Youth Policy Paper for Stockholm+50

We mark 50 years since the first “United Nations Conference on Human Environment,” was organized in Stockholm, Sweden in 1972. This provides an opportunity to reflect on the highlights, successes and lessons learned in the past 50 years and also signify the urgency of progress and action needed to combat the planetary crisis facing the world today.

Young people comprise over 40 per cent of the global population and the hosts of Stockholm+50 have expressed the intention of engaging young people meaningfully as a core priority in the process of Stockholm+50. Future generations will be most impacted by the challenges we face today; thereby it is pertinent to ensure that perspectives of children and youth are reflected in the highest levels of decision-making; and the collaboration with them reflects youth co-leadership, acting in the spirit of With and For Young People.

The Nordic and Baltic youth came together in consultations to express their deep concern regarding the current state of our home – Planet Earth, which is the result of the previous and current mishandling of the global environment by the people in power. This policy paper outlines our vision for the road ahead and the steps required to achieve it. The paper also addresses what young people think in regards to the responsibility for the Nordic and Baltic region.

The first official demand for the Nordic and Baltic policy paper is to stand behind the demands from the Global Youth Position Paper for Stockholm+50, which has been developed from global consultations conducted by the Stockholm+50 Youth Task Force.