Wednesday, November 2, 2011

UNESCO Youth Forum Focuses on Green Societies and Sustainable Development

19 October 2011: The seventh UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Youth Forum provided a platform for youth to identify priority issues they think should be highlighted at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). Youth delegates from all over the world voiced their opinions on UNESCO’s role in the promotion of "green societies" and sustainable development.

The session took place at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, on 19 October 2011, and featured two panels: the first consisting of Young Professionals from the natural sciences sector; the second including mostly UNESCO partners. Participants highlighted a number of issues they considered priorities in the preparations for Rio+20, including: green jobs; desertification in Africa; climate change and water resources management in small island developing States (SIDS); disaster risk reduction (DRR) and mitigation; and science governance and science education. Some delegates also shared local experiences in the promotion of green societies in their countries.

The recommendations from the session will be presented to the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference, in November 2011. More