Abu Dhabi: When a family friend suggested he send his Facebook link to the United Nations, a 10-year-old boy in the capital never imagined it would result in a rare opportunity for him to attend an international conference.
Indian schoolboy Abdul Muqeet, who is known as the "newspaper boy", is to attend the Tunza International Children and Youth Conference on the Environment, organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) in collaboration with the Government of Indonesia from September 27 to October 1.
Abdul will leave for Indonesia on Sunday with his parents, his mother Andaleeb Mannan told Gulf News Tuesday.
Gulf News reported Abdul's initiative to reduce the use of plastic bags by making newspaper bags from Gulf News pages last year. Since then he has addressed audiences at several events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, demonstrating how to make paper bags. He posted his eco-friendly activities on his Facebook page and many children have copied his initiative.
Sultan Khan, a family friend, suggested that he send the link to Unep, his mother said.
Unep was so impressed with his initiative that he was selected to attend the conference, she said.
The Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) told Gulf News that it is sponsoring Abdul's trip.
The Tunza forum will bring together 1,400 children and youngsters from across the globe to discuss their role and input to the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, under the slogan Reshaping Our Future Through a Green Economy and Sustainable Lifestyle.
Youngsters' contribution
The conference will also review the contribution of youngsters to the International Year of Forests and how they can adopt more environmentally friendly lifestyles. Tunza is a Kiswahili word (the common language of most East African countries) that means to "treat with care".
Abdul said he will be making a presentation on his eco-friendly activities and the history and culture of the UAE at the conference. "I am learning about the cultural heritage of the UAE now to present it at the conference," he said.
