16th Session, 5-16 May 2008 - New York
YOUTH DELEGATES
Read the Article by the CSD16 youth delegates >>
BELGIUM:
Lisa Develtere: (21) Currently I am a masters student at the Catholic University of
Leuven and I am the Flemish Youth Representative for
Sustainable Development of the Flemish Youth Council. One of
my main tasks as a Youth Representative is that I am the
Flemish Youth Delegate within the Belgian delegation for the
UN CSD-16. I hope that, together with the two other Youth
Delegates from Belgium, I will be able to add a youthfull spark
to the CSD process.
Anne Bocquet: (25)
I’m one of the 3 youth representatives within the
Belgian delegation and I’ve been sent by the French
speaking Youth Council of Belgium. Last June, I
graduated from ISTI (Brussels) in conference
interpreting. While studying interpreting, I was
exposed to a broad range of topics as we are expected
to be familiar with current affairs. Therefore, I grew
familiar with sustainable development and its pillars.
My exposure to international environmental issues led
me to the conference of the parties of the UNFCC
December in Bali. There was so much energy over
there among the Youth Climate Movement that I
applied to attend the CSD-16 in order to live another
tremendous experience and take part in the effort to
foster youth involvement in such critical topics
topics.
Daniel Niessen: (23) is a representative of the
German speaking Belgian youth council. He is
responsible for sustainable development within
that body and takes part in the CSD 16 in order
to represent the smallest cultural minority of
his country. Such as the other two youth
delegates, he is part of the official Belgian
delegation as well as of the Youth Caucus.
Daniel made his first outer-European experience
during a one-year Rotary students exchange in
Mexico, in 2002-2003. Later, he studied
applied translation in Brussels (Masters) and is
currently doing a Masters in comparative and
international politics in Leuven (Flanders).
His interest in environmental themes,
among others, comes from his long experience with the Boy Scout Movement. He considers the
participation at the CSD a unique chance to
know the UN-process and the possibilities
for young people to change something at
this level. For more information about the mission of the
Belgian youth delegates at the CSD, see www.csd-blog.be.
CANADA:
Joanna Dafoe: (21) is finishing up her third year at the
University of Toronto where she takes Peace and Conflict
Studies and Environmental Policy. Joanna is very grateful for
the opportunity to serve as the youth representative on the
Canadian Government Delegation. After taking part in several
UN conferences on the environment, Joanna is energized and
hopeful by the emerging network of young people that are
rising to the environmental challenges of our century. At the
CSD, Joanna is representing the Sierra Youth Coalition
(www.syc-cjs.org) and she is active in other organizations such
as the Climate Project Canada and the Canadian Youth Climate
Coalition.
GERMANY:
Marlon Hassel: (20) participates at CSD 16/17 within the
Official German Delegation. He worked on a voluntary basis for ten
years with the German Youth Association for nature protection in
educating and sensitizing children to environmental challenges. He also works on political topics like the
climate change, biodiversity and renewable energies. Currently, in Karlsruhe, Germany, he is studying business and
engineering with the aim to work later on in the sector of the
renewable energies. Along with with Katja Walter, the other German youth delegate, he wrote a diary about CSD-16 on
their internet blog: www.jugenddelegierte.dbjr.de.
Katja Walter: (25) I am studying environmental engineering in Berlin. Last year, I attended
CSD15, which was a hectic start into the CSD process, since the
topics energy and climate change were quite
controversial. Back home, I also work for a more sustainable energy consumption and production. As a
part of the youth alliance for future energy, I promote
renewable energies especially for youth. The topics of
CSD16 fit perfectly to the topics of KLJB, the German part
of MIJARC (the International Catholic Agricultural and
Rural Youth Movement), which I´ve been working with for
many years. For me, it´s really exiting to talk about
challenges of young people coming from rural areas at
CSD as an international commission.
NETHERLANDS:
Maayke Aimée Damen: (21)
She is the Official Dutch Youth Delegate to the UN CSD from
2007 to 2009. Currently she is studying Cultural
Anthropology / Developmental Studies and a minor Political
Science at Leiden University. She will receive her Bachelor’s
degree after finalising her thesis on the UN CSD.
Maayke is active in a broad range of youth issues; she is
actively involved in different youth organizations like the
Dutch National Youth Council, she is an elect for a political
party, involved in Cool Climate. She also works for
Maurits Groen Environment & Communication, a Dutch
consultancy firm.
Don Gerritsen is the official Dutch youth delegate to the
United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in
2008 and 2009. He is 24 years old and holds a Master’s degree
in Social and Political Sciences of the Environment, for which
he has carried out research on Bio energy for the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi. Don
currently studies International Relations at the International
School in Amsterdam, where he lives. He is particularly
interested in climate change and bio energy issues.
For more information please check www.DonGerritsen.com.
SWEDEN:
Jakop Dalunde