Africa-Press – Mauritius. The National Forum for Colleges of Mauritius (NAFCO) organised, today at the Côte d’Or National Sports Complex, a ‘Stockholm to Sharm el-Sheikh’ Youth Dialogue which aims at gathering the youth to analyse and reflect on the outcomes of Stockholm+50 International Conference held in Sweden, as well as to set more ambitious goals for COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
On this occasion, NAFCO, which is funded and accredited by the United Nations Environment Programme also shared its experience from the Stockholm+50 conference so as to raise more awareness on climate issues.
The Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano, the Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Dr Alya’a Samir Borhan, and other personalities were present at the opening ceremony of the Youth Dialogue.
In his address, Minister Ramano highlighted that, as far as the Mauritian Government is concerned, the future of sustainability lies with the youth, who are not only critical thinkers, change-makers, innovators, communicators, but who also have great abilities in being leaders in their communities.
He pointed out that the youths’ involvement in decision-making is critical for the long-term success of Mauritius and, as such, they need to be part and parcel of development planning.
The Minister underlined that it is with this perspective that Government has set up the National Youth Environment Council in 2020 under the aegis of the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Council’s aim, he reminded, is to give an opportunity to the youth to contribute as key actors in the decision-making process for environmental protection and sustainability.
Furthermore, Minister Ramano underscored that Mauritius, as a Small Island Developing State, remains a special case for sustainable development and continues to face unique and increasing challenges with regards to the degradation of ecosystems, biodiversity loss, water stress and extreme weather events, amongst others.
As such, he encouraged participants present for the Youth Dialogue to consider climate change from a holistic perspective during their discussions. COP27, he added, is calling us to consider all the Sustainable Development Goals when addressing climate change challenges.
The Environment Minister also expressed hope that, following the Stockholm+50 International Conference and today’s event, dialogue will be ongoing among the youths for a sustainable and youth-inclusive future.
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