Viewpoint: What value do you think youth have at the Rio+20?

By Ms. Brianna Fruean, 14 years, Samoa

19 June, 2012, Rio de Janeiro

Q:  What value do you think youth have at the Rio+20?

Pamla Gapaul, NEPAD Agency, South Africa

“Youth are the key to the environment problem. Normally they should have a very important role to play, not only in consultations on the problems but in implementing solutions for the future. I think they play a very important role here at Rio +20.”

Olushola Olayide, Senior Policy Officer, Addis Abada, Ethiopia

“Very important for youth to experience what goes on in these meetings.  In the beginning, everything seems to be going all over the place but at the end of the day, the negotiations do come together. We as the world population need to believe that things will come together and we need to do it in one voice.”

Tony Nyong- Nigeria

“Youth play an important role in the voice of Africa. Youth need to be empowered and speak out now on issues about sustainable development and green economy. Youth attending these meetings is good for capacity building.”

Josua Dione, UN-ECA

“The Youth today should be learning now to be leaders of tomorrow. The Youth today should learn from this meeting so that when it’s their turn to be leaders, they do it right. They don’t have to do what their parents and grandparents did. They have seen how things are not walking, things are not moving in these negotiations. They should ask themselves, if they want to do the same thing when they come into power? The Negotiations are done by leaders who were here 20 to 30 years ago, and they are the same ones not making things move. So I want the youth today to learn from this meeting so when they come back in 20 years from now, they will need to do things differently.”