In conjunction with the Environmental Club at the American University of Sharjah, the highlight of the Nature Network’s October 2005 activities was the students’ attendance of the TUNZA International Youth Conference.
The Nature Network is an organization sponsored by meUNIVERSITY (Emirates Bank’s tailored banking package for university students). Set-up and run by university students, the Nature Network aims to increase the level of environmental awareness and bring focus to the critical conservation issues in the UAE.
Louis Scotto, Emirates Bank General Manager- Retail Banking commented, “ We at meUNIVERSITY are very pleased to be the support behind such a worthy and beneficial organisation. We believe that conferences such as the TUNZA International Youth Conference are the perfect platform for potential environmental leaders to develop and progress.”
Held from the 12th to the 18th October 2005 in Bangalore, India, the event- one of the key events under UNEP’s (United Nations Environment Programme) TUNZA program- was organized by the (UNEP) and the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) of India, in partnership with BAYER AG of Leverkussen, Germany.
The environment is under constant threat from an array of factors that are associated with the daily pattern of life. Attending the TUNZA International Youth Conference gave the Nature Network students from the UAE the opportunity to connect with 150 like-minded young people from 67 different countries from around the world.
The main aim of the conference was to engage today’s youth in various environmental activities. This year’s conference adopted the theme ‘Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) and Cooperation Among Youth Organizations’. Participants focused on 3 major MDG’s: to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; to promote gender equality and empower women and finally, to ensure environmental sustainability.
Burhan Buchi a Nature Network member, American University of Sharjah student, and UAE Advisor on the TUNZA Advisory council represented the UAE in ensuring environmental sustainability as per its close association with the mission of the Nature Network. He was one of the many delegates aged 15 to 24 from around the world who interacted with one another and their representative networks in order to implement various ideas in their own countries.
According to Burhan, “The TUNZA Conference demonstrated the dedication of today's young activists for a more environmentally sustainable world; a world where there is no hunger and a world where gender is not a base for differentiation. My experience gained from the conference helped me realizing that I am only a very small part of a rather big family which dedicates its time to nurturing the planet which we have only borrowed from future generations.”
Activities which took place during the seven day conference include; regional meetings, 12 selected presentations, workshops related to MDG’s, a field trip to a botanical laboratory, and a TUNZA entertainment reception at the palace of the Governor of Karnataka. The conference concluded with each delegate outlining their commitment to the environment and their plans on how they intend to achieve over the next two years.
