives on social and economic development and resource management; (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.9c)
Give support to programmes, projects, networks, national organizations and youth non-governmental organizations to examine the integration of programmes in relation to their project requirements, encouraging the involvement of youth in project identification, design, implementation and follow-up; (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.9g)
Include youth representatives in their delegations to international meetings, in accordance with the relevant General Assembly resolutions adopted in 1968, 1977, 1985 and 1989. (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.9h)
Information & Engagement - Progress Achieved and Remaining Concerns
During the last years the number of participants and actions taken by youth, particularly in the environmental movement, have greatly increased. Many organizations, from international to local, have recognized the commitment of youth to sustainable development and have incorporated the work of young people in their processes. Some excellent international examples include: UNEP’s Youth Advisory Council and their contributions at the 21st session of the Governing Council in February 2001, the FAO’s six-year technical project to empower young people to become active partners in food security and UNESCO’s youth coordination unit that provides information on UN youth-related activities. At the national and local levels, some governments have established youth roundtables or young parliaments. However, these functions are often fulfilled as sporadic consultations that occur after key decisions and processes have already been determined. Often youth do not know how their input has been implemented, if at all, and what is the outcome of their work.
One of the easiest ways in which to evaluate the progress achieved with regards to youth participation in all levels of decision-making is to simply count how many government delegations at the 2nd Preparatory Committee Meeting have youth representatives as part of their delegations. At the 1st Preparatory Meeting held in April 2001, there were no more than four or five countries that kept their Agenda 21 commitment to include youth representatives on their delegations to international meetings. Unfortunately, this is indicative of youth engagement at regional and national levels of decision-making, as well as the access to information that would enable youth to understand the process and the benefit of their involvement.
Youth from around the world have voiced several similar concerns about their access to information and meaningful and substantive participation in decision-making. These include:
The continued lack of access to information that would empower youth to understand the decision-making process and substantively contribute to policy formation.
In the development of national strategies for sustainable development, young people were not included on advisory bodies or in other aspects of the decision-making process.
The increasing reliance of Governments on websites to act as the sole means of legitimate public consultation. In many countries, the only opportunity to contribute to policies on sustainable development and matters related to the World Summit on Sustainable Development is a website portal that remains open for input for a period of a couple of weeks. While this is one form of consultation, it often exists without significant awareness among the public and cannot be viewed as an adequate strategy to involve youth, or civil society as a whole, in itself.
Youth engagement continues to be fragmented and sporadic at best. A bit of participation here and there will not serve any useful purpose and can be interpreted as involving youth only for the purpose of satisfying a requirement or as a symbolic act without real consequences or recognition of youth as partners in the development of solutions.
Youth are often incorporated in the later stages of policy and decision-making. Often, their work takes place in "parallel events" and is not integrated into official processes.
Despite the fact that numerous international youth events have produced excellent recommendations for progress, there is little evidence that governments have obtained, acknowledged and explained how this input from youth will be used in the development of their policies.
There persists a lack of government effort to establish, in consultation with youth, a process to promote dialogue between the youth community and Government at all levels and to establish mechanisms that permit youth access to information and provide them with the opportunity to present their perspectives on government decisions, including the implementation of Agenda 21.
There persists an absence of support to projects, networks, and national youth non-governmental organizations to involve youth in project identification, design, implementation and follow-up.
Information & Engagement - Suggested Actions & Identification of Implementation Partners
Youth feel the following actions would help to achieve the commitments to youth access to information and engagement in the decision-making process as set forth in Agenda 21.
Recognize that youth currently have insufficient access to information to understand the context of decision-making. Unfortunately, this is often interpreted as a lack of political will to involve youth in policy formation and implementation.
Undertake a systematic review of the channels of information dissemination and management frameworks. Assist in the development of effective communication and information sharing mechanisms, designed in conjunction with youth, for access and transfer of knowledge.
Acknowledge the current existing channels of information exchange and integrate them into the formal information dissemination process.
Continue to facilitate the interactions and sharing of information between Major Agenda 21 Groups and other organizations involved in the WSSD preparations.
