PRESS CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY FINLAND
Press Briefing
PRESS CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY FINLAND
19960501
FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY
At a press conference sponsored by Finland this afternoon, youth delegates to the Commission on Sustainable Development presented their common positions on a variety of issues. A formal youth panel will be convened at 4 p.m. today during the Commission's meeting. (The Commission on Sustainable Development is charged with monitoring "Agenda 21", the blueprint for sustainable development adopted by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.)
Introducing the panel, its coordinator, Matthew Robinson, said that the youth delegation at the current session was one of the largest at any session of the Commission, and one of the organizers of their activity was Daniella Zunic of Croatia who had worked closely with the Commission as well as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the past six months.
Ms. Zunic said that the youth inter-sessional process had been going on since the Commission's 1995 session and had involved many different youth groups working in partnership with United Nations agencies. Among them were Rescue Mission Planet Earth -- a network of some 500 schools and youth groups working to implement Agenda 21 -- and the Earth Council, which had produced an information kit to help young participants to prepare for the session.
She said that her experience of working with UNDP and the Commission secretariat for the past six months constituted a true example of partnership. "We were not there just to help out -- we were really involved in policy- making." Over 60 young activists from around the world were participating in the session, and their efforts would culminate in the youth panel this afternoon.
Peter Wilson of New York then presented a position paper on education. He stressed that a substantial, practical and effective education programme was critical to achieving sustainable development. While there was hardly any knowledge of Agenda 21 in local communities now, it was believed that in the future, youth-driven environmental activism and education for sustainable development would be enhanced if global partnerships were fostered under the umbrella of Agenda 21. "Our actions become more meaningful when they are interconnected on a global scale."
He went on to emphasize that governments must involve youth in the creation and implementation of local Agenda 21 plans. States should distribute the packet on sustainable development indicators for youth, along with information on other environmental projects. Ten youth non-governmental
organizations or schools in each country should conduct pilot projects in encouraging local Agenda 21 plans. Financial support should be provided to present and future youth efforts to implement such plans. He called for the United Nations and the Commission on Sustainable Development to support the establishment of local Agenda 21 task forces.
Ghada Ahnadien of Egypt said that despite numerous recommendations and documents encouraging the establishment of partnership with young people, the issue had not been taken seriously. Partnership at all levels was the core of Agenda 21. Governments must realize that young people were a valuable resource and must involve them in decision-making. The Commission should adopt decisions on sustainable development education. Young people would not be given jobs; they would have to create their own jobs and businesses.
Addressing the issue of food security, Satria Kandao of the Philippines said that that matter should be a priority issue in all countries, especially those experiencing problems of hunger. One of the major causes of food insecurity was that the countries of in the North dominated international policies such as in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Other causes included the dominance of transnational corporations in local food production as well as the phenomenon of overconsumption in the North. She challenged the international community to unite as one in the global struggle against hunger.
Mariana Rodriguez of Argentina discussed international financial institutions, stating that environmental destruction and social disintegration were the primary concerns associated with the process of development. The policies of the international financial institutions accorded high priority to the interests of the wealthy rather than focusing on sustainable people- centred development. "They only think about their own interests and do not account for environmental sustainability." The youth delegates challenged the United Nations and the Commission to incorporate new development components centred on people that promoted human values, not just economic growth. Further, the international community should support fair trade instead of free trade.
Robert Micallef, from Malta, spoke of the crucial rule of technology transfer in economic development. The transfer of clean technologies was critical to sustainable development. The aim should be to satisfy the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs. "Although the effort required is great, the benefits in terms of a healthier environment which can be sustained for future generations are immense."
A correspondent, noting that 60 dedicated activists had participated in the Commission's annual session, asked what kind of support other members of the younger generation were providing. Ms. Zunic said that peer-to-peer
Finland Press Conference - 3 - 1 May 1996
education was encouraged as youth were more receptive to that than to instructions from adults.
Mr. Robinson added that those youth attending the Commission's session were the elite, representing the young people at the top of the pyramid. The challenge was to educate the rest.
How do you involve those at the bottom of the pyramid so that their lifestyles can shift away from drugs and other harmful activities and towards activities in support of sustainable development? a correspondent asked. Anna Ragani Nagar of India replied that in her country, youth had been working with children in the streets and slums with encouraging results. "We don't go to them as environmental activists or social workers, we go to them as friends."
Another correspondent asked what was being done to address the major task of educating governments which did not pay as much attention to the future as they did to the present. In response, Cecilia Welkstrom, of Finland, said that unless young people and governments worked together, sustainable development would not be achieved. Some governments were more cooperative than others, and the strategy was to start with them in order to generate a trend. Finland had been extremely helpful. For sustainable development to be achieved, decision makers must get rid of their prejudices towards young people and young people must get rid of their prejudices towards decision makers, she added.
In Finland, she continued, the national commission for sustainable development had designated a special day of access and obliged officials to attend. On that occasion, young people presented their platforms to decision makers.
Asked which States were the most cooperative, Mr. Robinson said that the Scandinavian countries were very supportive, adding that Senegal had also made a valuable contribution by helping youth to organize a conference in Dakar. He advised that correspondents interested in an indication of the level of governments' commitment to involving youth should examine which had accredited youth delegates to the Commission.
Asked which governments were not cooperative, Ms. Welkstrom said some difficulties arose because of culture and traditions concerning young people who were sometimes expected to defer to their elders and were not allowed to speak as equals. "We want to keep our hopes up that there won't be any blacklists of bad governments versus good governments. We hope to work with everyone in the future."
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