The year 2015 is a pivotal one,  in terms of defining the sustainability agenda . The Millennium Development Goals will expire in September , marking the end of an era which began 15 years ago. The demographics , needs , aspirations and challenges the world faces today are quite different from what it was in the year , 2000 , when the MDGs were established . Thus we need a new set of targets which are more relevant to the current scenario.

Therefore, the post 2015 assumes great relevance and every section of civil society needs to be actively involved and represented. The children and youth fraternity are amongst the largest stakeholders of civil society and quite often marginalized , as far as the dialogue process on SDGs is concerned. Young people need to be engaged in all steps of agenda setting so that they too have a voice in the developmental dialogue.

With this objective in mind, Green Hope UAE reaches out to the youth , especially school students at various fora. The International Day at the Deira International School provided a perfect opportunity for engaging with the students , parents, teachers and visitors for the members of Green Hope UAE to spread awareness about the progress of the MDGs , the My World Survey , Gender Equality,  the outcomes of the HLPF and the proposed set of SDGs.

The visitors to our booth also learnt how to calculate their carbon footprint and the importance of adopting sustainable consumption as a way of life. Visitors, thereafter, took a pledge to reduce their footprint through carbon offsets , so as to contribute to the goal of green economy.