Pacific Future Environment Leaders gather in Samoa for skills building workshop
Participants of the Pacific Future Environment Leaders Forum in Samoa
The Forum was officially opened by the Samoan Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment, Faumuina Liuga, yesterday morning at the SPREP Secretariat.
The Future Leaders Forum is a leadership programme designed to build the skills of young people working in the environment sector across the Pacific. The delegates were selected by Pacific island countries and territories based on their leadership potential, enthusiasm and commitment to promote environment issues within their communities.
The Forum will focus on environmental leadership, and the personal and professional attributes required to become an effective leader in the Pacific.
The Director of the SPREP, Mr Asterio Takesy, believes the Forum will provide the participants with the relevant skills, motivation and impetus to implement activities within their own communities.
"Within a climate of global change, we must look forward to the future policy makers, community workers, and youth leaders who will be responsible for implementing environmental initiatives in their communities," Mr Takesy said.
The delegates include representatives from government ministries, NGOs, and the University of South Pacific in Suva. A To'abaita youth, Mr Wilfred Atomea is the only Solomon Islander who is part of the ten member delegation representing the USP in Suva.
The Forum is funded by the Regional Office of Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Regional Director of ROAP-UNEP, Mr Surendra Shrestha, is in Apia this week to attend the Forum.
Source: SPREP
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