Agenda 21 makes it clear that young people are major stakeholders and should be involved in designing and implementing appropriate environmental policies (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development [UNCED] 1992). In light of this, the United Nations has had a long-standing recognition that youth imagination, ideals, and energies are critical to fostering sustainable development. Because sustainability is anchored in good policies, youth must be involved in policy processes from conception to implementation. Such youth participation is critical because the extent to which policy affects youth capabilities will impact their current and future employment prospects. In this regard, policy that safeguards green jobs is quite critical for the wellbeing of African youth and should be rooted in sufficient data (United Nations 2007).


The Rio+20 Conference further reaffirmed that policy implementation requires the active participation of youth from local communities. Moreover, it is critical for African countries to implement green economy policies that result in increased youth employment (United Nations 2012). It is, however, incumbent on young people to keep investing in self-organisation that will enable them to contribute optimally towards policy implementation (UNEP 2014). Youth contribution should also be supported by good governance that drives stakeholder engagement and ensures successful policy implementation (UNEP 2019b). In order to hold policymakers accountable, youth can use their demographic dominance to ensure that political considerations do not push policymakers to substitute effective policymaking with symbolic action (Howlett 2014).


While there are many success stories of youth action, there are still many young people that lack opportunities for success, as unemployment rates remain high in many African countries. The rate of unemployment amongst Africa’s youth is twice that of adults (AfDB 2016). Many of the unemployed are young African scientists yet it is they who are central to the continent's sustainable development quest because they are drivers of innovation and knowledge creation (Beaudry, Mouton and Prozesky 2018). These young scientists need to be empowered and placed in positions where they can contribute towards sustainability. They can conduct research that can be used to inform new policies and bridge existing gaps to ensure its effective implementation.


The beneficial impacts of enforcing environmental management and sustainability are not limited to the environment; they also positively impact the economy. For this reason, the concepts of the green and blue economy have been adopted in many countries to enhance the sustainable use of natural resources for economic growth. These two concepts encompass and address our interconnected systems. In order to ensure continuity in the future development of this process, young people need to be educated, trained, and involved at every level, including policymaking and implementation.


6.3 Bridging the divide between young scholars and environmental legislation


Environmental legislation is the legal framework by which natural resource extraction is governed (Yang and Percival 2009; Guruswamy and Leach 2012). Environmental legislation has become a crucial element of national and international legislation around the world, and is designed to guide the management of natural resources and enable conservation efforts (Kiss and Shelton 1994).


Young scholars are especially well-positioned to make significant contributions towards the legislation that arises from this agenda. They can do this by assisting in provision of the data necessary for policymaking (Crewe and Young 2002). Successful legislation implementation that places emphasis on young scholar’s capacity to provide research for future knowledge and development with input from the public can create positive impacts (Guruswamy and Leach 2012). Equally, quality research can yield relevant information that may be approved and implemented by decision makers (Court, Hovland and Young eds. 2005; Sawyerr 2004). Therefore, legislation outcomes based on research with quality information add value to legislation (Court, Hovland and Young eds. 2005). Additionally, data outcomes of practical research from young scholars can be communicated to decision makers and influence the implementation of legislation (Crewe and Young 2002).


A traditional dance of the Maasai Mara tribe that inhabits parts of Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania


69


Youth Potential for Green Policies


Mohamed Hazem Abd El-Aziz


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