Improve the information given to young people in order to enable us to participate effectively in the design, implementation and evaluation of policies and programs.
Facilitate and support the exchange of information of young people between countries. Information shared between young people from industrialized and developing countries is an effective way to ensure understanding into the world’s situation with regards to sustainable development and will allow youth to better devise recommendations.
Offer resources and support for young people to become aware and learn about the issues related to the WSSD. Support "for-youth-by-youth" awareness-raising and information distribution initiatives to be undertaken.
Support the Dakar Youth Empowerment Strategy, which states that national governments design and implement programs that build the institutional capacity of youth organizations. We support the creation of independent and democratic local and national youth councils, as well as regional platforms where they do not exist.
Include youth representatives, selected by youth in an open and democratic manner, in Government delegations at all international and regional preparatory conferences for the WSSD.
Call for the United Nations Youth Unit, with the assistance of youth organizations working in this area, to serve as a clearing-house for information for youth organizations for these youth representative positions.
Support the Dakar recommendation that there be increased representation of youth within the UN Youth Unit itself through a system of placements of members of youth organizations, as well as increased status for the Youth Unit within the United Nations system to coordinate all youth participation at the United Nations.
Ultimately we call upon Governments, the United Nations and civil society organizations to support young people in their endeavors to obtain resources for extensive and comprehensive youth empowerment programs.
Section 4: Youth Employment
Youth Employment- Commitments in Agenda 21
Chapter 25 of Agenda 21 has several sections that address the important relationship between youth employment and sustainable development. Direct commitments in Chapter 25 related to youth employment include:
Each country should undertake initiatives aimed at reducing current levels of youth unemployment, particularly where they are disproportionately high in comparison to the overall unemployment rate. (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.6)
Governments, according to their strategies, should take measures to:
In cooperation with relevant ministries and organizations, including representatives of youth, develop and implement strategies for creating alternative employment opportunities and provide required training to young men and women. (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.9a)
Youth Employment- Progress Achieved and Remaining Concerns
Although the experiences of young people in industrialized and developing countries are very different, they share common concerns about their future when it comes to finding decent and meaningful employment. With many of the world’s major economies slowing in growth, this is an increasing concern. The Secretary-General sums up the situation best when he states, "Youth make up more than 40 per cent of the world’s total unemployed. There are an estimated 66 million unemployed young people in the world today – an increase of nearly 10 million since 1965" (July 2001).
Young people wish to acknowledge the current efforts underway to improve youth employment. Heads of State and Governments resolved to address the challenge of youth employment in the Millennium Declaration by agreeing to "develop and implement strategies that give young people everywhere a real chance to find decent and productive work". (General Assembly, resolution 55/2, paragraph 20). We applaud the Youth Employment Network, which draws its mandate from the Millennium Assembly, and brings together a broad range of high and technical level partners with the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Labour Office as its joint secretariat. It is exactly this type of action, a partnership that brings together creative leaders in industry, civil society, government and international organizations to solve a difficult issue that should serve as a model for creating solutions for change at the WSSD.
In brief, youth around the world continue to share the following concerns regarding youth employment:
Under-employment is a major concern, particularly as it relates to more and more young people engaging in the informal sector. This sector is problematic because it typically is characterized by few benefits, low remuneration, poor health and safety standards, no job protection and little security for the future.
There remains a significant gender gap in relation to youth employment. Young women are often excluded from vocational recruitment and trainings and face continued cultural factors that proscribe their employment choices. This limits young women to accessing higher paying and more rewarding occupations.
There is a gap between the rapid pace of change that creates demand for new skills and the provision of training and support for lifelong learning. There is a growing number of young people who are graduating and yet are unable to obtain work despite severe skill shortages. There is a sense of hopelessness particularly among those who feel unable to access the knowledge economy and network society based on new ICT technologies.
There is a lack of support, in terms of apprenticeships and mentoring programs, as well as legal and financial guidance, for youth wishing to engage in entrepreneurship or creating small enterprises. There is an under-valuation of the employment prospects within this sector of the economy.
There is a lack of collaboration to work with youth to address their unemployment concerns, often accompanied by the view that rather than youth being partners for development, they are simply a target group for which employment must be found.
