Kehkashan Basu participates in the first Arab South-South Development EXPO

• Kehkashan Basu at 13 years old was the youngest delegate at the South-South Development EXPO
• The First Arab South-South Development EXPO was held in Doha, Qatar between 18th February and 20th February 2014
• In her discussions, Kehkashan Basu focused on the areas of Water and Energy

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2nd March 2014: Kehkashan Basu, the the Global Coordinator for Children and Youth at UNEP and member of its Major Groups Facilitating Committee, attended the First Arab South-South Development EXPO, which was held in Doha, Qatar between 18th February and 20th February 2014.  It was organized by UNDP/ Regional Bureau for the Arab States along with the UN Office for South-South Cooperation and the other UN organizations, including UNEP.

Kehkashan Basu at 13 years old was the youngest to attend the South-South Development EXPO as an official delegate. “The conference provided an invaluable opportunity to put across the viewpoints and aspirations of my constituency, in an event which brought together high-level representatives from various multilateral and bilateral institutions,” said Kehkashan Basu, adding that the EXPO was particularly valuable for her since it sought to bring focus to the areas of youth and women employment, energy efficiency/renewable energy, and water security, these being some of the core issues being dwelt upon in the region.

At the conference, Kehkashan Basu got the opportunity to meet and discuss issues with Mr Ahmed Alhendawi – the United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth. In their discussions, Kehkashan emphasized the importance of civil society embracing Sustainable Consumption and Production as a fundamental tool in driving the growth of green economy in the region.

About Kehkashan Basu
Kehkashan Basu is a 13 year old environmental and social activist living in Dubai  UAE. Born on 5th June - which is also World Environment Day, she is UNEP’s (United Nations Environment Programme) Global Coordinator for Children & Youth and a member of its Major Groups Facilitating Committee. She is also the Global President of the Children’s Board for Plant-for-the-Planet, the Youth Advisor of World Future Council and the Chairperson of the UAE chapter of the International Youth Council. Kehkashan is the founder of a youth organization, GREEN HOPE UAE, which seeks to provide a networking platform to children and youth. She is the recipient of several international awards, notable amongst which are those from UNCCD and Korea Green Foundation in 2012 ,The Living Rainforest, U.K. and most recently the 2013 International Young Eco-Hero award from Action for Nature, USA.
She is a Volunteer with “World Youth Foundation” and a Hub Leader for “Children of the Earth”. In 2010 and 2013 Kehkashan won the prestigious HH Sheikh Hamdan Award for Distinguished Academic Performance. She has won numerous awards in music, public speaking, art, sports and quiz.