The Youth Environment Assembly is organized by youth for youth. It is a self-organized space for youth to discuss critical issues and build their capacity to make change in the world. More immediately, the 2021 Assembly is a key moment for youth to organize in the run up to the online session of the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly, the high-level body where countries discuss and help set the direction of global environmental governance. Youth participants raised issues related to, inter alia, incentives for cross-faith youth collaboration, the need for the SDGs to be the basis for all faith-based discussions and children participation.
UN Environment Programme
Global Youth Environment Assembly
The Global Youth Environment Assembly is convened by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). It is convening prior to the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), from 12-13 February and 18-20 February.
From Islam to Buddhism, faiths have long encouraged stewardship of nature
In most major religions there is scripture encouraging the protection and care of nature. From Buddhism to Christianity, Hinduism to Islam, faiths recognize the need for environmental stewardship and urge followers to be caretakers of the planet and its biodiversity.
Spiritual leaders play an important role in sharing religious practices and passages so that followers can live a more sustainable lifestyle respecting the 8 million species we share our planet with.
That message was echoed by World Environment Day 2020, which fell on 5 June. The celebration cast a spotlight on the services nature provides us—from food to medicine—and highlighted that, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, life on earth would not be possible without nature’s bounty.
