Forum for the concerns of young people

Young people the world over have a very keen sense of injustice, combined with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm when it comes to working for a “better world.” However, they can only successfully formulate their messages and create exposure for them if they have appropriate forums in which to form their opinions and make their needs heard. During the 9th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), 50 young adults from all over the world, aged between 18 and 25, will be given a joint political platform on which to express their concerns about issues connected with CBD and hold discussions with decision-makers. A dancetheatre will be created and performed with the young participants and choreographer Mohan C. Thomas from TANZMOTO, Germany.

Ahead of the UN Conference, they will attend the International Wilderness Camp in the Bavarian Forest National Park, where they will develop presentations stressing not only the biological, but also the cultural, aspects of biodiversity. They will explore how they personally experience dependency on biodiversity, how the loss of biodiversity is having a concrete impact on their region and in individual countries, and look at what individuals and communities can do to halt it.

The young adults will present their perspectives and findings on the subject in Bonn from 26 to 30 May 2008. They will use different media to convey their messages to the representatives of national delegations, political decision-makers and the public. These will include a photo exhibition entitled “Unity in diversity: my environment and me,” a dance theatre performance “Go4 BioDiv,” and the film “Samaumas Call around the World.” The Youth Summit will also be represented in the exhibition that accompanies the UN Conference, “Expo of Diversity”. Visitors will experience a Mongolian ger and a Siberian tshum and be able to enjoy the surprises the varied programme has in store.

GTZ is organising the Youth Summit on behalf of the Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Cooperation partners are the City of Bonn and the Bavarian Forest National Park as an agency of the Bavarian State Ministry for the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection. A further cooperation partner during the 9th Conference of the Parties is the German Federal Environment Foundation.























Go 4 BioDiv
The participants at the Youth Summit will address questions relating to their personal experience of dependence on biological diversity and the tangible effects of biodiversity loss in their region and in their countries of origin.
Discussion groups will focus on the key themes of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD): the conservation of biodiversity, its sustainable use and equitable benefit-sharing. The young adults will work on these issues both academically and through art. They will formulate messages, propose solutions and consider how they can be implemented regionally and globally.

Alongside academic exchange, creative workshops provide an opportunity for participants to engage with the emotional and cultural aspects of biodiversity. Under the guidance of professional choreographers, the young people will rehearse a piece of dance theatre. In addition, the group will work with a prominent glass artist to produce a glass sculpture on the theme of the “ecological footprint”.

Accommodation for the young adults will be provided in the “country huts” of the International Wilderness Camp in the natural surroundings of the Bavarian Forest. The different “huts” reflect the building styles and living traditions of the countries involved in the International Wilderness Camp’s partner conservation programmes. They provide opportunities for an in-depth experience of nature and an insight into different ways of living.


More information
Website of the International Youth Summit 2008
www.go4biodiv.org

GTZ AgenZ
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Tel.: ++49-69-247065-12
Fax: ++49-69-247065-50

Internet: http://www.gtz.de












Photos: Tanzmoto Archiv