15 June 2012: The Global Youth Forum on Mountain Issues and Sustainable Actions developed the “Mountain Youth’s Appeal to Rio+20 Delegates” to be handed over to negotiators at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). The Forum was jointly held by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the Mountain Partnership,

At the Forum, many noted that youth engagement in Rio+20 negotiations is crucial. Sameera Zaib from Pakistan stressed that governments need to involve youth in policy negotiations. TUNZA Ambassador Kehkashan Basu from Dubai, the youngest participant, talked about attending a debate in a favela and seeing how much children of the slums were interested in sustainable development. Jaya Jung Mahat, UN Youth Mobilizer for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Sustainable Development Dialogues, collected voices from mountain youth, especially from Asian countries, on topics including poverty reduction, energy, water, forests and oceans.

Participants adopted a “Mountain Youth’s Appeal to Rio+20 Delegates” to be shared with delegates at Rio+20. The document discusses the importance of mountain goods and services and compensation for mountain communities for their environmental stewardship. It also calls on development and implementation of educational opportunities. Olman Serrano, Coordinator of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, concluded that youth are the future and “key for the future we want.”

The Global Youth Forum on Mountain Issues and Sustainable Actions took place on 15 June 2012, at the Mountain Pavilion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [ICIMOD Press Release]