Penseès

The Voice of Children and Youth for Rio+20
2011 Tunza International Children and Youth Conference
Bandung Declaration
October 1, 2011

§1
We, the delegates to the 2011 Tunza International Children and Youth Conference
representing 118 different countries, are united in calling upon world leaders to
move to a sustainable development pathway that safeguards the Earth and its
people for our generation and generations to come. We urge governments to
respond to and not ignore the demands of the children and youth.
Section 1: Rio+20 and the Promises to Our Generation


§2 Next year, our leaders will meet in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to critically assess and
   accelerate our progress towards sustainable development. The “Rio+20” gathering
      will mark a generation since the 1992 Earth Summit – the first effective global
       recognition of the environmental, social and economic costs of unrestrained
      development.

§3 While we were not at the Earth Summit in 1992, we know that it was
   transformative. As a result, sustainable development has become a critical
  component in the protection of the environment and the eradication of poverty.
 We have met the children and youth who stood there and called to the moral
consciences of our leaders and citizens to act.

§4 We have also read of the promises made and that continue to be made to us, the
   inheriting generation, which remain unfulfilled. Our governments have promised to
  reduce poverty, stem environmental degradation and enhance equity. They have
 promised to combat climate change, ensure food security, provide clean drinking
water and protect our planet’s biodiversity. Businesses and multi-national
 corporations have pledged to respect the environment, green their production and
compensate for their pollution.
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§5
Yet, our planet’s future – our future – is in peril. Our generation has seen the
warning signs in Rio 1992 become the realities that face Rio+20: poverty, climate
change, pollution and depleting natural resources are all symptoms of our
unsustainable development patterns. We feel, understand and know that we cannot
wait another generation, until a Rio+40, before we act.
Section 2: What We Are Going to Do

§6 We are the next generation of decision-makers and we stand for action and
   change. Therefore, we pledge the following commitments to make the Rio+20
  Earth Summit a milestone for change.

§7 1. Lobby our governments to make Rio+20 Earth Summit a top priority. We
   will identify our governments’ positions, listen to their commitments and hold them
    accountable to us. We will demand that our governments, leaders of the private
   sector and civil society groups attend the Summit and make ambitious commitments
  now. We will call upon governments to formulate and implement sustainable
 development policies, which also address poverty eradication and are supported by
strong enforcement mechanisms.

§8 2. Adopt more sustainable lifestyles and educate our local communities,
   including indigenous communities, sharing knowledge at the same level. All
  action starts with the individual and we are committed to reducing our personal
 ecological footprint. We will teach and encourage each other to be responsible
consumers using all available tools. Yet, many young people remain unaware of
basic environmental issues because of inadequate schooling. We will demand that
environmental education and awareness raising be mandatory in each of our
schools’ curriculum.

§9 3. Work toward sustainable development through a green economy
   transition. We know that young entrepreneurs are now developing the new
  approaches needed for this transition and we will support each other as our
 generation develops sustainable technologies and processes. We will ask educational
institutions to invest in these activities. We will urge governments and civil society
to support young entrepreneurs and innovators that work towards sustainable
development. We will support businesses that are environmentally responsible. We
will lobby governments to pass laws and to put in place higher taxes on products
that don’t conform to this. We will continue to realize our vision of a sustainable
 world.
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§10 4. Contribute to local, national, regional and global discussions on
sustainable development. We will demand to ensure children and youth
participation in all decision-making processes at all levels. We will support
institutions that balance development and the preservation of resources for future
generations, and oppose any government or corporation that violates this principle.
We will use every opportunity to convey our message to push Rio+20 leaders to
take tangible action at the end of the conference. We will encourage that concrete
actions be taken to conserve the environment such as the World City Forest
initiated at the TUNZA International Children and Youth Conference 2011.
Section 3: What Green Economy Means to Children and Youth

§11 We believe a green economy values human well-being, social equity, economic
growth and environmental protection on an equal basis. It is an integrated
framework for sustainability that meets the needs of the present while providing for
future generations.

