UNEP elects UAE national from KHDA as member of its Youth Advisory Council

Tunza is a global youth forum of UNEP that brings together young environmentalists from all over the world to share their experiences on the environment.

KHDA is committed to environmental related issues, which is evident from its environmental commitment in its upcoming plans. Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of KHDA said, "The success of one of our young nationals in the environmental field on an international level should serve as an impetus to all UAE nationals and residents. This is proof that today's youth entering the environmental arena can be involved at an international level. We encourage our youth to be involved in the sustainable development plan - a key pillar of the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 - and build their future, Dubai's future."

Jamal Al Falasi, 20, the Environment Awareness Officer at KHDA was exuberant and elated as spoke about his new role at the Youth Advisory Council of Tunza. "The UNEP TUNZA program of 2007 was a very interesting experience. I enjoyed working with people from all parts of the world. Being elected as the UNEP youth representative of West Asia is both flattering and honorable at once. I am ready to step up to the role," he said.

Al Falasi was elected to the council with the highest number of votes for the West Asia region. During the two-year mandate, which ends at the next Tunza International Youth Conference, Al Falasi, as part of the Council, will advise UNEP on better ways of engaging young people in their work, represent their peers in international environmental fora and increase youth involvement in UNEP's work by informing young people in their regions about UNEP's programmes for youth.

The Tunza International Youth Conference is held bi-annually where 12 members are elected from the six UNEP regions (two from each region) covering the world. Al Falasi was one of the two representatives chosen to represent West Asia. Al Falasi is an activist for environmental issues and combines practice at KHDA with academia at University of Sharjah where he majors in environmental studies.

For some months now, KHDA's Environment Education team has been instrumental in raising awareness about environmental related issues in-house. Additionally, the team is committed to achieving the environmental related aspects of DSP 2015 by adopting several environmental initiatives and encouraging people to maintain a clean, safe, attractive and sustainable environment that matches the excellence standards of Dubai. It is also in the process of tying in environmental studies with the public schools in Dubai.

KHDA is the only organization in the region that has a membership at Task Force on Education for Sustainable Consumption and the International Task Force on Sustainable Lifestyles.
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