The 19th session of the Youth Parliament to the Alpine Convention (YPAC) took place in Rosenheim, Germany, from 10-14 March. The Rosenheim YPAC was already planned for 2020 but unfortunately had to be cancelled due to the global pandemic.
Young people from ten schools from the Alpine region came together to discuss sustainable life in the Alps with a focus on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The young delegates from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, and Switzerland received inputs from various experts and consulted with local and regional politicians on the feasibility and formulation of their ideas.
In each of the four sub-committees, the pupils dived deeper into one of four SDGs and their specific relevance for the Alpine region: Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), and Life on Land (SDG 15). Pupils also went on an ‘SDG Rally’ in the city, completing tasks and learning about the implementation of the SDGs in practice. During a concluding excursion they got to experience the importance of peatlands for reaching multiple SDG goals.
On the final day, the young delegates travelled to Munich to the Bavarian State Parliament for the General Assembly where they presented their ideas to the other pupils and voted on them. Based on these decisions and discussions, the final resolution was formulated with its five postulates about sustainable life in the Alpine region.
The YPAC session was not only dedicated to sustainability in terms of its theme, but also in its implementation: for the first time, the Youth Parliament applied for and received the ‘Alpine Convention Green Event’ label.
“It is always a pleasure to see so many passionate and innovative young minds from across the Alps gathering at the Youth Parliament. YPAC is much more than just a meeting of young people — it is an important platform where committed youth from the Alpine countries come together to address the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow.” – Alenka Smerkolj, Secretary General of the Alpine Convention