Sustainable consumption first appeared on the international policy agenda at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992 when the link between environmental degradation and the production and consumption of goods and services was officially made. Recognising the importance that young people play in environmental protection and development, the UNEP Governing Council charged UNEP with developing a strategy to investigate the role of youth in promoting sustainable consumption. Youth comprise nearly 30 percent of the world’s population, and the consumption patterns acquired by them today will influence their adult lifestyles and hence future global consumption patterns.
Following a decision by the Governing Council in 1999, UNEP developed a sustainable consumption strategy in collaboration with its Youth Advisory Council. It involved a survey and campaign on Youth and Sustainable Consumption. The UNEP Youth and Sustainable Consumption Campaign, launched in seventeen States in all five continents, aimed to increase the involvement of youth in activities promoting sustainable consumption by educating young people on the impact of their consumption on the environment. The campaign was coordinated by UNEP in conjunction with its Youth Advisory Council. Each Youth Advisory Council group relayed the general message on sustainable consumption, but was free to emphasise that aspect of sustainable lifestyle which was most likely to be adopted in their State (water, energy, food, etc.).
A research survey was also carried out asking young people what they knew about the impact their lifestyles and consumption patterns had on the environment, economy and society. The survey covered 15,000 young people in 25 States. The results have provided a resource base for dialogue with young people on what youth from different cultures and continents really know and need.
UNEP has also produced a Youth for Sustainable Consumption Handbook and video (see http://www.unep.org/children_youth/ysc/), launched in February 2001, during the twenty-first UNEP Governing Council. The handbook aims to provide youth with a better understanding of how consumption patterns affect the environment and why we should aim towards sustainable consumption.
UNEP’s Global Pilot Seminar for Women on Renewable Energy
An example of female empowerment in the field of natural resources management comes from the global pilot seminar on Women Leaders on the Uptake of Renewable Energy Technology, held in Perth, Australia, in June 2001. Supported by the Swedish government, the seminar was the first event of a UNEP awareness and education programme for women leaders on adopting renewable energy technologies. It involved 30 participants from 22 developing countries in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.
The seminar sought to:
- Train participants to advocate for the political support and resources to promote integrated and holistic energy policies that take into account women’s needs.
- Educate participants on sustainable energy issues and concerns relevant to women’s needs so that they can share this knowledge with others.
- Provide technical education to increase women’s access to environmentally friendly energy technologies.
- Promote women’s collaboration with energy-focused and other organizations in improving access to sustainable energy for both women and men.
- Encourage women to participate in energy policy and planning discussions and to maximize their role as stakeholders.
UNEP’s Global Youth Retreat
UNEP convenes the Global Youth Retreat every two years in conjunction with the regular sessions of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum. The Retreat provides youth leaders with an opportunity to discuss youth input into UNEP work and to suggest ways of enhancing cooperation between UNEP and young people worldwide. It also provides training opportunities for youth and it is used to elect members of the UNEP Youth Advisory Council – twelve young people who advise UNEP on how to include youth in its activities. Young people also participate as observers in the UNEP Governing Council. They interact and share experiences with decision-makers, and are able to lobby on youth-related issues.