Combined Youth Statement

Preamble
We are a group of youth cognizant of and concerned about the fallibility of our
degrading environment due to the impact of climate change, and conversant with the
compelling need to actively engineer solutions to ensure the ecological sustainability
of our current practices. Hence, in the premise of the combined Asia Youth Statement,
we have put together a comprehensive position paper that addresses the identified
climate challenges in the course of the various youth conferences, starting from
Singapore, to showcase the determination of youth to contribute to sourcing for a
solution in solidarity.
This document aims to be a culmination of all mooted suggestions throughout the
course of the various youth conferences, summits, . It seeks to present to the relevant
regional or global authorities a pertinent list of policies that are both compellingly
incisive and highly feasible.
This paper stands out as it proffers a multi-faceted perspective of current global
environment-related maladies, being a product of days of fervent discussion and
brainstorming amongst participants hailing from corners of the globe.
Over and above providing an informative and stimulating read, it is hoped that
governmental institutions find the suggested measures feasible enough to genuinely
consider the next, definitive step of implementation, so that there are tangible
products to the conference proceedings.

The Asian youth body represents the microcosm of cultural backgrounds and native
experiences that span across the entire region. This region can hardly be represented
by any one generalization alone; to speak of the Asian region would be to invoke the
vastly differing states of development and the different customs, habits and manner
of life of each nation and culture.

It is precisely this diversity that has contributed to its success as an economic body.
The Asian region is a thriving place of commerce, and looks poised to increase its
scale of economic activity greatly over the next few decades as its economies mature.
In tandem with this, however, it is becoming increasingly clear that as development
revs up, the integrity of the environment and its protection has to be factored into the
developmental quotient, or risk incurring an ecological debt that places the quality of
human life and the needs of subsequent generations at grave peril. There needs to be
a consolidated effort to confront the environmental issues that are plaguing societies,
particularly in this sphere of the world.

The diversity that characterizes the Asian body makes it certain that there can be no
one common model of development and no one common solution to the
environmental problems, just some common problems, and above all, the common
need to tackle these issues for posterity. Where recognition of this need has lagged
behind, it is timely to address this, and develop a common platform whereby there can
be conducive discussion and sharing on the steps forward, with regard to guiding
principles that should underlie policy adoptions and institutional framework
adjustments.
Hence, this is a first step towards crystallizing the solidarity of the Asian body,
driven by Asian youth, to embrace a more inclusive and participatory medium of
exchange. This paper embodies the shared determination of all Asian youth to tackle
the particular issues that are facing their countries and the region; in this paper the
solidarity of Asian youth is displayed, as well as the strength of voice that comes from
consensus reached and common goals shared over the course of the World Leadership
Conference 2009.

Looking ahead, youths can expect to take back this paper to their respective countries,
acting as pivot points for their respective countries by spearheading local initiatives
on the ground where they can, or by submitting this paper to government officials to
share the outcomes of the World Leadership Conference so that the importance of
environmental leadership is reinforced. Furthermore, by catalyzing discussion and
action in society, this can be a forerunner of many more transnational dealings that
will enhance the adoption of best practices and pave the way for further solutions.

Introduction of the document

The conference was marked by the adoption of 6 thematic approaches for further
discussion and analysis, with invited experts in the areas chosen giving talks about the
complexities each issue entailed, and carefully chosen site visits that concur with
these issues and enabling a more holistic discussion and enriching conference.

Keeping in mind the unique characteristics that define the region, the choice of the
topics of waste management and resource depletion seeks to meet the need for
more considered use of environmental resources even as society’s escalating demands
continue to accentuate the need to draw upon available raw materials. These two
topics aim to close the feedback loop, from reducing consumption, to reducing waste
production and enhancing the proper handling of waste to maximize their uses and
exemplify the “cradle-to-cradle” concept.

Hand-in-hand with this is the nascent field of green technology, a widely-

encompassing term that promises to deliver unprecedented benefits to society in
mitigating existing crises and extracting a maximum amount of benefit from the
constrained environment and resource situation. In fact, the choice also of alternative
energy sources as another topic seeks to be complementary both to the idea of green
technology as well as to the emergent efforts made globally to develop new energy
sources and increase their uptake as viable alternatives to the present reliance on fossil
fuels.

Lastly, to make the connections between industry and society, the choice of the final
two topics of environmental law, as well as education and environmental
awareness, will tie up seamlessly with the other themes, as they involve ensuring that
enhanced methods and technologies are complemented by more supportive and
nuanced attitudes towards environmentalism and conservation from the population.
Environmental law is a crucial aspect of harnessing the improved technologies and
methods by laying down a favourable framework of regulations and policies, while
education and environmental awareness promotes greater understanding and a more
favourable mindset towards conservation.