HOHHOT, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- An initiative calling on global youth to combat desertification was adopted Friday in north China.
Global Youth Initiative for Combating Desertification was adopted at the Youth Forum of the United Nations desertification conference in Ordos City, in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
The initiative defined young people's specific responsibilities and proposed strengthening young people's engagement in combatting desertification.
"We are the new forces to drive change with fresh ideas, innovative technology, inventive methods and means that can eradicate poverty and pave the way to a new sustainable economy," said the initiative.
It also suggested that young people should join online and offline platforms for national and international dialogue, consultations, social media campaigns and volunteering in supporting land degradation neutrality.
The one-day forum was held during the 13th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 13) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) that opened on Wednesday.
Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary of the UNCCD, said that young people will be the next generation in combatting desertification, which takes courage, hard work and vision.
Youth representatives from 25 countries and more than ten international organizations discussed about the challenges and opportunities of young people engaging in sustainable land management.
"Young people should work with each other from different organizations and projects, and integrate desertification work with climate change and biodiversity," said Lorena Terrazas from Bolivia.
Oliver Gardner from Britain, suggested that good story-telling is needed to get young people in non-affected countries interested.
The UN desertification conference will last about two weeks, and its main task is to seek solutions for the UN sustainable goal of "achieving a land degradation neural world by 2030" and to develop a new UNCCD strategy framework for the 2018-2030 period.
