A-21: CHILDREN & YOUTH
Distr.
GENERAL
A/CONF.151/26 (Vol. III)
14 August 1992
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON
ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
(Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992)
Chapter 25
CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
INTRODUCTION
25.1. Youth comprise nearly 30 per cent of the world's population. The
involvement of today's youth in environment and development decision-making
and in the implementation of programmes is critical to the long-term
success of Agenda 21.
PROGRAMME AREAS
A. Advancing the role of youth and actively involving
them in the protection of the environment and the
promotion of economic and social development
Basis for action
25.2. It is imperative that youth from all parts of the world participate
actively in all relevant levels of decision-making processes because it
affects their lives today and has implications for their futures. In
addition to their intellectual contribution and their ability to mobilize
support, they bring unique perspectives that need to be taken into account.
25.3. Numerous actions and recommendations within the international
community have been proposed to ensure that youth are provided a secure and
healthy future, including an environment of quality, improved standards of
living and access to education and employment. These issues need to be
addressed in development planning.
Objectives
25.4. Each country should, in consultation with its youth communities,
establish a process to promote dialogue between the youth community and
Government at all levels and to establish mechanisms that permit youth
access to information and provide them with the opportunity to present
their perspectives on government decisions, including the implementation of
Agenda 21.
25.5. Each country, by the year 2000, should ensure that more than
50 per cent of its youth, gender balanced, are enrolled in or have access
to appropriate secondary education or equivalent educational or vocational
training programmes by increasing participation and access rates on an
annual basis.
25.6. Each country should undertake initiatives aimed at reducing current
levels of youth unemployment, particularly where they are
disproportionately high in comparison to the overall unemployment rate.
25.7. Each country and the United Nations should support the promotion and
creation of mechanisms to involve youth representation in all United
Nations processes in order to influence those processes.
25.8. Each country should combat human rights abuses against young people,
particularly young women and girls, and should consider providing all youth
with legal protection, skills, opportunities and the support necessary for
them to fulfil their personal, economic and social aspirations and
potentials.
Activities
25.9. Governments, according to their strategies, should take measures to:
(a) Establish procedures allowing for consultation and possible
participation of youth of both genders, by 1993, in decision-making
processes with regard to the environment, involving youth at the local,
national and regional levels;
(b) Promote dialogue with youth organizations regarding the drafting
and evaluation of environment plans and programmes or questions on
development;
(c) Consider for incorporation into relevant policies the
recommendations of international, regional and local youth conferences and
other forums that offer youth perspectives on social and economic
development and resource management;
(d) Ensure access for all youth to all types of education, wherever
appropriate, providing alternative learning structures, ensure that
education reflects the economic and social needs of youth and incorporates
the concepts of environmental awareness and sustainable development
throughout the curricula; and expand vocational training, implementing
innovative methods aimed at increasing practical skills, such as
environmental scouting;
(e) In cooperation with relevant ministries and organizations,
including representatives of youth, develop and implement strategies for
creating alternative employment opportunities and provide required training
to young men and women;
(f) Establish task forces that include youth and youth
non-governmental organizations to develop educational and awareness
programmes specifically targeted to the youth population on critical issues
pertaining to youth. These task forces should use formal and non-formal
educational methods to reach a maximum audience. National and local media,
non-governmental organizations, businesses and other organizations should
assist in these task forces;
(g) Give support to programmes, projects, networks, national
organizations and youth non-governmental organizations to examine the
integration of programmes in relation to their project requirements,
encouraging the involvement of youth in project identification, design,
implementation and follow-up;
(h) Include youth representatives in their delegations to
international meetings, in accordance with the relevant General Assembly
resolutions adopted in 1968, 1977, 1985 and 1989.
25.10. The United Nations and international organizations with youth
programmes should take measures to:
(a) Review their youth programmes and consider how coordination
between them can be enhanced;
(b) Improve the dissemination of relevant information to
governments, youth organizations and other non-governmental organizations
on current youth positions and activities, and monitor and evaluate the
application of Agenda 21;
(c) Promote the United Nations Trust Fund for the International
Youth Year and collaborate with youth representatives in the administration
of it, focusing particularly on the needs of youth from developing
countries.
Means of implementation
Financing and cost evaluation
25.11. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual
cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be
about $1.5 million on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative
and order-of-magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by
Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are
non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and
programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
B. Children in sustainable development
Basis for action
25.12. Children not only will inherit the responsibility of looking after
the Earth, but in many developing countries they comprise nearly half the
population. Furthermore, children in both developing and industrialized
countries are highly vulnerable to the effects of environmental
degradation. They are also highly aware supporters of environmental
thinking. The specific interests of children need to be taken fully into
account in the participatory process on environment and development in
order to safeguard the future sustainability of any actions taken to
improve the environment.
Objectives
25.13. National governments, according to their policies, should take
measures to:
(a) Ensure the survival, protection and development of children, in
accordance with the goals endorsed by the 1990 World Summit for Children
(A/45/625, annex);
(b) Ensure that the interests of children are taken fully into
account in the participatory process for sustainable development and
environmental improvement.
Activities
25.14. Governments should take active steps to:
(a) Implement programmes for children designed to reach the
child-related goals of the 1990s in the areas of environment and
development, especially health, nutrition, education, literacy and poverty
alleviation;
(b) Ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child (General
Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989, annex), at the earliest
moment and implement it by addressing the basic needs of youth and
children;
(c) Promote primary environmental care activities that address the
basic needs of communities, improve the environment for children at the
household and community level and encourage the participation and
empowerment of local populations, including women, youth, children and
indigenous people, towards the objective of integrated community management
of resources, especially in developing countries;
(d) Expand educational opportunities for children and
youth, including education for environmental and developmental
responsibility, with overriding attention to the education of the girl
child;
(e) Mobilize communities through schools and local health centres so
that children and their parents become effective focal points for
sensitization of communities to environmental issues;
(f) Establish procedures to incorporate children's concerns into all
relevant policies and strategies for environment and development at the
local, regional and national levels, including those concerning allocation
of and entitlement to natural resources, housing and recreation needs, and
control of pollution and toxicity in both rural and urban areas.
25.15. International and regional organizations should cooperate and
coordinate in the proposed areas. UNICEF should maintain cooperation and
collaboration with other organizations of the United Nations, Governments
and non-governmental organizations to develop programmes for children and
programmes to mobilize children in the activities outlined above.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
25.16. Financing requirements for most of the activities are included in
estimates for other programmes.
(b) Human resource development and capacity-building
25.17. The activities should facilitate capacity-building and training
activities already contained in other chapters of Agenda 21.
END OF CHAPTER 25
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==================RRojas Research Unit/1996===========================
