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 The United Nations Environment Programme in cooperation with UNEP National Committee for the Republic of Korea hosted Tunza International Children and Youth Conference in Daejeon, Korea from the 17 to 23 August 2009 (Children 17 - 20 and Youth 20 – 23). The Conference brought together 750 participants comprising 550 children and their chaperones, and 200 youth from 106 countries.
The theme of the conference was Climate Change: Our Challenge and included two high profile events, a Seal the Deal Global Townhall and a Global Debate. The Conference resulted in a statement to world leaders and an action plan for promoting actions on climate change.
The conference was in three segments:
a) Seal the Deal! Global Townhall Meeting
The Global Townhall meeting on 20 August linked participants via web technology to other young environmental leaders in 15 other cities across the world. Participating countries in the Seal the Deal Town Hall included Kenya, England, Canada, India, Brazil, Mexico and Thailand. The Townhall adopted a statement by young people on climate change and discussed a roll-out plan on the delivery of the petition to governments through rallies in over 100 capitals around the world. A draft Seal the Deal Petition developed prior to the Conference through online discussions was finalised at the Conference.
b) Seal the Deal! Global Debate
The Global Debate engaged political and business leaders, and senior UN dignitaries and the children and youth in a discussion on the scenarios that the global community will be faced with in the event of a deal or no deal at the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen.
c) Overview of the Children’s Conference
In addition to the joint children and youth events on the 20 August, the 550 Children met on 17-19 August to share information and exchange ideas on climate change related issues. They had key presentations and discussions, workshops and fieldtrips to environmental sites and venues to enhance learning. The delegates were introduced to the new Tunza Strategy (2009-2014), and discussed their role in the implementation of the Strategy.
The daily themes included:
• Climate change and its effect on bio-diversity
• Climate change and young people
• Water
• Sustainable lifestyle
Within the context of the Conference, UNEP and partners – Foundation for Global Peace and Environment, Bayer and Nikon Corporation awarded the winners of the 18th International Children’s Painting Competition whose theme was on Climate Change. For more details visit the
d) Overview of the Youth Conference
On 21 August 2009, the youth delegates participated in regional meetings to discuss and agree on the roll-out plans for the Seal the Deal youth statement including the rallies to be held in 100 cities. They also reviewed the regional activities, shared experiences and developed regional actions. The session was facilitated by representatives from the UNEP Regional Offices and the Tunza Youth Advisory Council.
From 22-23 the youth delegates participated in the plenary sessions, workshops and presentations on the daily themes which included:
• Limiting our Footprints through Sustainable Lifestyles
• Youth and Green Jobs
• Disasters and Conflicts and the Environment
e) Expected Outcomes of the Children and Youth Conferences
The expected outcomes of the conference included a statement for political leaders and commitments from children and from the youth on the actions they will undertake after the conference with regard to the Seal the Deal rallies, regional action plans and a newly elected Tunza Youth Advisory Council.
Conference Partners
UNEP was supported by several UN entities such as UNEP, UNICEF, UNFPA, FAO, WMO, UN-HABITAT, UNDESA, UNESCO the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity and international youth organizations such as the World Organization of the Scout Movement, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, 350.org, 2 Degrees as well as private sector partners such as Bayer and Global Voices.
Previous Tunza International Youth Conferences
- 2007 Tunza International Youth Conference Leverkusen, Germany (26 to 30 August 2007)
- 2005 Tunza International Youth Conference, Bangalore, India (12 to 18 October 2005)
2010 Tunza International Children &Youth Conference
The 2010 Tunza children and Youth Conference will be held in Aichi, Japan. Dates and venues will be confirmed later.
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