Youth Parliament Raising awareness of Youth about Sava River
As every year a number of significant events have been planned for the celebration of the International Day of the Sava River (1st of June), including 3rd Youth parliament among others. Due to tragic floods which happened in May in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia the International Sava River Basin Commission, as a main initiator of the celebration, has to cancel or postpone all of the events. Although we are witnessing new huge floods these days it has been decided to organize the 3rd Youth Parliament aiming to raise ecological awareness of the youth in connection with the Sava river basin.
The Youth Parliamnet 2014 was held on Friday 19 and Saturday 20, September at the Biotechnical Educational Centre Ljubljana (www.bic-lj.si). About 60 students and professors from 8 schools from Bosnia and Herzegovina (Secondary school Ivan Goran Kovačić- Kiseljak, Secondary technical school Gradiška, Medical school-Bihać) Croatia Secondary school Tine Ujevića- Kutina, Commercial school-Čakovec), Serbia (Secondary touristic school Belgrade) and Slovenia (High school Kranj, Secondary school Črnomelj) participated. The participants considered the possibilities of water use and exploitation, water and aquatic eco-system protection in the Sava river basin as well as the importance of transboundary cooperation in this regard. Special attention was paid to the flood protection. The students presented cartoon scenarios which had been produced for the competition entitled “Water in the Sava River Basin- development and Protection” within the „H2Ooooh“ project sponsored by UNESCO Venice Office.
During the event following activities were performed:
- Hiking tour „Recognize the Ljubljanica River“;
- Voting of the Youth Parliament bodies according to the Statute;
- Presentation of cartoons;
- Debate in English on water development and Protection.
As a reward at the end of the event the participants were invited to the boat trip along the Ljubljanica river.
This year Youth Parliament was sponsored by UNDP BiH, Companies Coca-Cola HBC for Slovenija, Croatia and Serbia and Municipality of Ljubljana. All additional information are available at the web site of the Sava Commission (http://www.savacommission.org/).
The organizers of the Youth Parliament are Sava Commission as international institution which coordinates efforts of the Parties to The Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin regarding protection and development of the Sava river basin and LUTRA, Institute for natural heritage conservation (http://lutra.si).
Contact person for additional information:
Dr. Dejan Komatina, Secretary
International Sava River Basin Commission
phone: + 385 1 455 6961
e-mail: dkomatina@savacommission.org
