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Press Release
Wednesday 3 June 2009
International Conference

“Climate Change and Challenges for the Future Generations”

 “Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, and the reduction of its impacts in combination with the confrontation of the damage already caused is the most urgent global venture”, pointed out the prominent keynote speakers of the international conference entitled “Climate Change and Challenges for the Future Generations”, which began yesterday in the Megaron Music Hall of Athens and is completed today.

The Conference was organised with the initiative of the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and President of the “Foundation for the Child and Family”, Ms Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, and the Chairman of the “UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change” and Director General of “The Energy and Resources Institute” (TERI), Nobel Price Laurate 2007, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, in collaboration with the World Sustainable Development Forum and under the auspices of UNESCO.

Declaring the opening of the Conference, Ms Marianna V. Vardinoyannis said, inter alia: “We bequeath to future generations the cost of a unilateral development and the agony for the future. The young people have already realised this and they react, forced to put all their strength to the fight for the future which belongs to them, instead of claiming the future that they deserve. This should stop now; because young people and children are always the greatest victims of the crises independently of the final scenario; above all the ill children, who suffer from chronic and serious diseases, as every other vulnerable social group.  It is time to provide the children and young people with the opportunity for hope as well as the tools to safeguard their future and conquer it. This is the objective of the present conference, which aims at emphasising the impacts of climate change on the vulnerable social groups… This conference also aims at further contributing to the coordination of the Greek Society of Citizens with the national efforts and the international developments, as well as highlighting the human dimension of climate change and the challenges that young people will face…”

 In the Conference greetings were addressed by the Prime Minister, Mr Kostas Karamanlis, the President of  the Hellenic Parliament, Mr Dimitris Sioufas, the President of PASOK and Socialist International, Mr George Papandreou, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms Dora Bakoyannis, the Minister of Development, Mr Kostis Hatzidakis, the Minister of National Education and Religious Affairs, Mr Aris Spiliotopoulos, the Minister for Employment and Social Protection, Ms Fani Palli-Petralia, the Minister of Health and Social Solidarity, Mr Dimitris Avramopoulos and the Member of Parliament and Political Representative for Environment & Urban Planning of PASOK, Mr Spyros Kouvelis.

In the inauguration ceremony of the Conference, addressing the Prime Minister and symbolically offering him a globe, three representatives of the future generations, Efi and Christina, two young girls who overcame cancer, along with little Vasilis, called all the leaders of the world to take the essential measures, so that the planet delivered to them be a sustainable place, a place of development, progress and prosperity.

Then, keynote speeches followed, addressed by Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Mr Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, Prof. Christos Zerefos, President of the National Observatory of Athens, Mr Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for Environment, Mr Ricardo Lagos, Former President of Chile and Special Envoy on Climate Change for the UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-Moon, the Ambassador Walter Fust, Director-General of the  Global Humanitarian Forum, Sir Magdi H. Yacoub, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Imperial College London, Prof George Chroussos, Chairman of the First Department of Paediatrics, University of Athens and the Professor of Human Genetics, University of Athens, Ms Aikaterini Metaxotou.

Dr Rajendra Pachauri summarised the Conference outcomes:

  • According to the findings of “the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change” the scientific evidence on human related impact on climate change is beyond any doubt.
  • The forecasts for future climate change include an increase in the rate of change of frequency, intensity and duration of floods, droughts, heat waves, fires and the extreme weather phenomena in general.
  • Greece and the Mediterranean Basin in general are very sensitive to climate change impacts and this will in turn have a negative impact on vulnerable groups of people and the health of children and the elderly.
  • The international community should make every possible effort in order to urgently decrease the carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases emission. After all, the cost of this reduction is low, and in some cases even negative. The European Union should continue leading the world efforts for the reduction of the emission of gases.
  • We all ought to take action not just the governments, experts and the relevant institutions. Will, determination, information and education are needed in order to we overcome inactivity and change the way of living, giving up the habits which contribute to the greenhouse effect, in order to face the impacts of climate change with the less possible loss.
  • Prevention is better than the cure of destruction. The objective of all efforts and actions regarding the critical issues related to climate change should therefore focus on preventing rather than curing.

Then,  Ms Vardinoyannis recited “The Declaration of Athens for the vulnerable Children and Climate Change” and closed the Conference saying: “Reaching the end of the Conference I feel particularly moved since during these two days all the participants of the Conference joined the hands firmly against the impacts of climate change and any danger that threatens our children. We witnessed shocking scientific forecasts and scenarios on the world progress and the future of our planet. We were armed with even deeper awareness of the problems which humanity faces at the moment and we shared common reflections, ideas and solutions. These common reflections are stated in “The Declaration of Athens for the vulnerable Children and Climate Change” which constitutes the extracts of the issues discussed in the conference and it is our wish that it will enlighten important aspects of the human dimension of climate change in view of the international decisions of the UN Summit Meeting of in Copenhagen… I commit myself to all of you, and above all I commit myself to the future generations, to the promise that my concern and interest for the children and the environment will not stop in this conference, but I am willing to fight and exhaust every possible effort in order to contribute to our common fight as well as exert pressure on every direction for the implementation of this Declaration, which will be sent all over the world”.

 The keynote speeches as well as the Press conference were coordinated by the editor-journalist Mr Nikos Hatzinikolaou.

The Conference was realised with the noble sponsorship of Piraeus Bank.