Contemporary video outlining the Conference
On 24-26 October 1995, the First United Nations International Children’s Conference on the Environment was held in Eastbourne, UK in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Tidy Britain. The conference, which was organised by the Junior Board at Drusillas Park and attended by 850 children from 80 different countries, aimed to increase awareness on environmental issues such as the excessive use of plastic, animal poaching and air pollution. This unique event hoped to give a platform to children who were able to share and develop their ideas and initiatives for improving the environment for future generations. The event was inspired by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, where the suggestion to include children and youth in the planning of policies regarding the environment was made.
The conference idea was also supported by Eastbourne Borough Council and East Sussex County Council, and by British Airways, who offered to sponsor the event. The airline flew 600 of the 800 children , half of whom came from beyond Europe, to the UK free of charge. The conference lasted a week, with the Junior Board playing a key role, working closely with organisers developing the programme as well as running workshops and study tours, and sourcing facilitators.
The conference delegates produced a list of 26 environmental challenges, which were presented to the UN and national governments around the world. Subsequent children’s conferences were held, with some of the earlier ones following Eastbourne being: Kenya - Nairobi in 1998, England in 2000 and Canada - Victoria in 2002.
Key players:
Michael and Kitty Ann - Former owners of Drusillas Park. The two were responsible for bringing children into the Junior Board of Directors of Drusillas Park which eventually became the board for the 1995 conference. They took the idea of the conference from the Junior Board and suggest it to the Eastbourne and County Councils.
‘Leave It To Us’ Junior Board - The Board, made up of fifteen ten-to-twelve year olds, included Russian, Chinese and Hungarian members living in the South-East of England. It was first set up at Drusillas by Michael and Kitty Ann who had strong beliefs that children should be able to voice their concerns and drew out ideas on the environment. The board met three times a year. As time went on more members joined to help the cause and eventually the concept of the conference was proposed. The idea went forward and the board helped to develop, discuss and organise the conference programme. The chairs of this Board were Debbie and Dermot, who went on to play a key role in the conference at Drusillas and were tasked with presenting the conference's challenges to the United Nations in New York.
Eastbourne Borough Council and East Sussex County Council - who facilitated the event. In recruiting British delegates for the event East Sussex County Council asked directors of education throughout the country to identify schools involved in relevant projects, Scouts, guides and other groups were also contacted.
British Airways - They were the main sponsor of the event that transported the children from all over the globe to one location. The airline made one of the toughest tasks achievable, bringing all the members together to create a conference that would have a significant impact.
The UN and national governments - On the final night of the conference Dermot and Danny, the chairs of the Junior Board, were presented with two Concorde tickets to New York where they presented the conference's findings and challenges to the United Nations. UNEP and national governments helped to find overseas delegates. The UK Secretary of State for the Environment at the time, John Gummer, also made a welcomed appearance.
Conference programme:
The conference included feature exhibitions from around the world on a wide range of conservation projects which were supported by organisations and companies that had an interest in environmental issues.
The mornings consisted of presentations made by the children devoted to: waste and recycling, wildlife in danger and sustainable development, climate, rural and city living.
The conference also included workshops each afternoon where the children had the opportunity to visit local sites of environmental importance or take part in drama, art and music groups exploring the concerns that had been raised by local delegates. They took part in walks and dynamic classes that introduced them to wildlife. Some of these workshops were run by local members of the community. The children had specialised lessons that were aimed at allowing them to express their ideas clearly and concisely. The conference aimed to turn the delegates into the most aware and articulate of their generation.
Legacy:
It was decided that in an attempt to ensure that the conference produced a practical impact every delegate would be asked to choose one of the projects exhibited at the conference to take back to their own country to start up themselves.
Before the children left the UK the delegates talked with the UK Environment Minister John Gummer about their concerns, and in a letter to the conference the then Prime Minister John Major said that “the children’s views would be of help in planning steps to protect the environment”.
The US Vice-President at the time Al Gore endorsed the conference with a letter of support saying “This Administration is determined to deal with the challenges that our global environment faces in the most sensible and effective ways possible. As participants in a conference on an international level, you are well aware that these changes must be addressed by people like you all over the world. Please be assured that environmental protection will continue to be a top priority of this administration. I hope you will continue to encourage others to learn more about the environment. Your efforts are essential to our success, and I look forward to working with you for the future of our planet”.
The event drew mass media attention from all over the globe. 65 members of the foreign press from 25 different countries descended on the conference. They were joined by 18 international film crews including CNN from the USA and CANAL J from France.
Once the conference ended media coverage continued with a 90 minute Japanese documentary on TV Man Union which documented the conference. South Africa also did a four part children’s series on the event.
The conference has left a substantial legacy in Australia. Both Alceum and Millennium Kids acknowledge the conference as their founding event.
There is a video of the conference on YouTube here.
Challenges:
The Challenges that the conference presented to the world were:
We challenge the airlines to use less packaging and to recycle plastic and materials that they use on flights and airplanes.
We challenge all governments of the world to spend a fair proportion of fuel tax on cycle lanes and cheaper means of transport.
We challenge shops in all countries of the world to follow the example of Malawi and to stop using plastic carrier bags by 1998, instead customers must bring their own bags.
We challenge the police to stop wrecking demonstrations.
We challenge all governments to make it easier to recycle all plastic and to encourage all manufacturers to cut down on unnecessary packaging.
We challenge the English Government to educate people to be more aware of insufficient recycling plants and to make recycling appeal to children through cartoons and advertising.
We challenge France to consider the world when they test their nuclear experiments.
We challenge governments to give every person in the world the opportunity to recycle by: having separate bins in the home provided by governments; More recycling facilities in public places; Being given education and information; Information on packaging advising disposal
We challenge the governments to put laws against animal poaching and to put severe punishment for it.
We challenge governments to use money from tourism to take care of wildlife areas and endangered species.
We challenge the government to grow special forests on already cleared land for paper etc. and to ban the import of rainforest timber for any purpose.
We challenge the governments of the world to listen to anti-whaling groups and to pass a sufficient law against whalers. To deter them from killing these beautiful creatures. If you have laws, enforce them and make punishments greater
We challenge all the pet shops to inspect customers’ homes and interview them before handing the animal over. If this does not happen the animal could be abused or even used for cosmetic testing.
We challenge the governments of the world to ban importation of endangered species and put some of their money and power into saving their habitats.
We challenge the governments of the world to introduce more severe laws and punishments to penalize those who hunt endangered species. Also to introduce a new kind of ranger with the rights to inspect, care and supervise the species.
We challenge the Brazilian government to encourage recycled material being used in construction.
We challenge all governments to provide cycle lanes on most routes to improve air quality, also companies to provide a bike or transport ticket instead of cars.
We challenge shops to only sell cigarettes to people with identification to prove their age and check on the shops with video equipment.
We challenge governments of each and every country to learn how to be friendly to the environment and to put their feelings into action by being environmentally friendly in every possible way.
We challenge the French government to stop testing nuclear bombs immediately. After all if it is not so dangerous why don’t they do it in their own back gardens? Also all countries of the world should put some of their time, money and effort into helping to stop these barbaric tests.
We challenge the governments of the world to promote environmentally friendly alternative technology like geo-thermal power. By doing this jobs are created which is good for economies everywhere.
We challenge the media to all get together and form a children's media network eg. give one paper a week to children to produce.
We challenge the BBC to set up an educational series of videos on the environment for school children.
We challenge developers and architects to design affordable housing powered by renewable energy sources.
We challenge governments to supply most primary and middle schools around the country with bins for recycling paper etc.
We challenge the UN to compel the governments to accept our challenges.