Youths from seven Association of South East Asian countries (ASEAN) who recently participated in the Regional River Watch and Children’s Ecological Rights Forum have agreed to establish a regional river watch network.
The forum was held at Prey Korki Biodiversity Resource Centre in Svay Rieng town in Cambodia from 1 to 3 December.
Saw Htoo Htoo Sting from the Karen Rivers Watch told KIC News that youths from Burma, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, and Vietnam participated in the forum and established a network amongst themselves to enable a better exchange of information between the countries.
He said: “They believe that there is lack of youth participation in river watch issues. The youths who attended the forum established a new network to better cooperate in exchanging information through the internet for issues on the Salween River and the Mekong River.”
He also said that the youths agreed to submit statements about biodiversity issues on the Salween and Mekong rivers to the ASEAN chair via the youth network.
During the forum representatives of river watch groups from seven countries explained the work they are doing and discussed how children’s rights are impacted by biodiversity loss.
Over 60 representatives attended the forum including university, high school, and middle school students from river watch groups, local non-governmental organisations, and experts from Germany.
This is the first time the Regional River Watch and Children’s Ecological Rights Forum has been held. The second forum will be held in the Philippines in 2017.
Reporting by Sa Isue for KIC News
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