Youth Employment- Suggested Actions and Identification of Implementation Partners
Youth suggest the following specific actions to be undertaken in partnership with other stakeholders to further the achievement of the objectives outlined in Chapter 25 with regards to youth employment:
Draw up national action plans on youth employment as a matter of priority as encouraged in the Millennium Declaration. Mobilize political commitment and practical action to rapidly increase employment opportunities for youth. The time has come to translate political commitments of national leaders into public policies.
Support the recommendations made in the Youth Empowerment Strategy of young people participating in the 4th session of the World Youth Forum of the United Nations System in Dakar concerning employment. Specifically, we applaud the call for the more effective promotion of entrepreneurship among young women and men by provision of better information on market opportunities, training in business, access to capital, mentoring by qualified people and other business support activities.
Promote programs for both basic education and retraining needs that include young women, especially in the area of science and technology. We especially support the recommendations made by the ILO in their issues paper "Creating Decent Work for Young People", such as providing an educational environment with childcare support, drawing on young women as trainers to put female trainees more at ease, and the creation of support groups and professional networks for women in training programs to name a few.
Create willingness among decision-makers to learn from more successful countries. Youth should be included in the identification, promotion and dissemination of these best practices.
Recognize potential solutions for the informal sector, such as encouraging initiatives in the informal sector to become small enterprises that generate employment. Create access to and support for administrative and regulatory procedures for business registration.
Apply support to the Youth Employment Summit and facilitate the attendance of youth from respective countries to participate in this event. The Youth Employment Summit will take place in Alexandria, Egypt very soon after the WSSD in September 2002 and will be an excellent forum for transmitting innovative policies and practices and initiating committed action.
Use the WSSD to create an important impetus to mobilize political commitment and practical action to immediately increase employment opportunities for youth, especially for renewing commitment for the Youth Employment Network.
Recognize that young people are an asset in building economies and that the current generation of youth is more educated and trained than ever.
Section 5: Missing Concerns from Chapter 25 that are Important to Youth
Missing Concerns from Chapter 25- Commitments in Agenda 21
Beyond the issues of education, raising awareness for sustainable development, access to information, participation in all levels of decision-making and employment, Chapter 25 makes the following important commitments regarding youth:
Each country should combat human rights abuses against young people, particularly young women and girls, and should consider providing all youth with legal protection, skills, opportunities and the support necessary for them to fulfill their personal, economic and social aspirations and potentials. (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.8.)
Governments, according to their strategies, should take measures to:
Give support to programmes, projects, networks, national organizations and youth non-governmental organizations to examine the integration of programmes in relation to their project requirements, encouraging the involvement of youth in project identification, design, implementation and follow-up (Agenda 21, Paragraph 25.9g)
These statements are very vague, making it quite difficult to access progress in their achievement. As such, youth have identified some of the key issues that need to be improved if indeed they are "to fulfill their personal, economic and social aspirations and potentials". These issues must be specifically addressed in relation to youth, either by virtue of the fact that youth are linked to the cause of the issue or by the fact that youth are at the center of coping with the effects of these issues.
This is reiterated in section 25.2 of Agenda 21 when it is noted that youth have the capacity to mobilize support, as well as to add unique perspectives that need to be taken into account. It is clear that any renewed commitment or action undertaken to address these issues must include the meaningful involvement of youth. By the same token, in order to ameliorate the continued deterioration of the status of youth worldwide, these issues must be addressed. The specific topics chosen for discussion in this review include:
HIV/AIDS
Unsustainable Consumption and Lifestyles
War, Conflicts and Security
Trade and Strategies for Poverty Elimination
Climate Change
As with the other sections of this review, the concerns of youth relating to each of these issues will be briefly stated, followed by two or three specific recommendations that can form the basis of a continued discussion on action and implementation of solutions.
