The 6th Commonwealth Youth Forum which ended on Wednesday in Entebbe, Uganda, recommended the setting up of a separate global environmental body for member states.

The meeting attended by young participants from 48 Commonwealth member countries concluded that the body will oversee Commonwealth programmes and initiatives related to sustainable development and climate change.

If the Commonwealth member states take-up the idea, then the body will become second to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) that bonds together all countries in the world.

In a communiqué, participants appealed to their respective countries to adopt technologies and development processes geared towards fighting environmental degradation.

Rwanda, which was represented at the meeting, is the latest country to apply to join Commonwealth, a 53-member state grouping which is composed of the United Kingdom and former British colonies.

The meeting was one of the gatherings that took place in the Ugandan capital ahead of the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (Chogm) which opened yesterday in Kampala.

The biennial meeting was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the queen of Britain and 16 former British colonies.

The youths’ forum was addressed by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and the Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, Dr. Mark Collins.

"The climate is constantly changing but we are particularly concerned by recent acceleration in greenhouse gas emissions. But some governments continue to fail to react adequately to such warnings” the communiqué reads in part.

The youths cautioned that development and prosperity in the industrialised countries of the Commonwealth should not be at the expense of developing countries.

Developed countries should act on existing policies that recognise the principles of their differentiated responsibility, they urged.

The foreign aid and direct investment should be directed at infrastructure projects that promote sustainable development, reflecting the needs of recipient countries as defined by such recipient countries.

The forum was held under theme ‘breaking barriers: unleashing young people’s potential for development’.

Their recommendations were due to be presented to Chogm.

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