2011 Gwangju Summit of the Urban Environmental Accords
UNEP Youth Forum Youth Statement

Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
Combating climate change is not just about huge investments or implementing
sophisticated technology. It is close to changing our attitude, our consumption pattern and more crucially being a responsible citizen. We would cordially ask city governments to develop technologies that can be adopted by every country and be actively taken into action for government policies. We recognize climate change is an urgent issue that should be dealt with the collaboration among international cities. We acknowledge the importance of locally adaptive, customizing, and feasible policies and technologies for cities, particularly cost-effective technologies for cities in developing countries. The youth group recognizes that early education and public relations(a.k.a., PR) is a key to the
success in developing preventive and remedial measures against problems caused by climate change and cities? policies is critical for effective implementation of policies and urban planning, especially using cultural channels such as music. One person?s act may be trivial for the energy-efficient use; but the power of collective action including private & public sector and individual is nothing but great impact in our society. We stress that implementing desirable policies and practices by youth should be the first step to prevent climate change, and therefore enacting green campus policy can be one part of the efforts.

Waste Reduction
According to The Waste Framework Directive of the EU, waste is ?any substance or object which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard.? The production of waste involves many players: the producers, retailers, consumers, local authorities, and the waste management industry. The management and disposal of waste is referenced in what is known as the ?waste hierarchy.? The waste hierarchy contains five different categories: prevention, re-use, recycling, energy recovery, and disposal. The most
important and most effective approach to managing waste is prevention. Waste reduction is the process and policy of reducing the amount of waste produced by people. Its efforts include minimizing resources and energy used during the manufacture of products; the fewer materials used, the less waste is produced. Waste minimization requires having background knowledge of the production process specifically life-cycle analysis of the product, carbon emission while processing, where consumers will become more responsible. Previously, much attention was put to re-using, recycling, and managing waste; however, these processes cost energy and time. It is necessary to optimize the use of resources and minimizing the amount of waste produced by either organizations or individuals. If 100% of the resources cannot be used, then the next step would be to reuse the scrap materials, re-incorporating them at the beginning of the manufacturing line and not discarding it as a waste product. In factories,
to keep the number of mistake products to a minimum measure, the quality of machines should be a priority and the quality of products should be inspected constantly. With the help of governments and NGOs, we have to spread the awareness of this problem and aim for a sustainable society tolerating no amount of waste; this may seem like an impossible task but it is an attainable goal. It is necessary for a private and public partnership the implementations of solid waste management projects and reviewing the existing policies according to modern situation along with stakeholders. Implementing sustainable production practices which leads to low carbon future and reduce the waste
generation, meanwhile recognizing the institutes/companies that practice the sustainableproduction practices.

Smart Green Transportation
Transportation is a quality of life issue for people living in a city. Generally most of the citizens would like to reduce their time to commute, cost-effective, comfortable and at the same time environmentally friendly. Discussions were made by youth from all over the world and produced creative suggestions in response to solutions to a smart green transportation. For example there are urban bicycle system, efficient train and bus system and sustainable cars. As long as there is a transportations system, citizens will keep using the transportations, and therefore sustainable solutions and governmental support is
crucial to improve the smart green vehicle. It is essential for governments to support technology advancement on the smart green vehicle as well as a systematic infrastructure for a sustainable green transportation. Transportation should be adapted locally based on the local conditions and should be meticulously planned. ?Sometimes the smartest way to solve problems is the simplest way.? is one of the quotes that was suggested by one of our members.
Water Quality and Demand Management 70% of the world is made out of water, and out of that 70%,, 97% is seawater, 2% in form of glaciers and 1% is freshwater. Water is central to human life and we are faced by the rapid depletion of the living waters in the world, directly affecting the health and
public welfare.. With the differences in the water distribution of the world, rapid
urbanization and the growth of industries, we are faced with two major problems—water scarcity and water quality declination. Therefore we, the youth, acknowledge the concerns of water quality and address the emergency of water issues. We recognize that the problem lies where water is a finite resource with infinite demand.
The level of awareness on an individual level causes over consumption, which directly
affects the consumption of other people in the world. Although there are new
technologies being developed, many countries still face obstacles to solve the water
quality issues due to limited financial capabilities and different political agendas.
We believe that the public & the private sector have the duty to encourage other people to raise the level of awareness in relation that depleting water resource is an urgent issue. The government should implement policies that provide incentives to people and businesses, promoting the proper use of water and levy tax on over consumption of this scarce resource. The private sector, with the aid of the government, should work on producing technologies that decreases the amount of water usage per product produced. We, the youth, acknowledge the pivotal role of the public & private sector providing alternative measures to unnecessary usage of water. As part of the people, we the youth ought to seek ways to conserve water and share it in the grass-roots level. The youth should be a role model in decreasing the level of unnecessary water consumption amongst the people of their respective communities. We aim to form organizations/associations/social clubs in order to have a stronger impact on issues related to proper water usage on both the local and the national levels. Youth should be pro-active in the pre-existing institutions that are responsible for water quality and demand management in stimulating other for sustainable development. The youths can involve themselves in working with the government in designing, implementation and evaluation of water laws and issues.

Natural Ecology
Natural ecology pertains to the existing systems operating and maintaining the planet?s
biodiversity. With the rise of civilization, it also includes urban forestry, agriculture and
livelihoods. Additionally, it incorporates wildlife conservation and preservation. Young
people recognize that natural ecology is at risk if detrimental environmental activities are
relentless. This can be done through various initiatives that integrate natural ecology thinking within broader systems including infrastructural, economic and social ones. The design of cities through the use of public green space is crucial alongside the management and protection of forests and environmental parks. Biodiversity is also an important aspect to consider, with the need for appropriate regulation of species management to prevent invasive species and endangered species. Young people are raising awareness through institutions such as universities and through campaigns.

Source: UN SOUTH KOREA