CONFERENCES
Championing the youth’s sustainability initiatives in the 2024 UNAP Conference
NOVUS youth representatives attending the United Nations Association of the Philippines (UNAP) Triangular Conference 2024
August 26, 2024 • RACHELLE GARCIA AND ZAIRA PACASUM
Last August 12, NOVUS engaged in the United Nations Association of the Philippines (UNAP) Triangular Conference, hosted in the Philippine Senate in commemoration of World Indigenous Peoples Day, International Youth Day, and the anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
NOVUS representatives, Joaquin de Castro, Maya Belgica, Rheign Teodoro, and Qatrina Pedrezuela, participated in the various discussions on youth issues tackled by field experts. Here, they learned that the Philippines plans to take action in improving the sustainability and overall environment of the country as the nation’s leaders recognize its significance in the development of the community.
Senator Cynthia Villar highlighted Republic Act 11898, the Extended Producer Responsibility Act, which aims to promote awareness and encourage public participation on ecological waste management and resource economizing. Through this law, an environmental protection strategy wherein manufacturers take on the responsibility for the entire life cycle of their products is adapted. The Philippines’ framework entails product life expansion by improving designs to encourage the act of reusing, repairing, or recycling, instead of waste materials ending up in landfills.
The discussions also emphasized the importance of indigenous communities in pursuing sustainability initiatives, bringing to light the issues they face and inspiring inclusive solutions for its mitigation and eradication. To the participants, these may seem to be just topics of discussion, but to the underprivileged people, these are their realities. Hence, the youth was reminded of their capacity to take steps forward and get work done.
However, the learning did not stop with these discussions. NOVUS representatives were also given the chance to connect with UNAP members and other youth organizations with their own advocacies. The flow and exchange of ideas and insights in this networking opportunity inspired NOVUS to broaden the fields wherein the youth can innovate to uplift others and their circumstances.
NOVUS representatives and Ysh Ventura during the Q&A section of the program
Global United Nations Youth Association of the Philippines (UNYAP) President Ysh Ventura, who invited NOVUS to the conference, elicited motivation amongst the participants with her words, “Nothing changes the fact that the youth are the inheritors of tomorrow. Engaging in conferences and experiences that expose you to such conversations help continue that spark of empowerment, keeping us informed and providing us with that platform to speak up and most importantly, to listen. Who else [will take action], if not us?"
She reminds the youth that the future of the world has no place for ignorance, especially if they want to address social issues adversely affecting the well-being of others. Afterall, she notes that the opposites of ignorance are knowledge and education, essential aspects of change.
This year’s UNAP conference undoubtedly celebrated advocacies and initiatives, paving the way for a new chapter in NOVUS wherein innovation will be harnessed to conquer even more real-world challenges that will lead the community towards a sustainable future.