The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.113)

2019 • 08 42 T he World Youth Foundation organized a 5-day international conference themed “Youth, Ocean and SDG14” at the AMES Hotel in Malacca, to uphold the 14th Goal among the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, namely Life Below Water. The conference provided a platform for youths globally to gather and discuss issues of marine pollution and sustainable fishing, encouraging youths to take a proactive part in ocean conservation. More than 70 youth representatives and over 10 speakers from 13 countries participated in the event, including 12 Tzu Ching members and seniors from the Malacca and KL & Selangor divisions. “If we don’t change our attitude towards plastic use, our oceans would be choked up by a greater amount of plastic waste than the population of fishes by 2050!” cautioned Varsha Ajmera, Chief Operations Officer of the World Youth Foundation, in her opening speech. Representatives from the Maldives and the Republic of Fiji were invited to introduce the youths to the preventive measures implemented in their respective countries to protect oceans from marine pollution. In addition, academicians and scholars present at the conference shared expert knowledge on the subject matter with the attendees, highlighting that solid waste such as plastic bags and PET bottles, as well as plastic microbeads and the pH level of seawater are potential culprits in disrupting marine ecology. On the first day of the conference, the uniform of the Tzu Ching members caught the attention of the conference host, Peggy. She later disclosed that one of her friends is a Tzu Chi volunteer, hence the presence of Tzu Ching representatives struck a chord with her, prompting her to share with the delegates Tzu Chi’s charitable missions and efforts in ocal News Translated by Lee Hui Yieng Youths Take Centre Stage at International Conference Malacca 2019.07.01 – 07.05 Reported by Foo Jia Jiann Photographs by Foo Jia Jiann & Lee Teng Hui