20 July 2012: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), together with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP), the Pacific Islands Museum Association (PIMA), and the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), convened the Youth Speak! workshop, to raise awareness among regional youth of heritage preservation, environmental concerns and sustainable development.

According to UNESCO, the workshop, held in Honiara, Solomon Islands, from 17-19 July 2012, also raised awareness of the threat posed to traditional ways of life by incompatible development pressures – those that sideline the cultural values and environmental concerns faced by the region. The workshop aimed to empower Pacific youths to become “grassroots ambassadors” for sustainable development in their home countries and territories.

The workshop was attended by youth from Australia, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Fiji, Hawaii, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. [UNESCO Press Release] [YouthSpeak Facebook Page]