We are on the threshold of embarking into the post2015 era and it is imperative that young people are fully aware and engaged to play a pivotal role in this transition. With this objective in mind , my youth organisation, Green Hope recently held an Eco Conference titled ? The Road to Sustainability? .Two hundred students from schools across the UAE, including Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah, attended this Ecoconference .

It  focused on the status of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and their impending integration into the Sustainable Development Goals. The discussions highlighted the challenges faced by each region and country in the world. Today?s youth, the conference stressed, need to come up with solutions on their own rather wait to be told what to do.

A significant focus of the conference was on tree planting, which is at the core of every Green Hope conference. Two hundred  saplings were planted by the attendees, sending out a green statement and taking a step towards a zero-carbon future.Today?s world has 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10-24, and they are central to development efforts across the globe, the conference heard. Close to 90 per cent of the world?s youth live in developing countries, where they often make up the largest proportion of the population. The speakers said there was need to have the passion to drive change and take responsibility for being a part of the sustainable development dialogue.

Green Hope believes that every child has a right to go to school and this message was reinforced at the conference where the participants signed a petition to this effect.

The event ended with an overwhelming consensus among the young people that they need to shape their own destiny — since it is their future at stake. We were overwhelmed by the response and it vindicated our belief that young people are keen to make a difference. Green Hope will continue providing similar platforms of engagement in the future.