Yugratna, 13, addresses world leaders
September 23 2009
A 13-year-old girl from Lucknow made history today by being the first Indian of her age to address world leaders at the United Nations, including US President Barack Obama.
Speaking on behalf of the world’s three billion children, Yugratna Srivastav asked world leaders at the United Nations summit on climate change for urgent action on climate change.
“I am so much concerned about climate change because I don’t want our future generations to question us just as I am questioning the need of more concrete action on climate change today,” Yugratna said at the summit.
“The Himalayas are melting, polar bears are dying, two of every five people don’t have access to clean drinking water, Earth’s temperature is increasing, we are losing the untapped information and potential of plant species, Pacific’s water level has risen; is this what we are going to hand over to our future generations?
“Please . . . no.”
"It was a very great experience for me because now actually I feel I'm one in a million who gets an opportunity to speak. I also met several heads of state and I was sitting next to Al Gore," said Yugratna to CNN-IBN after her speech.
"World leaders must recognise the energy and potential which lies in children and youth. This age group is just like flowing rivers and they make their own way in the direction in which they march," said Yugratna, a lively, committed and very passionate teenager.
Yugratna became sensitised to environmental protection in Grade 6 in St. Francis School in Shamli, India. It was there that she joined "Tarumitra" (Friends of Trees).
The non-governmental organization works hard to stop the felling of trees and forests, builds roadside gardens and cleans up garbage dumps, among other activities.
The ninth grader from St Fidelis College spoke at the high-level summit convened by the UN chief Ban Ki-moon. India was represented by Foreign Minister S M Krishna and Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.
The summit is being held to mobilise political will ahead of the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December, which is expected to yield a climate treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
“We need to call for an action now. We have to protect the earth not just for us but for our future generations,” Yugratna told an audience which included Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
“If not here then where, if not now then when and if not us then who?” she asked.
The student from Lucknow is also on the youth advisory board of United Nations Environment Programme’s youth organisation called ‘Tunza ‘(to nurture).
Noting that climate change knew no political or geographical boundaries she said, “When you all make policies sitting in air conditioned rooms, please think of a child suffering in greenhouse heat and think of the species craving to survive.
“Mahatma Gandhi said Earth has enough to satisfy everyone’s need but no one’s greed,” she concluded.
A 13-year-old girl from Lucknow made history today by being the first Indian of her age to address world leaders at the United Nations, including US President Barack Obama.
Speaking on behalf of the world’s three billion children, Yugratna Srivastav asked world leaders at the United Nations...
A 13-year-old girl from Lucknow made history today by being the first Indian of her age to address world leaders at the United Nations, including US President Barack Obama.
Speaking on behalf of the world’s three billion children, Yugratna Srivastav asked world leaders at the United Nations summit on climate change for urgent action on climate change.
“I am so much concerned about climate change because I don’t want our future generations to question us just as I am questioning the need of more concrete action on climate change today,” Yugratna said at the summit.
“The Himalayas are melting, polar bears are dying, two of every five people don’t have access to clean drinking water, Earth’s temperature is increasing, we are losing the untapped information and potential of plant species, Pacific’s water level has risen; is this what we are going to hand over to our future generations?
“Please . . . no.”
"It was a very great experience for me because now actually I feel I'm one in a million who gets an opportunity to speak. I also met several heads of state and I was sitting next to Al Gore," said Yugratna to CNN-IBN after her speech.
"World leaders must recognise the energy and potential which lies in children and youth. This age group is just like flowing rivers and they make their own way in the direction in which they march," said Yugratna, a lively, committed and very passionate teenager.
Yugratna became sensitised to environmental protection in Grade 6 in St. Francis School in Shamli, India. It was there that she joined "Tarumitra" (Friends of Trees).
The non-governmental organization works hard to stop the felling of trees and forests, builds roadside gardens and cleans up garbage dumps, among other activities.
The ninth grader from St Fidelis College spoke at the high-level summit convened by the UN chief Ban Ki-moon. India was represented by Foreign Minister S M Krishna and Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.
The summit is being held to mobilise political will ahead of the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December, which is expected to yield a climate treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
“We need to call for an action now. We have to protect the earth not just for us but for our future generations,” Yugratna told an audience which included Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
“If not here then where, if not now then when and if not us then who?” she asked.
The student from Lucknow is also on the youth advisory board of United Nations Environment Programme’s youth organisation called ‘Tunza ‘(to nurture).
Noting that climate change knew no political or geographical boundaries she said, “When you all make policies sitting in air conditioned rooms, please think of a child suffering in greenhouse heat and think of the species craving to survive.
“Mahatma Gandhi said Earth has enough to satisfy everyone’s need but no one’s greed,” she concluded.
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