Living in Peru : your everyday companion

APEC Youth Camp Delegates, who met from October 1 to 6 in Puno, read a Joint Declaration on the matters discussed in its theme: “Caring for the Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific region”, which they commit to: Respect water and to be supportive of both cultural and technological innovations towards an improvement of water usage, create a water-conservation attitude through the use of information and education of individuals, promote involvement in the Water Culture; in other words, to make governments, the private sector, and individuals aware of their contribution to improve practices and habits related to water, add up their knowledge through multidisciplinary cooperation.  This will develop a sustainable and integrated water culture from different perspectives, involving people with a common goal, attitude and action for the future.

Delegates prepared a 4-page document after group meetings and the creation of a Final Draft Preparation Committee, with the participation of the representatives from the three topics discussed: Climate Change, Water Pollution and Water Culture. Declaration on Sustainable development reflects the growing concern among Leaders and APEC Economies Youth regarding the proper use of natural resources and how these impact daily life activities along all 21 Member Economies. “As a result of meeting in Puno at Lake Titicaca – reads the document – we were able to observe that the issues related to the care of the lake are common to many water problems that exist in our economies.”
 
On this document, APEC Youth Camp 2008 delegates also ask APEC leaders to consider their ideas and to provide opportunities for youth worldwide to participate in environmental action projects, which work towards sustainable development, in order to help them develop the skills needed to address complex social, economic, and environmental challenges.

The Declaration has two recommendations. Regarding Climate Change, they recommend developed economies to invest more in green technologies that may be easily accessible to other developed and developing economies, as well as to their own market. Also, there is a need to make campaigns to create awareness among people; they should focus on specific topics that can be immediately recognized in their everyday life.  It also requests the private sector and civil society to play a more critical role by practicing social responsibility.

Regarding Water Pollution, the Declaration recommends implementing sustained educational campaigns so that all citizens may become aware of the causes and consequences of water pollution; proactively identifying polluted water resources with the aim of restoration; promoting sustainable economic practices by establishing regulatory standards for run-off, pollutants, and discharge.

Among other important points, the declaration also addresses Water Culture. APEC young delegates recommend creating governmental incentives for people that appropriately uses water resources; and acknowledge communication as a key factor for Water culture.  This campaign should involve different levels of participation: governmental, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses, and individuals.

APEC Delegates emphatically noted that APEC Youth Camp was really important and that, in particular, their experiences in Puno were very enriching. They finally thanked the hospitality of the people from Puno. They highlighted the value hydro resources from Puno, represented by Titicaca Lake. The next APEC Youth Camp will be held in Singapore in 2009.

News Source: APEC Peru