THE TUNZA ECOGENERATION YOUTH AMBASSADOR TO GHANA

WITH SUPPORT FROM

GREENER IMPACT INTERNATIONAL, GHANA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

PRESENT

The Tunza Ecogeneration Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Kassim Hussein in collaboration with the Ghana Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology with support from his parent organization Greener Impact International has organized the 1st Ghana Children and Youth conference on Sustainable development.

Theme of the conference

Walking the Talk with Ghanaian Youth and Children after Rio+20 Earth Summit.

Background Information about Rio + 20

Rio+20 is a Sustainable Development conference organized by the UN for governments with some members of Civil Society attending. It was a 2 days? event focused on two themes:

(a) Green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

(b) The institutional framework for sustainable development.

The objective conference was to have governments commit to sustainable development, assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, and address new and emerging challenges.

The Conference took place in Brazil from 20 -22^nd of June 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. It is envisaged as a Conference at the highest possible level, including Heads of State and Government, Children and Youth, teachers, consumers, workers, business persons, farmers, researchers, activists, indigenous communities, and other communities of interest. The Conference will result in a focused political document.

Rational for the 2012 Ghana Children and Youth Conference on Sustainable Development

Children and Youth comprise nearly 50 per cent of the world's population. The involvement of today's Children and Youth in environment and development decision-making and in the implementation of Programmes is critical to the long-term success of sustainable development.

Ghanaian Children and Youth not only will inherit the responsibility of looking after the Earth but it is also imperative that they participate actively in all relevant levels of decision-making processes because it affects their lives today and has implications for their futures. In addition to their intellectual contribution and their ability to mobilize support, they bring unique perspectives that need to be taken into account. They are also highly aware supporters of environmental thinking and hence the specific interests of children and Youth in Ghana need to be taken fully into account in the participatory process on environment and development in order to safeguard the future sustainability of any actions taken to improve the environment.

Goals and Objectives of the Conference

• Establish a process to promote dialogue between the youth community and Government at all levels
• Establish mechanisms that permit children and youth access to information and provide them with the opportunity to present their perspectives on issues relating to sustainable development.
• Educate Ghanaian children, youth and teachers on sustainable development through a series of workshops hosted at The 2012 Ghana Youth and Children Conference on Sustainable Development.
• Inform participants about the UNEP Tunza Children and Youth conference on sustainable development, the Rio + 20 earth summit, COP and the other international Children and youth conferences.
• To introduce the participants to the Tunza Ecogeneration website and how it can be used to build their capacity.
• Produce a youth declaration document on the position of Ghanaian children and youth to be presented to the minister of Environment, Science and Technology as used for broader media and public audience.
• Use the conference as a platform to engage local and national media on youth initiatives towards Sustainable development initiatives and Ghana?s contributions to Rio + 20.
• Using digital and social media to engage youth and broader public audience in online dialogue both within Ghana and the international context.
• Post conference we aim to have 850 trained Environmental youth delegates who are capable of organizing and hosting events within their district to further spread the aims and information from the 2012 Ghana Children and Youth Conference on Sustainable Development.

 

The Conference took place from the 2^nd – 3^rd of August, 2012 at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi – Ghana. The conference brought together about 850 children and Youth from all the regions of Ghana.

Supporting Organisations