The UN Programme on Youth is hosting a briefing session on Youth and Environment on Wednesday 9 March 2011 from 1:15 – 2:30 p.m.in the North Lawn Building, United Nations Headquarters in Conference Room E. The session will examine the many ways in which young people contribute to sustainable living and environmental awareness through involvement in advocacy, national adaptation and mitigation actions, as well as international negotiations. Promoting the use of renewable energy sources and building adaptive capacity and resilience are just two examples of how young people have already been promoting environmental awareness.

Please join our panel in discussing the role young people play in contributing to a greener world.

Mr David O’Connor, Moderator, UN Division for Sustainable Development

Ms Catalina Santamaria, Forest Affairs Officer, UN Forum on Forests
Ms Nandhini Iyer- Krishna, Liaison Officer, Convention on Biological Diversity
Mr Nicolo Wojewoda,Director, Road to Rio+20, Peace Child International

Human activities, such as deforestation and fossil fuels usage, contribute to environmental degradation and climate change. This decreases the availability of nutritious food and clean water, leading to malnutrition and ill health. Children and young people become particularly vulnerable. Youth are actively engaged at national and global levels in awareness-raising, running educational programmes, planting trees, promoting renewable energy and adopting energy saving practices. This briefing session aims to further explore ways young people can actively contribute to enhancing environmental awareness.

The UN Programme on Youth is organizing this Session as one of a series held to celebrate the International Year of Youth (2010-2011) under the theme “Dialogue and Mutual Understanding”.