English Version :
Ekoskola students from different schools met Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise Miriam Dalli and Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) officials to present their recommendations on the National Strategy for the Environment 2050, which is currently open for public consultation.
ERA collaborated with EkoSkola, which is coordinated by Nature Trust – FEE Malta, to ensure that the team of experts drafting this critical document can listen to the voice of the children, our future generation, so that their concerns and aspirations are incorporated in this strategy as well.
During a meeting at the ERA offices, the students presented a selection of submissions from over 675 recommendations that fellow students participating in EkoSkola submitted to policy makers over the years. The recommendations were proposed by 1,862 students from 348 schools during 16 sessions of the Ekoskola Young People’s Summit, between 2009 and 2022.
Minister Miriam Dalli thanked Ekoskola for contributing to the development of this strategy, which will guide Malta’s policies and actions for the next three decades. “Today you are presenting your views as children, but soon you will be adults in different walks of life. You will be leading, implementing, and living the actions and benefits of this strategy. With this forward-looking vision in mind, your participation is very important to us. Your proposals are an eye-opener, ambitious but not impossible to achieve. We are committed to incorporate them in the strategy, so that in the coming years, we will make them happen together.”
The minister encouraged Ekoskola and ERA to turn this meeting into an annual appointment, inviting the students to meet again next year, to go over their proposals and assess their implementation, while discussing new ideas.
Since its launch in 2002, Ekoskola has been a front runner in providing opportunities for young people to voice their concerns about the country’s sustainability issues. “Ekoskola students have repeatedly called upon policy makers to implement policies that would augment quality of life by improving the quality of the environment in the Maltese Islands. Nature Trust, which runs this programme, is convinced that quality of life in Malta would be improved if young people’s voices are appreciated by policy makers”, the eNGO said.
When the National Strategy for the Environment public consultation was announced last summer, the organisation produced a children’s version of the strategy’s executive summary and distributed it to the Ekoskola students and educators, for their feedback.
The National Strategy for the Environment 2050 is derived from the ‘Wellbeing First Vision for Malta’s Environment 2050’, which was adopted in November 2020. It was drafted by ERA following an extensive consultation process with over 60 stakeholders, including policymakers, academics, the business community, and the voluntary sector.
Following requests from stakeholders, the public consultation on the National Strategy for the Environment will be extended until Friday, 4th November 2022. To read the strategy and submit your proposals, visit era.org.mt/nse2050.
Maltese Version :
Studenti ta’ Ekoskola jippreżentaw proposti ambjentali lill–ministru għall-ambjent
Studenti ta’ Ekoskola minn għadd ta’ skejjel iltaqgħu mal-Ministru għall-Ambjent, l-Enerġija u l-Intrapriża Miriam Dalli u ma’ uffiċjali tal-Awtorità għall-Ambjent u r-Riżorsi (ERA) sabiex jgħaddulhom il-proposti tagħhom dwar l-Istrateġija Nazzjonali għall-Ambjent 2050, li bħalissa tinsab miftuħa għall-konsultazzjoni.
L-ERA kkollaborat ma’ Ekoskola, li hija kkordinata minn Nature Trust – FEE Malta, sabiex tiżgura li t-tim ta’ esperti li qed ifassal dan id-dokument kruċjali jagħti widen lill-fehma tat-tfal, il-ġenerazzjoni tal-futur, ħalli t- tħassib u l-aspirazzjonijiet tagħhom jiddaħħlu f’din l-istrateġija wkoll.
Waqt il-laqgħa fl-uffiċċji tal-ERA, l-istudenti ppreżentaw għażla ta’ proposti minn fost 675 idea li huma, flimkien ma’ studenti oħrajn li jieħdu sehem f’Ekoskola, ippreżentaw lill-awtoritajiet matul is-snin. Ir- rakkomandazzjonijiet saru minn 1,862 student minn 348 skola waqt 16-il sessjoni tas-Summit taż-Żgħar, li Ekoskola ilha torganizza mill-2009.
Il-Ministru Miriam Dalli rringrazzjat lil Ekoskola għall-kontribut tagħha fl-iżvilupp ta’ din l-istrateġija, li se tiggwida l-politika u l-azzjonijiet ta’ Malta għat-30 sena li ġejjin. “Intom li llum qed tippreżentaw dawn il-fehmiet bħala tfal, ftit snin oħra ser tkunu adulti f’mixjiet differenti tal-ħajja. Ser tkunu qed tmexxu, twettqu u tgħixu l- inizjattivi u l-benefiċċji ta’ din l-istrateġija. F’din il-perspettiva li tħares lejn il-ġejjieni, is-sehem tagħkom huwa importanti ħafna għalina. Il-proposti tagħkom jagħtuna ħafna fuqhiex naħsbu. Proposti ambizzjużi, iżda mhux impossibbli. Aħna impenjati li ninkluduhom f’din l-istrateġija, ħalli fis-snin li ġejjin, inwettquhom flimkien.”
Il-ministru ħeġġet lil Ekoskola u lill-ERA sabiex din il-laqgħa ssir appuntament annwali, u stiednet lit-tfal jerġgħu jiltaqgħu is-sena d-dieħla, sabiex jevalwaw il-proposti u jaraw fhiex wasal it-twettiq tagħhom, filwaqt li jiddiskutu ideat ġodda.
Sa minn meta twaqqfet fl-2009, Ekoskola minn dejjem kienet minn ta’ quddiem biex tipprovdi opportunitajiet sabiex iż-żgħar iwasslu t-tħassib tagħhom dwar is-sostenibbiltà f’pajjiżna. “L-istudenti ta’ Ekoskola minn dejjem kienu jinsistu fuq dawk fit-tmexxija sabiex jieħdu azzjonijiet li jtejbu l-kwalità tal-ħajja billi jseddqu l-ambjent tal-gżejjer Maltin. Nature Trust, li tmexxi dan il-programm, hija konvinta li l-kwalità tal-ħajja f’Malta tkun aħjar jekk il-fehmiet tat-tfal ikunu apprezzati minn dawk li jieħdu d-deċiżjonijiet dwar pajjiżna”, spjegat din l-għaqda ambjentali.
Meta l-konsultazzjoni għall-Istrateġija Nazzjonali għall-Ambjent tħabbret fis-sajf li għadda, l-għaqda fasslet verżjoni għat-tfal tat-taqsira ta’ dan id-dokument u qassmitu mal-istudenti ta’ Ekoskola, sabiex tiġbor ir- reazzjonijiet tagħhom.
L-Istrateġija Nazzjonali għall-Ambjent 2050 hija mnebbħa mill-viżjoni “Wellbeing First Vision for Malta’s Environment 2050”, li ġiet adotatta fl-2020. L-istrateġija tfasslet mill-ERA wara konsultazzjoni estensiva ma’ aktar minn 60 entità jew gruppi konċernati, fosthom dawk fit-tmexxija, akkademiċi, il-komunità kummerċjali u għaqdiet tal-volontarjat.
Fuq talba tal-pubbliku, il-konsultazzjoni pubblika dwar l-Istrateġija Nazzjonali għall-Ambjent se tkun estiża sa nhar il-Ġimgħa, 4 ta’ Novembru 2022. Sabiex taqra din l-istrateġija u tagħti l-fehmiet tiegħek, żur era.org.mt/nse2050.