Spotlight on Challenges, Solutions, Actions and Policy Advocacy
The International Day of Zero Waste (30th of March) is a global platform to emphasize the critical importance of effective waste management and the imperative to promote sustainable consumption and production practices. Annually, the world generates an alarming 2.1 to 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste, with approximately 2.7 billion individuals lacking access to proper waste collection, particularly affecting rural communities. The repercussions of waste pollution extend beyond environmental degradation, posing significant threats to human health, and economic prosperity, and exacerbating the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Without immediate action, projections indicate a staggering increase in annual municipal solid waste generation, reaching 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050.
Waste pollution significantly impacts infants, children, and youth due to their developing bodies and vulnerable immune systems. Their heightened exposure to pollutants, through ingestion, inhalation, and play, increases the risk of respiratory illnesses, gastrointestinal disorders, and developmental delays. Contamination from landfills and hazardous waste further compounds health risks, while inadequate waste management contributes to the spread of vector-borne diseases. These impacts are exacerbated in socio-economically disadvantaged communities. Urgent action is needed to safeguard the health of youth and ensure a sustainable environment. Awareness plays a crucial role, and this aims to share insights and foster dialogue among young people about the topic, as well as to showcase best practices in young people’s activities to combat waste pollution and engage with the policy-making processes.
Building on the Technical Session of Chemicals, Waste and Pollution, which included introducing the Global Waste Management Outlook II. In addition to the informal youth consultations to the draft resolutions of the Sixth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly and the Open-ended Committee of Permanent Representatives, the informal consultations aim to exchange the different views and perspectives of young people about the issue of waste pollution and also to finalize the working document on responding to the call for input to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights. Resilient40 participated in a focus group consultation last month in Nairobi, emphasizing the significance of young people’s perspectives in addressing toxic exposure and human rights. Building on this, we are excited to continue our engagement on the crucial issue of gender and toxic intersectionality, and the final round of consultation will be conducted to finalize a comprehensive submission to inform the Special Rapporteur’s thematic report.
Objectives:
- Raise awareness about the detrimental impacts of waste pollution on human health, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic development.
- Facilitate dialogue and collaboration among participants to explore best practices, youth actions, challenges, solutions, and strategies for waste problems, with a focus on community engagement and sustainable lifestyles.
- Provide a platform for informal consultations to elucidate the intersections between waste pollution, gender dynamics, and toxic substances, particularly their implications for infants, children, and youth to respond to the call for inputs by the UNSR and prepare youth priorities for future relevant policy engagements.
Global Youth Environment Assembly (Global YEA) is a crucial platform that gathers young environmental enthusiasts and policy advocates from around the world to participate in policy discussions, knowledge-sharing, and the formulation of the Global Youth Declaration on Environment presented at the Sixth Session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA6). The 2024 edition of the Global YEA took place in Nairobi, Kenya, strategically scheduled in the lead-up to OECPR6 & UNEA6. The theme for UNEA6 was “Effective, Inclusive, and Sustainable Multilateral Actions to Tackle Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, and Pollution.” Global YEA was geared towards aligning youth perspectives and priorities with this crucial theme.
Global Youth Declaration on Environment is a pivotal commitment statement that has emerged from the Global Youth Environment Assembly 2024 from 17-18 February 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. This declaration is poised to represent the collective voice of youth from diverse regions, backgrounds, and perspectives, uniting in a resounding call for effective, inclusive, and sustainable global actions to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. It encapsulates the aspirations, insights, and recommendations of the youth delegates, signaling their unwavering dedication to shaping a greener and more sustainable future.
DOWNLOAD THE Global Youth Declaration – YEA24
DOWNLOAD THE DECLARATION
