Mr Chair,
The Netherlands attaches great importance to a broad participation and
involvement of all stakeholders in the process of CSD 16 and 17. Their
involvement is a necessity to ensure successful sustainable development. The
major groups have a crucial role in sharing their experiences at the grassroots
level and assisting us in compiling recommendations for further action. The
mutual responsibility of all stakeholders, i.e. civil society, businesses and
governments is essential to ensure good governance also in relation to
sustainable development.
In this context The Netherlands undertakes several initiatives to stimulate
innovation as regards sustainable agriculture and rural development. An example
I would like to highlight is "TransForum", a programme in which several
stakeholders cooperate in developing innovations for sustainable agriculture, i.e.
new combinations of sustainable economic chains and new combinations of
activities for vital rural areas.
Secondly, I would like to draw your attention to a very important group of
stakeholders: our future generation. We should be aware that the youth are the
current and future producers, consumers and leaders. Creating awareness
amongst today's youngsters on the issue of sustainable development is therefore
highly important and not only a matter of formal education. Several projects and
programmes in the Netherlands are designed to raise young people's awareness
and share experiences about concrete action to promote sustainable
development. One example is the project "Peer Education" of the National Youth
Council of the Netherlands, where a team of youngsters provide training and
internet support on this topic for the youth and youth organisations. The central
slogan is "The youth learns from the youth."
Finally, we would like to ask the major groups their view on the following
questions:
. What are the main obstacles and challenges for fostering partnerships
between stakeholders?
. What are your experiences and suggestions for improving the involvement
of young generations in sustainability issues?
Thank you Mr Chair.
