Nairobi 24 August 2007
– More than 180 young people from 85 countries
around the world will meet in Germany later
this week to discuss ways in which technology
can be used to promote environmental protection.
'Technology in service of the environment'
is the theme of the third Tunza International
Youth Conference, organized by the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in
Leverkusen, Germany, from 26 to 30 August
2007.
These young people, aged 15 to 24, are
all involved in environmental activities
in their respective countries. They will
meet at the headquarters of Bayer, the largest
sponsor of UNEP's children and youth activities,
and the host of the conference, to discuss
the critical environmental issues of today,
including climate change, clean development
and renewable energy. The youth will participate
in workshops and field trips to experience
first-hand how technology and environment
can go hand-in-hand.
The Tunza conference, which derives its
name from a Kiswahili word meaning "to
treat with care and affection" or "to
nurture" will reinforce the links between
a growing network of young people working
with UNEP on various environmental issues.
"Our hope is that on the basis of discussions
at this conference, 180 young people will
return to their communities and nations
and become beacons of activities and also
motivators for many others to play a part
in addressing environmental challenges,"
said Achim Steiner, the Executive Director
of UNEP.
The participants will also participate
in other activities, including the creation
of the Tunza Globe and a performance on
contemporary environmental issues, as well
as a tree planting event in support of UNEP's
Billion Tree Campaign, a global drive by
UNEP to mobilize government, individuals,
businesses and civil society to plant up
to 1 billion trees in 2007.
At the end of the conference, the participants
will elect a new Tunza Youth Advisory Council,
with two advisors for each of the six UNEP
regions (Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe,
Latin America and the Caribbean, North America
and West Asia), and two advisors representing
indigenous youth organizations.
The main objective of the Council is to
represent youth in international environmental
fora and to make their voices heard. The
Council also advises UNEP on better ways
of engaging young people in its work.
The Youth Conference is hosted by Bayer,
the first private company to engage with
UNEP on a comprehensive environmental programme
for young people. The partnership aims at
strengthening young people's environmental
awareness and engaging children and youth
in environmental activities around the world.
"We are looking forward to welcoming
young environmental protection activists
from all over the world to Bayer,"
said Bayer Board of Management Chairman
Werner Wenning. "This conference is
a further milestone of our partnership with
UNEP."
"In working together with the private
sector, with governments and with youth
organizations across the world, the Tunza
Programme has established itself as one
of the fora of the United Nations to bring
youth, the multi-lateral system and the
environmental issues that we face in the
world today, closer to each other,"
said Mr. Steiner.
The Tunza International Youth Conference
is one of the main platforms for cooperation
and interaction between UNEP and its youth
partners. It provides young people with
an opportunity to share experiences and
showcase their environmental activities.
The conference also provides participants
with an opportunity to develop regional
and global networks for joint implementation
of environmental programmes. It acts as
a forum for UNEP to receive input from young
people on programmes and processes involving
youth.
"What I like most about the Tunza
International Youth Conference is that it
doesn't only "speak" about youth,
but it is made by youth for youth,"
said Mihaela Hristova, UNEP Tunza Youth
Advisor for Europe. "Time and time
again it proves to be more than a conference
– it is action-packed, inspiring and supportive.
Although it only takes place every two years,
its impact spreads far beyond those five
days. It's like a flame that you feel –
and participants take a spark of it back
home to spread."
"At this conference, young people
from around the world will share experiences
with peers, including the importance of
working with civil society, and engaging
the Youth Advisory Council on environmental
issues such as climate change," said
Abdoul Byukusenge, UNEP Tunza Associate
Advisor for Africa. "Today's youth
are the leaders of tomorrow, and it's essential
that we take measures to protect the environment
today in order to ensure a healthy future."
The conference promotes environmental dialogue
and strengthens young people's capacity
to develop and implement community environmental
projects by allowing them to share experiences,
create partnerships with their peers and
develop regional action plans to address
environmental issues.
About the Tunza Programme
The Tunza programme, endorsed in 2003,
is a comprehensive six-year strategy to
promote the participation of children and
youth in every part of the world in environmental
activities. It focuses on four thematic
areas: awareness building, capacity building,
information exchange and facilitating the
involvement of young people in environmental
decision making.
Other activities of the Programme include
regional and sub-regional seminars and workshops
in Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and Latin
America and the Caribbean, a quarterly magazine
for and by young people entitled Tunza,
an annual International Children's Painting
Competition and an environmental illustrated
series for children.
The event in Leverkusen follows conferences
in Dubna, Russia, in 2003 and Bangalore,
India, in 2005. It alternates every year
with the Tunza International Children's
Conference which took place last year in
Putrajaya, Malaysia, and will be held in
Stavanger, Norway, in June 2008.
Note to Editors
For more information on the 2007 conference
and the Tunza programme, please visit:
Tunza International Youth Conference Website:
http://www.tunza2007.unep.bayer
UNEP Tunza International Youth Conference
Website: http://www.unep.org/tunza/youthconference/
Podcast by Mr. Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive
Director: Young Environmentalists (available
on 27 August 2007): http://www.unep.org/newscentre/default.asp?ct=podcast-list&l=en
For More Information Please Contact
UNEP: Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson
