APEC Youth Camp 2008
From APEC HRDWG Wiki
Contents |
Caring for the Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific Region
Overview
The delegates of APEC Youth Camp 2008 visited Puno, Peru on the shores of Lake Titicaca between 1 October 2008 and 6 October 2008 and made several trips for field work, which included visits to the Uros Islands, Taquile Island, Sillustani, and the University of Altiplano. On these trips delegates were able to gain firsthand experience with the methods for sanitation, the extent of pollution, and the role of tourism in the economy.
The delegates participated in sessions that provided background on local culture, global water resources, and the pollution problems of Lake Titicaca specifically. Small group discussion sessions also allowed delegates to share their experiences with water pollution, climate change, and water culture in their home countries. These discussions provided the framework for the youth declaration.
The Peruvian hosts also organized informative speakers and exciting cultural performances showcasing Puno's cultural heritage and went out of their way to ensure that all of the delegates were comfortable and well-cared for during the APEC Youth Camp.
Participants
Delegates to the 2008 Youth Camp represented 15 of the 21 APEC Member Economies, including Canada; Chile; the People's Republic of China; Indonesia; the Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; Peru; the Philippines; the Russian Federation; Republic of Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Kingdom of Thailand; the United States of America; and Viet Nam.
Key Topics
The delegates focused mainly on drafting their documents and engaging each other in discussion in three different groups: Climate Change, Water Pollution, and Water Culture. However, prior to the small discussion groups and the drafting of the document there were several presentations. These presentations varied from introductory messages from APEC officials, such as that of the SOM Chair Gonzalo Gutierrez Reinel on Peru's priorities in the forum, to a presentation by Peruvian entrepreneur Eduardo Nycander on examples of a successful business model for ecotourism.
Other presenters included the APEC Senior Official for Peru, the APEC Secretariat, Pia Maria Zevallos on climate change and its relation to water resources, German Espinoza on Lake Titicaca's bio-indicators, Eduardo Moreno on water pollution, Mourik Bueno on water culture, and many others Presentations took place at the Hotel Libertador and at the University of Altiplano in Puno, as well as at the Hotel Faraona in Lima.
Presentations were also given by the three recipients of the Best Essay Awards for the conference. Two US Delegates, Nicole Ceci and Marcus Taylor, were selected for this honor, and each presented to the delegates on their papers. Cheng Yuh Suan of Chinese Taipei was the other presenting award recipient. The presentations were focused on relating the essays to the theme of APEC, and also on their applicability to all of the APEC member economies. In this capacity they functioned as a segue into the small group discussions where delegates formed the framework for their final declaration, which can be found linked in the table at the bottom of this page.
Small Group Discussions
The small group discussions were all very successful in authoring the statements that would later be transferred to the Youth Declaration. Delegates were divided into three groups focusing on the key topics of: climate change, water pollution, and water culture. The APEC organizing committee made efforts to place one representative from each member economy in each group to ensure equal representation. Each group authored both a series of observations in reference to society and their topic, as well as a list of recommendations. These observations and recommendations varied along the spectrum of broad to narrow, and were agreed upon by all members of that group. The groups' products were then transferred to a master document, which was edited line-by-line by a forum including every delegate to the conference with the EDNET Focal Point for Chile, Ana Maria Quiroz, acting as a source of advice when needed.
Climate Change
In the climate change group, the delegates discussed the current actions being taken to mitigate climate change as well as the barriers being faced and the potential steps to be taken in the future. While drafting ideas to be included in the document, students discussed many cultural trends regarding climate change and water resources, what specific governments are doing, and what they could be doing. The group was facilitated by two Peruvians, but the main content of the discussions was input from delegates from the different member economies.
Water Pollution
The water pollution discussion group chose to structure their brainstorming between three categories of water pollution sources: agricultural run-off and drift, industrial on and off site by-products, and residential wastewater from all domestic sources. Delegates from each APEC Member Economy had different personal experiences with these three sources, and the group quickly realized that each region has their greatest concerns about different sources. The greatest challenge for constructing this portion of the document, and probably for the other two as well, came from the fact that while the document represents every member economy present, it does not represent any one perfectly. The water pollution group created a list of observations and recommendations that is universal for the 15 economies present, but it subdues issues that may be specifically vital to the United States' water quality, while placing those issues on the same level of importance with issues that may not be such a large problem in the US. Overall statements that every delegate could agree on as being of the utmost importance across economies were that water quality is being degraded in many communities, and that there are many responsible parties that may need assistance to take action to correct their polluting.
Water Culture
The water pollution discussion group discussed how countries can work on integrating a respect for water in with the local culture. This starts with educating people about how much water quality has degraded and that many places do not have a suitable source of clean drinking water. This education should also teach and encourage people to practice water conservation in order to make a scarce resource more available. Technology and water treatment are not the only solutions to providing clean water, people also need to be aware of how their actions affect water cleanliness and availability. The group, also felt that water availability within a region is restricted by both natural and socio-economic factors and that water can be a disproportionately added expense to people with a low income.
As a group, they decided that several recommendations should be made to support the development of a water culture. There should be different levels of participation from the Government and businesses to individuals. Economies should be encouraged to adopt or strengthen the usage of a green Net National Product to measure their growth and the Government should provide incentives for people that appropriately use the available water resources.
Challenges
The youth delegates represented a diverse group of people from fifteen economies around the Pacific Rim. Everyone spoke at least one common language, English, but there were still many times when communication barriers arose. Besides communication, there were also differences in opinions as to what should be included in the final youth declaration. Some delegates were divided as to the appropriate roles and responsibilities of governments and citizens, largely due to the diverse cultural backgrounds represented there. The final declaration was accepted unanimously by the entire youth delegation, but there were many long hours of discussions to ensure complete cultural sensitivity beforehand.
Outcomes
There were three main outcomes to our time at the APEC Youth Camp in Puno, Peru. Firstly, all parties involved became familiar with the region of Puno, learning about the modern challenges of pollution and poverty, as well as the ancient mythology. Secondly, there were lasting friendships forged among the delegates from all of the Asia-Pacific economies. This led to many interesting discussions about individuals' particular customs and beliefs. Lastly, this cultural exchange allowed the delegates to work together in a multicultural team to produce the final document, the youth declaration. It was a challenge to complete the document to everyone's specifications, but the goal was accomplished and everyone managed to account for all the cultural nuances represented in the distinct member economies.
Videos
Credits: Omar Terrones, Katherine Subirana
| Arrival of the delegates in Juliaca, Peru | |
| The delegation visits the Uros Islands | |
| The delegation visits Taquile Island |
Resources
