The participants of the international camp for young ecologists in Gabala have adopted the final declaration.

The international camp for young ecologists, held under the motto “The Role of Youth in Environmental Governance: Today and Tomorrow” and organized by the IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Protection) campaign in Gabala, concluded on November 26.

On the second day, the international camp continued its work through section meetings.

In the first section meeting on “The Impact of Climate Change on Youth,” moderated by Jerome Clayton Glenn, Director of the Millennium Project, presentations were delivered by Thomas Skade from Germany’s Freie Universität and Hesham Mohammed Al-Roubi, President of Egypt’s “ETIJAH” Youth Institute.

In the second section meeting on “Efficient Use of Energy Resources,” moderated by Omar Farooq, Director of the United Kingdom’s “EcoMuslim” organization, speeches were given by Alexander Averchenkov, Chief Advisor of the UN Development Programme’s office in Russia, and Veneta Triffonova from Bulgaria’s Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.

The third section meeting on “Development of Innovative Technologies,” moderated by Tristan Azbej, Environmental Advisor of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz–KDNP party, featured presentations by Behrooz Abdolvand, representative of the Freie Universität’s Caspian Region Research Center, and Rainer Vakra, member of the Estonian Parliament.

In all three panel sessions, the presentations were accompanied by engaging visual materials, discussions on the topics took place, and questions from young ecologists were answered.

Speakers also discussed the significance of the international camp for young ecologists under the motto “The Role of Youth in Environmental Governance: Today and Tomorrow,” emphasizing the importance of holding such events regularly to discuss ways of cooperating to address global environmental problems. They expressed gratitude to Leyla Aliyeva, founder of the IDEA campaign, for the high-level organization of the Gabala camp.

At the end of the international camp, the Gabala Declaration of Young Ecologists was adopted.

The declaration states: “We, the youth of 35 countries, are aware of the dangers of emerging environmental problems. We believe that current global economic models negatively affect the environment and destroy irreplaceable natural resources. We believe in the power of youth to create harmony with the global environment.”

In the declaration, young people call on all people and leaders around the world to adopt the following principles for a safe future: assume individual responsibility for arising problems; respect the right to live in a safe, lower-carbon world in the future; demand greater mutual understanding; ensure that youth voices are heard; uphold personal commitment.

It should be recalled that the camp, attended by over 100 young ecologists from 35 countries, aimed to contribute to building professional connections through cooperation and organization among various emerging ecological groups and movements in the region and worldwide, ensure active participation of young ecologists in the public life of their regions, strengthen their role in their communities, and encourage youth to act as ambassadors in carrying out environmental awareness initiatives.