Missing Concerns from Chapter 25- Remaining Concerns, Suggested Actions and Possible Partners
HIV/AIDS are decimating our generation. The Dakar Youth Empowerment Strategy declared the issue as the greatest threat to the health and security of youth today as more than half of all new HIV/AIDS deaths occur in people under the age of 24. This crisis is ravaging our generation in Africa and aborting its gains in sustainable development. It is also an increasing deadly threat to youth on all other continents. For this reason, actions put forth through the World Summit on Sustainable
Development must:
Remove barriers to youth for prevention, including increasing the culturally appropriate spread of information, medical supplies and care to combat the transmission of the disease.
Implement the considerations identified in the proliferation of youth documents about AIDS including, but not limited to, the 2001 United Nations General Assembly on AIDS Youth Caucus Position Paper, the 2001 Asia-Pacific Youth Declaration, Youth input at the 2000 African Development Forum; and the Dakar 2001 World Youth Forum Empowerment Strategy.
Call upon all countries to increase financial resources for HIV/AIDS to a level that is proportionate to the gravity of the pandemic. Contributions to the Global Fund for AIDS and Health must be increased to the levels recommended by the Secretary-General. Governments and multilateral aid institutions must be convinced that this crisis requires no greater reason to forgive debt to LDCs in order that funding can be directed to address the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Unsustainable Consumption and Lifestyles. If everyone in the world were to consume resources like the average European or North American, it is estimated that we would need another six planets to provide the necessary resources. Combine this sobering image with the fact that much of today’s commercial campaigns, movies, music and other forms of advertising target young people as key consumers of goods, and the importance of including youth in the efforts to achieve sustainable consumption is obvious. Thankfully many young people have begun adopting more environmentally friendly and ethically sound consumption practices. However, this change in young people’s practices is hardly widespread and needs to be addressed through the following actions:
Media and mass advertising must become allies in changing patterns of over-consumption, especially in the developed world. The message that sustainable consumption is about finding a balance between our rights as consumers and our responsibilities as citizens to choose a lifestyle that limits negative environmental impacts and respects the right of all people to live and work in safe and healthy conditions must be widespread.
Governments must implement policy tools that encourage sustainable lifestyles. These include tools such as environmental laws, removal of subsidies for polluting production processes, green taxes, and public eco-campaigns.
In 2001, UNEP and UNESCO undertook a joint research project on Youth and Sustainable Consumption called "Is the Future Yours?" Such studies should be expanded upon and used to establish partnerships with other stakeholders to devise appropriate public policies to promote sustainable consumption patterns.
War, Conflicts and Security. There is no denying that in the face of war and conflict, and the refugee and humanitarian crises that inevitably ensue, youth are the most vulnerable and devastatingly ill-fated. Youth are also well aware that the Founding Charter of the United Nations begins with the words "We the Peoples of the United Nations, determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war…"
Youth are currently watching in horror at the events taking place in the world around them. Please imbibe the following recommendations:
Use the peaceful mechanisms of the United Nations to discuss challenges and disagreements. Make the relevant connections between the wars taking place in the world and their connection to the current paradigm of development that exploits and discriminates. Know that we do not understand any justification of the killing of innocent people.
Divert the current military expenditure that takes place around the world to initiatives and tools that support sustainable development. We value that to which we devote the most resources. Currently, it appears as though the governments of the world value war over development.
Strengthen control over the trafficking and circulation of weapons and its financial enabler drug trade. Target intolerance, illiteracy, discrimination and the interference of outside economic and financial interests in developing countries as important sources of conflicts.
Trade and Strategies for Poverty Elimination. Over one billion people of the world population live in poverty, many of them youth. The weakest bear most of the burdens of poverty. The effects of poverty are killing children in the thousands every day. Three quarters of poor youth live in rural areas facing malnutrition every day. The mega cities are filled with youth who live on the street, often most affected by the harmful unhealthy environment filled with drugs, violence and sexual abuse. They live with no hope for a decent life. Youth recognize that poverty eradication is the first step towards sustainability.
The process of globalization since Rio in 1992 has created many opportunities, but has also served to deepen and entrench poverty, marginalisation of peoples and nations, as well as accelerated ecological disintegration to the benefit of the northern nations. Youth recognize the weakening of governments together with the increasing influence of trans-national corporations.
