Children and youthThe world's population is young, with nearly 2.2 billion people under the age of 18 of which 85 percent are living in developing countries. Children and young people are concerned, thoughtful citizens, capable of participating in, and changing the society of which they are a part; and they have an important role to play in addressing and affecting the issues of our world. In addition, children and young people have enthusiasm, imagination and abundant energy to undertake local actions, act as effective communicators in their communities and be involved in international arenas. FAO with a number of partners is therefore developing resources, activities and the mechanisms to enhance awareness, access to information and participation of children and young people in a range of environmental, social and sustainable development issues, including climate change. | 
Photo by mic wernej under a Creative Commons License |
News  17 May 2012 The Living Planet Report is the world's leading, science-based analysis on the health of our only planet and the impact of human activity. Its key finding? Humanity's demands exceed our planet's capacity to sustain us. That is, we ask for more than what we have. The latest edition of the Living Planet Report was released in May 2012. You can read all about its findings in the links on the left, or click on the link and download the full report. For the first time, LPR 2012 was launched from space - by astronaut André Kuipers in the International Space Station, in collaboration with the European Space Agency. [ more...] |  15 February 2012 “The UNCSD Major Group for Children and Youth (MGCY), is the official young people’s constituency for Rio+20. MGCY is comprised of hundreds of organisations, official youth government delegates, activists, journalists, young professionals and students. We are the voice of young people in the official process and we collaborate to ensure a strong, inclusive and unified voice. MGCY is hosting the official Conference of Youth (aka Youth Blast) for young people prior to the Earth Summit. This event will be held from 7-12 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro (7 and 8 June will focus on Brazilian youth and 10-12 is the Youth Blast for international youth). The aim of this conference is to enable youth to dynamically engage and strategise before Rio+20 to effect positive change in the negotiations. See more at: www.uncsdchildrenyouth.org [ more...] |  26 April 2011 The World Leadership Conference 2011 is a unique 5-day preparatory conference which aims to re-kindle the “spirit of Rio” by enabling the younger generations of today with the skills, knowledge and inspiration required to be effective leaders in creating change, especially towards climate change and sustainable development. Participants are treated with an opportunity to meet like-minded peers from around Asia-Pacific, to forge and establish lasting relationships in the region for stronger and more impactful change. One of the key intent of the conference is to connect the achievements of past and present leaders with the younger generations to continue the work of environmental stewardship towards a more sustained future. The World Leadership Conference 2011 reflects the highest ideals of Environmental Challenge Organisation (ECO) Singapore in bringing together motivated and proactive individuals from the Asia-Pacific to focus on pertinent issues surrounding climate change and to develop leadership qualities which would best prepare participants for Rio+20. [ more...] | 31 March 2011 UNEP, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the World Meteorological Organization, the Ecological Society for Eastern Africa, the Sahara and Sahel Observatory and others have partnered to organize "African Climate Teach-in Day," a day devoted to lectures and lessons around the issue of climate change in Africa, to be held in universities and secondary schools across the continent. [ more...] |  16 March 2011 Did you know that we are in the International Year of Youth? We are, since 12 August 2010. This issue of Farming Matters shows that young people are, and have, the future in agriculture worldwide. It considers the roles, priorities and responsibilities of young generations. Read how they can contribute to the improvement of sustainable small-scale agriculture. [ more...] | |
