Local Youth Environment Assembly – India, 2022

As the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) gears up for the upcoming United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), UNEP@50, and Stockholm + 50, the Children and Youth Major Group of UNEP has invited young people and youth organisations worldwide to be part of a global youth mobilisation. Organisations, groups, and individuals have been asked to engage in the preparatory process for UNEA through virtual consultations called Local Youth Environment Assemblies (LYEAs). Run by youth for youth, LYEAs empower young people to act on environmental governance and conservation in locally relevant ways so their voices can feed directly into UNEP and UNEA processes.

The Brahma Kumaris and Enact Earth Foundation have been selected to organise a virtual LYEA for Indian youth. Our goal is to create a space where young people can come together to explore practical, sustainable solutions for a prosperous future. Expert speakers will guide participants on the chosen themes and share first-hand experiences of taking action on environmental governance, conservation, and sustainability. Insights gathered during this LYEA will be consolidated into an output document that feeds into the Global YEA and, ultimately, the UNEA.

LYEAs spring from, benefit, and strengthen communities of young people working together for the environment. In keeping with our long-standing mission to help individuals, organisations, and governments explore the deeper connections between consciousness, environment, and climate change, we welcome youth from urban and rural India—including marginalised communities and young people with special needs—to engage and contribute to shaping a better future.

General Objective of Local Youth Environment Assembly

The LYEA educates, builds knowledge, and deepens understanding among national and regional youth on environmental governance, conservation, sustainable development, and the United Nations system—especially UNEP and UNEA processes—while empowering them to participate effectively by:

1. Developing youth positions on environmental governance and conservation issues relevant to the country or region. These positions feed directly into the Global YEA and become part of GCYE inputs to annual UNEAs, spreading youth perspectives worldwide.
2. Providing the space and programming needed for participants to prepare for and engage in UNEA, while gaining deeper knowledge of UNEP.
3. Distinguishing an LYEA from other youth-led environmental or climate conferences by making preparation for UNEA its primary purpose.