Youth realize that trade has an important role to play in tackling poverty, however many youth have been negatively affected by the current trade liberalization and expansion agenda, with little focus on actual local needs. Specific examples of where local needs are at odds with international trade agreements would include access to essential medicines and Indigenous knowledge and the TRIPS agreement or trade policies on agriculture that compromise local food security.
As such, youth wish to make the following recommendations for addressing this issue at the WSSD:
Immediate cancellation of the external debt of developing countries so as to allow these countries to mobilize their own resources for work towards sustainable development. Nations at the WSSD should act in solidarity and call upon the IMF and World Bank to take immediate steps towards this step of debt cancellation.
Participation of the WTO, World Bank and International Monetary Fund in WSSD preparations with the objective of placing poverty reduction squarely at the center of their mandates, bringing it in line with UN agencies pursuing development objectives outlined in the Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration.
WSSD needs to create an impetus for reshaping trade agreements to become instruments for achieving greater social and economic development that stress the need to accommodate local ownership of poverty reduction strategies
Resetting the purpose and framework of world trade rules and helping to end the relentless pressure on the developing world to take on new trade liberalization commitments at this time.
Climate Change. Climate change is viewed as not only a threat to youth, but also a threat to all life on Earth. The youth community is disappointed at the lack of commitment and international cooperation that has taken place on this important issue in the recent past. Given that environmental concerns are integral to issues of sustainable development, youth call for the
WSSD to address this issue by:
Acknowledging that youth in several countries around the world in the last year have undertaken an initiative called the Bet, wherein they bet their governments that youth could reduce their carbon emissions by 8%. If youth can accomplish this with limited resources, than so can governments. Recognize it is a matter of political will and commitment.
Ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, which is still not a sufficient solution in itself, but at least an advancement in our progress with the issue of climate change.
Phasing out the use of unsustainable energy sources, such as nuclear power and fossil fuels. The time has come to support alternative sources of energy such as solar power and wind through concrete policy initiatives.
Section 6: Concluding Remarks
The written submission of youth at the South East Asia Sub-regional Preparatory Committee meeting held October 17-19, 2001 begins by describing the nature of the sector of youth and its unique role in sustainable development. It states, "the value of youth involvement in sustainable development as embodied in Chapter 25 of Agenda 21 is premised on the nature of the sector as the only "transitional sector" among the major stakeholders. By transitional we mean that after the youthful experience (15 to 24 in UN standards), all young people eventually graduate to "join" the main sector that they eventually choose to be part of as adult members of their respective societies. As such, the youth sector is valuable to sustainable development as they ensure sustainability of leadership and constituency to move Agenda 21 to realization".
The concerns and recommendations submitted in this dialogue paper reflect the above-stated observation. Youth from around the world have worked together within a limited timeframe and with minimal resources to present our ideas for this review of Chapter 25 of Agenda 21. We have examined the issues of access to education and creating awareness for sustainable development, access to information and participation in all levels of decision-making and lastly youth employment. Each are major themes found within Chapter 25.The final section, "Missing Concerns" is included in order to address important concerns for youth and sustainable development that were excluded from Chapter 25.
As much as possible, we have tried to link our concerns in these areas to concrete actions and suggested partnerships for implementation. This remains in line with our earlier aspiration, to be stated time and time again, in the hope that it remains at the forefront of all those involved in preparations for the WSSD. It is simply that the WSSD process and results must imply:
URGENCY, PARTNERSHIP, AND IMPLEMENTATION
We would also like to restate our point made in the introduction that this dialogue paper is seen by youth as an initial step in our work with others for WSSD preparations. As a dialogue paper, it is critical that the dialogue continue – between youth and Governments, between youth and the WSSD organizing Bureau, between youth and various UN agencies, between youth and other Agenda 21 Major Groups, and between youth and all other stakeholders in sustainable development. Ultimately, this review of Chapter 25 is one of many indications that youth are committed to working with others through multiple partnerships to raise the awareness of the WSSD, devise solutions and policies for progress and most importantly, ensure that key results get implemented.
