Sustainability2015

“Greening the Economy” Youth Participation—A Chance towards Sustainable DevelopmentAuthor to whom correspondence should be addressed: ny2gs2015@gmail.com, ny2gs2015secretariat@insatep.com

BackgroundHeld few days after the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by UN member states in New York, hundreds of Kenyan youths met for the 2nd National Youth Green Growth Summit (NY2GS2015) held 6th -9th

October 2015 at Multimedia University, Nairobi dubbed ‘’Youth as Active Partners to Drive the Green Growth Agenda in Kenya’’. This event sought to reaffirm youths’ active role in transitioning to a green Economy as a path way towards Sustainable Development in Kenya.Recognizing the multi-dimensional potential of young intellect in realizing the sustainable development goals, the National Youth Green Growth Secretariat in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Authorities, Kenya Forest Service, National Environment Trust Fund, Council of Governors, OECD and Chandaria Foundation—convened the 2nd

National Youth Green Growth Summit 2015, with the aim of sensitizing young minds on issues pertaining to green growth and sustainable development, further building counties institutional capacities towards implementing the green growth agenda at county level. ProspectsThere can be little doubt that Kenya’s economy is troubled as a result of man’s influence thus contributing to climate change and loss of ecosystems. Capacity Building will play a major role in moving towards a green economy. The effort towards actualizing the Green Growth Agenda needs concerted

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efforts from all the stakeholders and further development and implementation of policies that will provide smooth transition to a green Economy. Youth are important stakeholders in shaping and advancing the national green growth agenda. They can be actively engaged in raising awareness, running educational programmes, advocating for policy level changes, designing innovative solutions, technologies and tools, and strengthening public participation for environmental protection.

On prioritizing and tapping the youths’ innovation, energy and minds, the need to impart the information that will trigger realization of opportunities with the green growth frame work will go a long way in spurring growth and development in Kenya. Poverty and lack of employment opportunities are the most urgent realties that face the young people in their daily lives hence we must move with speed in the implementation of the green growth tools that will deal with climate change, ecosystem management and local livelihood support hence reducing poverty.

RecommendationsYouths should adopt the definition of green growth, in the local context, to refer to a shift towards a development path that promotes resource efficiency, sustainable production consumption models and sustainable management of natural resources, social inclusion, resilience, and sustainable infrastructure development.

To address the need for renewable energy, resource-efficiency, cleaner production, wise use, pollution control and waste management, leadership and governance, and restoration of degraded ecosystems, youths should undertake to promote policies and programmes supportive of a green growth.

Cognizant of the challenges facing the world today, youths should be committed to initiating and supporting strategies geared towards a transition to a green economy in line with the outcome of the United Nations

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Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) held in September 2015 with employment being a priority.

Youths should seek to mobilize their peers and colleagues, through County Green Growth Seminars, and sharing through inter-youth fora to reduce the already inevitable impacts of unsustainable growth. Action towards sustainable growth falls directly on young people’s shoulders. Youths cannot take a pew and anticipate that the problems will one day cease to exist. It’s a fact that problems will persist. They must not wait any longer.

Since youths, on their own, cannot fix sustainability demands, they should aspire to jointly assume personal and collaborative leadership responsibility in ensuring that actions by County and national governments do not exacerbate the already worsening situation but support the means to fight back in own backyards.

The success of the National Green Economy Strategy depends on young people. They must therefore affirm their contribution to the Constitutional requirement for a clean and healthy environment as a basic human right and provision for sustainable exploitation, utilization, management and conservation of the environment and natural resources is for us to embrace and protect.

Importantly, there is a need to ensure that youth empowerment programmes designed to help youths transition to a green economy is consistent with the youth development priorities and as envisioned in the National Youth Policy. Green growth provides an avenue for functional interaction between governance and economy with youths as active partners in development agenda.

Lastly, youths should then strive to acquire requisite knowledge and skills needed to promote green growth through innovations that enhance

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sustainable lifestyles, human rights, equality, equity, peace, co-existence and diversity. Then, they should engage in activities that promote green growth through capacity building, sharing of experiences, creating partnerships and networking.

Way forward,

Going forward, young people should envisage to: 1) Embrace common definitions, understanding and approach to youth led green growth initiatives; 2) review available green employment opportunities with focus on wider strategic terms; 3) pro-actively strengthen working relationship with key stakeholders- communities, county governments, national government, development partners and research institutions; 4) build technical, social and financial capacity on cross-cutting themes related to green growth; and 5) build on strong networks, collaboration and partnerships to enhance our influence on green growth strategic decisions.

National Youth Green Growth Secretariat Lead Author and Rapporteur, 2nd National Green Growth Summit

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