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AGENDA 21, CHAPTER 25


CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT











NOTE:     This is a final, advanced version of a chapter of Agenda 21, as adopted by
          the Plenary in Rio de Janeiro, on June 14, 1992.  This document will be
          further edited, translated into the official languages, and published by the
          United Nations for the General Assembly this autumn.





                                                   ........../2

                         INTRODUCTION

25.1.  Youth comprise nearly 30 per cent of the world's 
population.  The involvement of today's youth in environment 
and development decision-making and in the implementation of 
programmes is critical to the long-term success of Agenda 21.


                        PROGRAMME AREAS

             A.  Advancing the role of youth and actively involving
                 them in the protection of the environment and the
                 promotion of economic and social development

Basis for action

25.2.  It is imperative that youth from all parts of the world 
participate actively in all relevant levels of decision-making 
processes because it affects their lives today and has 
implications for their futures.  In addition to their 
intellectual contribution and their ability to mobilize 
support, they bring unique perspectives that need to be taken into account. 

25.3.  Numerous actions and recommendations within the 
international community have been proposed to ensure that youth 
are provided a secure and healthy future, including an 
environment of quality, improved standards of living and access 
to education and employment.  These issues need to be addressed 
in development planning. 

Objectives

25.4.  Each country should, in consultation with its youth 
communities, establish a process to promote dialogue between 
the youth community and Government at all levels and to 
establish mechanisms that permit youth access to information 
and provide them with the opportunity to present their 
perspectives on government decisions, including the 
implementation of Agenda 21.

25.5.  Each country, by the year 2000, should ensure that more 
than 50 per cent of its youth, gender balanced, are enrolled in 
or have access to appropriate secondary education or equivalent 
educational or vocational training programmes by increasing 
participation and access rates on an annual basis. 

25.6.  Each country should undertake initiatives aimed at 
reducing current levels of youth unemployment, particularly 
where they are disproportionately high in comparison to the 
overall unemployment rate. 

25.7.  Each country and the United Nations should support the 
promotion and creation of mechanisms to involve youth 
representation in all United Nations processes in order to 
influence those processes. 

25.8.  Each country should combat human rights abuses against 
young people, particularly young women and girls, and should 
consider providing all youth with legal protection, skills, 
opportunities and the support necessary for them to fulfil 
their personal, economic and social aspirations and potentials. 

Activities

25.9.  Governments, according to their strategies, should take measures to: 

     (a)  Establish procedures allowing for consultation and 
possible participation of youth of both genders, by 1993, in 
decision-making processes with regard to the environment, 
involving youth at the local, national and regional levels; 

     (b)  Promote dialogue with youth organizations regarding 
the drafting and evaluation of environment plans and programmes 
or questions on development; 

     (c)  Consider for incorporation into relevant policies the 
recommendations of international, regional and local youth 
conferences and other forums that offer youth perspectives on 
social and economic development and resource management; 

     (d)  Ensure access for all youth to all types of 
education, wherever appropriate, providing alternative learning 
structures, ensure that education reflects the economic and 
social needs of youth and incorporates the concepts of 
environmental awareness and sustainable development throughout 
the curricula; and expand vocational training, implementing 
innovative methods aimed at increasing practical skills, such 
as environmental scouting; 

     (e)  In cooperation with relevant ministries and 
organizations, including representatives of youth, develop and 
implement strategies for creating alternative employment 
opportunities and provide required training to young men and women; 

     (f)  Establish task forces that include youth and youth 
non-governmental organizations to develop educational and 
awareness programmes specifically targeted to the youth 
population on critical issues pertaining to youth.  These task 
forces should use formal and non-formal educational methods to 
reach a maximum audience.  National and local media, 
non-governmental organizations, businesses and other 
organizations should assist in these task forces; 

     (g)  Give support to programmes, projects, networks, 
national organizations and youth non-governmental organizations 
to examine the integration of programmes in relation to their 
project requirements, encouraging the involvement of youth in 
project identification, design, implementation and follow-up; 

     (h)  Include youth representatives in their delegations to 
international meetings, in accordance with the relevant General 
Assembly resolutions adopted in 1968, 1977, 1985 and 1989. 

25.10.  The United Nations and international organizations with 
youth programmes should take measures to: 
     (a)  Review their youth programmes and consider how 
coordination between them can be enhanced; 

     (b)  Improve the dissemination of relevant information to 
governments, youth organizations and other non-governmental 
organizations on current youth positions and activities, and 
monitor and evaluate the application of Agenda 21; 

     (c)  Promote the United Nations Trust Fund for the 
International Youth Year and collaborate with youth 
representatives in the administration of it, focusing 
particularly on the needs of youth from developing countries. 

Means of implementation

     Financing and cost evaluation 

25.11.  The UNCED Secretariat has estimated the average total 
annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing the activities of this 
chapter to be about $1.5 million from the international 
community on grant or concessional terms.  These are indicative 
and order of magnitude estimates only and have not been 
reviewed by governments.  Actual costs and financial terms, 
including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, 
inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes governments 
decide upon for implementation.


            B.  Children in sustainable development

Basis for action

25.12.  Children not only will inherit the responsibility of 
looking after the Earth, but in many developing countries they 
comprise nearly half the population.  Furthermore, children in 
both developing and industrialized countries are highly 
vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation.  They 
are also highly aware supporters of environmental thinking.  
The specific interests of children need to be taken fully into 
account in the participatory process on environment and 
development in order to safeguard the future sustainability of 
any actions taken to improve the environment. 

Objectives

25.13.   Governments, according to their policies, should take measures to: 

     (a)  Ensure the survival, protection and development of 
children, in accordance with the goals endorsed by the 1990 
World Summit for Children; 1/

     (b)  Ensure that the interests of children are taken fully 
into account in the participatory process for sustainable 
development and environmental improvement. 

Activities

25.14.  Governments should take active steps to: 

     (a)  Implement programmes for children designed to reach 
the child-related goals of the 1990s in the areas of 
environment and development, especially health, nutrition, 
education, literacy and poverty alleviation; 

     (b)  Ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child 
(General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989, annex), 
at the earliest moment and implement it by addressing the basic 
needs of youth and children; 

     (c)  Promote primary environmental care activities that 
address the basic needs of communities, improve the environment 
for children at the household and community level and encourage 
the participation and empowerment of local populations, 
including women, youth, children and indigenous people, towards 
the objective of integrated community management of resources, 
especially in developing countries; 

     (d)  Expand educational opportunities for children and 
youth, including education for environmental and developmental 
responsibility, with overriding attention to the education of 
the girl child; 

     (e)  Mobilize communities through schools and local health 
centres so that children and their parents become effective 
focal points for sensitization of communities to environmental issues; 

     (f)  Establish procedures to incorporate children's 
concerns into all relevant policies and strategies for 
environment and development at the local, regional and national 
levels, including those concerning allocation of and 
entitlement to natural resources, housing and recreation needs, 
and control of pollution and toxicity in both rural and urban areas. 

25.15.  International and regional organizations should 
cooperate and coordinate in the proposed areas.  UNICEF should 
maintain cooperation and collaboration with other organizations 
of the United Nations, Governments and non-governmental 
organizations to develop programmes for children and programmes 
to mobilize children in the activities outlined above. 

Means of implementation

(a) Finance and cost evaluation 

25.16.  Financing requirements for most of the activities are 
included in estimates for other programmes.

(b) Human resources development and capacity-building 

25.17.  The activities should facilitate capacity-building and 
training activities already contained in other chapters of 
Agenda 21.


                             Notes

     1/   See A/45/625, annex. 

.