Appendix I
Youth and Youth Groups Participating in the International Chapter 25 Review
Members from the following organizations around the world came together to form the "Ad Hoc Working Group for the International Youth Review of Chapter 25" and have participated in the drafting of this paper.
Africa
Yvonne Khamati for the World Youth Organization on Climate Change (W.Y.O.C.C.), Kenya
Philip Osano, EcoNews Africa, Borgholm Youth Conference Co-Chair, Kenya
Tamoifo Nkom Marie, UNEP Youth Advisor, Association Jeunesse Verte du Cameroon, Cameroon
Shalala Oliver Sepiso, University of Zambia, UNEP Youth Advisor
Zwuzi Aloysius, Global Youth Reporter at the Borgholm Youth Conference
Goldius Russell Baloyi, Student with UNISA, Involvement with Midrand Eco-City and Afribike, South Africa
Appiah-Kubi Aaron, University of Ghana, Ghana
South America
Alexandro Callejas for the Mexican Youth Environmental Network (RAJ), Mexico
Linabel Segovia Sarlat, UNEP Youth Advisor, Mexico
Adriana Valenzuela, Directora Juvenil Nacional, Corporación Grupo Tayrona, UNEP-Youth Advisor, Columbia
Cynthia Dabul, Profesional Council of Environmental Analysts of the Republic of Argentina, Argentina
Ursula Carrascal, VIDA Instituto para la Protección del Medio Ambiente y miembro asociado del Consejo de Asesoramiento de la Juventud de PNUMA y del Comité Ambiental Juvenil del Perú, Peru
Asia and the Pacific
Roy Cabonegro, Secretary-General, YSDA-Pilipinas (Youth for Sustainable Development Assembly, Philippines
Loraine Gatlabayan and Anthony Ambahan for YSDA-Pilipinas (Youth for Sustainable Development Assembly, Philippines
Afifa Raihana, UNEP Youth Advisor, Striving Towards Environmental Protection (NGO) Bangladesh
Ankur Ankas for the NGO Youth Working for the Environment, India
Swati Raut, currently at the Technology and Human Development Program, Institute of technology in Georgia, India
Rasangi Prematilaka for Mandate the Future, Sri Lanka
Rieko Kubota, UNEP Youth Advisor, Japan
Southwest Asia
Heba El Naggar for the Arab Office for Youth and Environment (AOYE- NGO, Egypt
Maan Dagher, for Friends of Tannourine Cedars, Lebanon.
Laila Rastegar, Co-Secretary of International Affairs, Green Front of Iran, Iran
Eastern Europe
Sayana Bartanova, NGO - For Sustainable Development, Coordinator of "Baikal School leaders of Sustainable Development", Russian Federation
Tomislav Tomasevic for Green Action/Friends of the Earth, Croatia, National Co-ordinator for South East European Youth Network, Croatia
Monika Kovacova for Daphne – Institute for Applied Ecology, Slovakia
Miroslav Andrt, Republic of Czechoslovakia
Tsvetan Ivanov Spassov, UNEP Youth Advisor, Bulgaria
Western Europe and North America
Anna Ripoll and Carlos-Luis Pérez Aguirre for Platform for the Spanish Youth review – The Spanish Youth Council, Spain
Jonas Meckling and Ina Epkenhans for Futur X - Society for Intergenerational Equity, Germany
Frank Mulder and Merel Bierkens as Dutch youth representative to UNCSDs, Netherlands
Marte Lerberg Kopstad for International Student Festival in Trondheim 2001, (ISFiT), Norway,
Lindsay Cole for Sierra Youth Coalition and the Canadian Youth Summit Team, Canada
Clarisse Kehler Siebert and Megan Bradley for the Canadian Youth Summit Team, Canada
Heidi Karst, currently a Project Coordinator for the MARE Network in the Mediterranean region, Canada
Kristin Casper for the US Youth Rio+10 Planning Group, United States of America
Leif Holmberg, JO02 Network of the Swedish Youth Council, Co-facilitator of the Ad Hoc Working Group for the International Chapter 25 Youth Review.
Julie Larsen, United Nations Association in Canada, Co-facilitator of the Ad Hoc Working Group for the International Chapter 25 Youth Review.
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