§12 Nearly half of the world’s population is under the age of 25 and most live in
developing countries. It is crucial to invest in education, employment and
empowerment of children and youth in the green economy. This will both enable
them to live productive and worthwhile lives while contributing to a just green
economy transition. We agree with the United Nations Secretary-General: failing to
invest in children and youth is a false economy.

§13 Every region, country and community will have its own unique green economy.
Yet, we urge the Rio+20 Earth Summit to agree that all green economies should:
o Endeavour to enrich the well-being and dignity of all people, both
economically and in terms of quality of life;
o Protect and value natural resources and ecosystems, on which all life
depends, and recognize the traditional knowledge and practices of
indigenous peoples and local communities;
o Invest in education and social entrepreneurship which engenders sustainable
development values;
o Promote good governance, accountability and corporate social
responsibility; and
o Engage citizens to protect the environment in their everyday lives.
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Section 4: Governments and Corporations Need to Come to Rio and Deliver

§14 We cannot wait any longer: we must act now to move swiftly and decisively
on a green economy path toward sustainable development. While recognizing
that each nation must chart its own way, we call upon world leaders to come to Rio
to collectively reinvest political will in:
o Developing national green economy transition plans and agendas for action;
o Enhancing cooperation and coordination among developing, emerging and
developed countries;
o Implementing socially responsible governance at local, national, regional
and international levels, including ending all forms of corruption;
o Meeting all Millennium Development Goals by 2020 with tangible,
measurable achievements;
o Protecting human rights and the development needs of young people,
particularly access to education and employment in the green
economy;
o Increasing the engagement of children in the development and ensuring
children and youth participation at all levels of sustainable
development governance, including monitoring and evaluation;
o Ensuring access to health services including sexual and reproductive health
empowerment of young girls and women in sustainable development
strategies;
o Responsibly phasing out subsidies that are harmful to the environment;
o Protecting the rights of citizen activists;
o Incorporating environmental and social considerations in economic policy
formation and adopt alternative measures of development to gross
domestic product; and
o Lobbying media institutions to pay more attention to environmental
reports.

§15 We call upon business leaders to collectively commit to:
o Implementing effective corporate social and environmental responsibility
through a new economic model that ensures sustainable resource use;
o Being accountable for the sustainability of their supply chain and
production patterns;
o Providing training, education and funding support for children and youth
and communities to work toward a green economy;
o Increasing investment in environmentally-beneficial scientific research and
development; and
o Raising community awareness of the damages of unsustainable business
practices.
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Section 5: What Governance Means to Children and Youth

§16 We know firsthand that the adoption of international Plans of Action at the 1992
Earth Summit, such as Agenda 21, did not automatically result in real change where
it matters – in countries, corporations, campuses and communities. In fact, weak
implementation, corruption and the lack of transparency and accountability have
hindered much-needed progress towards a sustainable future. We know there are
already hundreds of international agreements to protect the environment, but many
do not deliver on the ground.

§17 At the Rio+20 Earth Summit, we need to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of
the established international institutions and assess new institutional structures that
guide us toward a sustainable green and fair economy. We believe such structures
should:
o Strive always for peace and cooperation among people from all nations;
o Focus on implementation of existing international agreements and plans of
action;
o Hold governments at all levels, corporations and civil society organizations
accountable to their promises and obligations on sustainable
development;
o Strengthen and ensure effective children and youth participation within the
United Nations system;
o Further the implementation of the precautionary principle and demand
reparations of damages, such as applied to new technologies and
practices; and
o Adopt ambitious Sustainable Development Goals and hold all governments
accountable for their achievement.

§18 We also know that it does not stop there. We must support national and local
governance reform as well. We believe that good governance at the country, state,
province and city levels should:
o Secure public access to information and environmental justice;
o Meaningfully engage all stakeholders in the decision-making process,
considering the views and opinions of minorities, underprivileged,
illiterate, and unemployed young people;
o Fight corruption wherever it exists; and
o Protect and defend the rights of young and future generations.

§19 This is our declaration to fight for environmental justice not only for us but
for all generations to come.
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