Youth activists propose solutions at environment forum in Thailand
Date:
Author: John Krich
Bangkok, Thailand — When it comes to fighting environmental destruction, the Asia-Pacific has one not-so-secret weapon: the passion and energy of nearly 60 per cent of the world’s youth.
That became clearer than ever today, the first day of the annual Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok. Officials, experts and activists from across the world’s most populous region were brought together by United Nations and government agencies and nongovernmental organizations to share “transformative, equitable and innovative” solutions to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
The commitment of young people to slowing climate change was highlighted by the conference’s Youth Forum Regional Call to Action 2026, the result of a meeting the week earlier of 705 participants from 38 countries and territories across Asia and the Pacific. The participants, aged 13 to 30, included people with disabilities, people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, and people of ethnic and minority groups.
Their document proposed a highly specific agenda for tackling critical challenges in achieving Sustainable Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation, Goal 7 on affordable and clean energy, Goal 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure, Goal 11 on sustainable cities and communities, and Goal 11 on partnerships for the goals. It urged steps to “reshape governance structures so that young people are not merely consulted but recognized as partners in shaping global agendas”.
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Youth representatives from Viet Nam, Nepal, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan made detailed presentations on various environmental issues.
Xinai Liu, Youth Forum Scholar from China, said that the idea of putting youth at the forefront might already be outdated – “We’re not asking to be involved: we’re already here.”
Other participants stressed the importance of not “painting all youth with one brush” but engaging youth in “all their diversity” so no one is left behind. Said Jaldeep Sapkota, a representative of the Blind Youth Association Nepal: “Accessibility (for people with disabilities) is expensive, but the cost of not following accessibility norms is even more expensive if we look at it from a sustainability lens.”
Srinivas Tata, Director, Social Development Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, said there never has been a time and place in history with the specific challenge of a significantly large ageing populace beside an equally massive explosion of those under 21, who must forge new means of “sharing experience and critical knowledge”.
Photos from today’s meeting:
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Yuhang Zhang, Melanie Jarvis, Trisha Albay, Avipsha Rayamajhi and Federica Tornincasa contributed to this article.
