By Jeff Lipton
Meade, 18, a graduate of Clarke High School in Westbury and now a freshman at the University of Miami, took to the United Nations floor recently to present her ideas on sustainable development in countries such as Africa.
Meade was one of 19 young adults, ages 18 to 25, from across the U.S. representing SustainUS, a volunteer-driven national youth organization with the goal of empowering youth to create a more sustainable world. She was chosen to participate in the 16th U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development, which was held May 5-16 to review progress on agriculture, land use, rural development, drought and desertification, with a special emphasis on Africa.
SustainUS maintains that since young people have a vested interest in the future of the world they will inherit, it is important to allow them to voice their ideas on how to solve some of the problems different countries face.
Young people from all over the world, including Singapore, Africa and China, took part in the conference.
"It was great to see the U.N. firsthand and how it operated," said Meade. "It was an amazing experience to see everyone in one room, to see all different countries represented and hear all different languages. And many were not in their dress suits - they were in their traditional clothing."
The commission is a U.N. body charged with monitoring progress made by the world's governments in implementing sustainable development agreements, specifically those negotiated at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in 2002.
Meade and other youths took part to demonstrate that they have a unique perspective on and stake in such negotiations. The recommendations they make for a sustainable future should be considered and worked into the plans for implementation, according to SustainUS. Meade competed in a national process to be selected as an Agent of Change for
SustainUS, which brought the 19 youth delegates from all over America to the conference in New York.
"I got to sit next to the president of the World Bank and exchange some ideas with him," Meade said. "It was crazy."
She said she applied for the opportunity in March and was notified of her selection at the beginning of April. To prepare for the conference, she took part in conference calls once or twice a week with other members of the SustainUS delegation. They then broke into research teams, studying up on their area of expertise, such as solving agricultural problems and allocating financial resources for land management in Africa.
Meade said she has taken a lot of international relations courses in college, which helped her at the U.N.
"I'm glad I got to experience it at my age," Meade said. "This will allow me to study harder and work harder and try to make a difference."
Meade, who is studying ecosystem science and policy, economics and international studies, is passionate about all three subjects and hopes to extend her academic education into real life experiences through travel and internships. She is also involved in the sustainability roundtable at Miami.
She played an active role in the commission, drafting a statement on water and sanitation that was delivered on the floor of the U.N. These statements helped engage high-level U.S. government and international delegates. Meade also coordinated the extensive youth lobbying effort of other government delegates during the pivotal second week of the commission.
"Melissa was instrumental in her lobbying efforts," said Dominic MacCormack, a SustainUS policy coordinator, explaining that a total of 65 young adults from around the world took part in the conference, and that 50 young people from throughout the U.S. applied for the chance to attend.
"As we see it, the youth are the future, which we will be inheriting," said MacCormack. "We will not let important decisions be made without our input. For the decisions that are made today, they need to take us into account."
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