New York – The ECOSOC Youth Forum was held recently at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. At the UNESCO-led event, which took place in the framework of the Forum, the future Transboundary Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube, also called the Amazon of Europe, was also presented.

Between 30 and 31 January, the 7th Forum of the UN Economic and Social Council for Youth (ECOSOC Youth Forum 2018) took place at the United Nations Headquarters. The Forum is a platform for youth, set up by the United Nations in 2012 with a view to integrate young people into decision-making processes. The conclusions of the Forum are the basis of the decision of the United Nations Economic and Social Council and the High Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

The topic of this year's Forum was the role of young people in creating sustainable and resilient urban and rural communities. Six of the seventeen sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030 were discussed in the plenary sessions with round tables and interactive thematic workshops, focusing on achievement of sustainable development goals by 2030 and the role of young people in this process.

“Participants stressed that we are not reaching the goals of sustainable development by 2030 and that too little has been done so far. Youth representatives stressed that young people play an extremely important role in achieving these goals, but their integration in the decision-making process is mostly of a formal nature. Young people are often not considered as equal partners, and their solutions, although they are of high quality, are often labelled as `immature`”, said Simon Verbič from State Institute for Nature Protection of Slovenia.

“UNESCO invited four representatives of young people who work and live in the Biosphere Reserves are invited to participate. Together, we have represented the Biosphere Response Network as a platform for achieving sustainable development goals. We can be very proud that UNESCO has offered us an opportunity to share the story of our Amazon of Europe from among more than 600 Biosphere Reserves in the world”, added Verbič.

At UNESCO's event representatives of UNESCO presented the MAB program and activities of the youth program. In particular, they highlighted the positive experiences of the 2017 MAB Youth Forum, where representatives from Slovenia were also present. In the central part of the event, four representatives of the (future) Biosphere Reserves from Ecuador, USA, Italy and Slovenia presented the challenges that we encounter and activities that address the achievement of the goals of sustainable development. 

“I presented the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve Mura-Drava-Danube and the ongoing coop MDD project co-financed by the EU. Projects such as coop MDD are one of the key tools for achieving the goals of sustainable development in our area, since, in addition to planning concrete activities in the field, they cultivate a culture of cooperation with stakeholders, implement a cross-sectoral approach, facilitate the exchange of knowledge and contribute to cross-border challenges. I have highlighted that young people often work in key institutions, participate in international projects and play an active role in awareness raising events like 24 hours with the Mura River. They also often provide an alternative view of the development challenges like in the last case of plans for the construction of hydropower plants on the Mura River”, explained Verbič.

Representatives of the biosphere regions, through the stories we shared at the event, pointed out that young people are already now playing an important role in achieving the goals of sustainable development, as they are actively involved in co-shaping the communities from which they come. Participants agreed that young people in Biosphere Reserves, which should be a model of sustainable development, need suitable living conditions. Only in this way will they cultivate an active approach to the challenges, and in the final stage also a positive attitude towards the preservation of nature and the environment.