The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS) will host its first-ever Sustainable Development Goals Youth Camp this coming Oct. 18 to 19 in Brgy. Irawan, Puerto Princesa City in a bid to train the youth and youth leaders to engage in environmental protection and conservation activities that will lead to a greener and more sustainable lifestyle.
Some 60 chosen high school students from the city’s secondary schools have already signified their intention to participate the two-day SDG youth camp.
The PCSDS partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Protect Wildlife project.
“The upcoming camp aims to train the next generation of Palawenos to become leaders who practice greener and more sustainable lifestyles,” the PCSDS said in a statement.
They decided to hold the camp, after series of visits at primary and secondary schools to teach the provisions of environmental laws.
Republic Act of (RA) 7611 otherwise known as the “Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan Act” enacted on June 19, 1992, provided for the adoption of a comprehensive framework for the sustainable development of Palawan, compatible with protecting and enhancing the natural resources and endangered environment of the province. It created the PCSD to be responsible for the governance and implementation of and provision of policy direction to the SEP.
It is a landmark legislation which had brought together multisectoral efforts in effecting a serious and sustained agenda that will provide for the continued existence of a unique ecological system not found in any part of the world.
“The activities are designed to help students appreciate the human-nature relationship, Palawan’s ecological significance, and their active roles in achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals,” the PCSDS further said.
The PCSDS serves as the regular professional staff of the PCSD and provides the machinery to coordinate the policy and functions, implement programs, and organize services as required by the PCSD Council in the governance, implementation, and policy direction of the SEP for Palawan. Based on the mandates, the PCSD is a policy making, monitoring, coordinating, and implementing body.