Young Irish environmentalists travel to Morocco to attend International meeting on Climate Change
Image: Back: Elaine Nevin, Director of ECO-UNESCO, Alex Antochi, Leon Gill, Kyle Al Kaadiri, Liam Hanley, Serena Choong (Youth Leader), Front: Aoibhinn Nevin Ginnetty, and Oilean Stritch.
November 4th 2016
Young people from Ireland travel today to Morocco to represent the county at a massive international youth meeting on Climate Change.
The delegates are members of ECO-UNESCO, Ireland’s environmental education and youth organisation, and they will join hundreds of delegates from all across the globe to take part in the International Conference of Youth (COY).
COY12 is an international youth conference for young people passionate about addressing climate change and takes place in advance of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Morocco.
The COY will be held in Marrakech from 4th−6th November, right before World Leaders meet to discuss climate change at COP22.
ECO-UNESCO, a key partner of UNESCO for its Global Action Programme in Education for Sustainable Development (GAP) since 2015, is being represented by six young people who will be travelling to Maraakesh on Thursday 3rd November.
Alex Antochi (16), Leon Gill (18), Liam Hanley (16), Kyle Al Kaadiri (16), Aoibhinn Nevin Ginnetty (16), and Oilean Stritch (16).
The ECO-UNESCO Youth delegates are all participants in ECO-UNESCO’s ‘Youth for Sustainable Development’ programme, a youth peer education programme that empowers and upskills young people to become global youth leaders by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, values and motivation to take action for a more just and sustainable world.
The programme is funded by Irish Aid and supported by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.
The young people, who are from Dublin, will be attending the conference and presenting during two workshops on ‘Education for Sustainable Development from an Irish Perspective’ and ‘The Environmental Impact of Fashion’ on the 5th of November, the latter being a Finalist project in the ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2016.
Commenting on this opportunity to attend the Conference one ECO-UNESCO Youth delegate said: “It is important that young people have the chance to voice their concerns about decisions that will impact our future. We are looking forward to meeting like-minded youths from other countries and learning about their views on climate change.”
“ECO-UNESCO is delighted to send a delegation of our young people to attend and to present at this very important international event; it is a fantastic opportunity for Irish young people to present on the innovative action projects they have all been involved in and on the work of ECO-UNESCO. It is so important that young people get an opportunity to have their voices heard on the international stage and is a great opportunity for them to learn from other international young people. The young delegates attendance at this international conference is part of ECO-UNESCO’s ongoing work for UNESCO’s Global Action Programme and the Sustainable Development Goals” commented Elaine Nevin, National Director of ECO-UNESCO.
The young people’s attendance, along with three ECO-UNESCO youth leaders, at COY12 is being supported by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Irish Environmental Network.
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