• WECF News & Reports
• News from other sources

UNEP Tunza Youth meeting on Green Economy and Rio+20

60 youth representatives from 27 countries of the EU, Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Southern Europe participated in the “UNEP Tunza European Youth Conference” which took place on the 6th and 7th of September 2011 in Bonn.

19.10.2011 | Sascha Gabizon

---

The UNEP Tunza Youth conference   aimed to prepare Youth input for the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio 2012 (Rio+20). The conference was organized by UNEP (European Office) with logistic support by WECF (Women in Europe for a Common Future).

UNEP Tunza European Youth Conference 2011 - Long Version from Beyond Borders Media on Vimeo.

The two day UNEP Tunza youth meeting was held subsequently to the UNEP Global and Regional Consultation with Major Groups and Stakeholders on Rio+20 (September 1 and 2) and the 64th annual UNDPI Conference for Non-Governmental Organizations (September 3-5). These conferences also treated topics on Green Economy in preparation of policy recommendations for Rio+20, and allowed active participation of several of the UNEP Tunza Youth participants.

The Rio+20 UNCSD 2012 conference will agree on a policy document which will address the transition to a “green economy” in the context of poverty eradication and sustainable development, will identify options for a renewed institutional framework for sustainable development, and will prioritize emerging issues of key importance for future sustainable development. The role of youth in the transition to “green economies”, poverty eradication and sustainable development is vital to success.

Youth representatives came from following 27 countries: Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK.

Programme

6th of September (Day 1):

• Welcome by Wondwosen Asnake, Head of the Tunza programme, Department of Major Gropus and Stakeholders, UNEP - European regional office
• Introductory speech by the Executive Director of WECF, Sascha Gabizon introducing the conference and the role of major groups in UNEP.
• Opening remark of Diego Le Gallou, TUNZA Youth advisor, France
• Film: the international year of Forests
• Introduction to UNEP by Wondwosen Asnake, presenting the establishment, tasks and the organization of UNEP.
• Dialogue session on the greening of the economy, with a representative of the Bayer Chemical Company, Germany
• Brainstorm; Group discussion lead by Michaela Hogenboom of “Rio+twenties” → association game: what associations go with green economy?
• International Environmental Governance (IEG), presentation by Sara Svensson UNEP Major Groups Youth representatives on the Facilitating Committee and Civil Society Advisory Group on IEG) → What is Governance? What are the problems with the existing governance framework? What is needed to improve IEG?

7th of September (Day 2):

• Participants’ presentations of outcomes of previous group work on green Economy, and how to get there
• Presentation introducing the WHO CEHAPE Youth network by Ildiko Almasi, Alina Bezhenar and Jovana Dodos, giving an overview of CEHAPE’s history and activities
• Presentation by WHO CEHAPE Youth network coordinator David Rivett

The Summary report can be downloaded here.
Video-reports, - in a short and long version – of the UNEP Tunza Youth meeting are available on the UNEP website at: www.unep.org/tunza/

---

Related News

WECF Activity Map

Annual Report WECF 2011