International Dialogue for Environmental Action is an international campaign launched by Ms Leyla Aliyeva on July 12, 2011 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The reason behind this campaign was simple - the environment was a key cause of concern for young people in Azerbaijan as it is in the region and the world. The concern was real. Yet, the path which young people could take to find a way to get engaged in conservation and environmental projects, to network with others, and to mobilize for action was far from clear. Today IDEA is all about working with young people to put environmental awareness and action at the heart of family, community and national life in order to solve serious environmental challenges, from endangered species to industrial pollution. Today IDEA is a key partner of UNEP for promoting environmental projects in Azerbaijan.
About
International Dialogue for Environmental Action or IDEA is based on the principles of dialogue, action, leadership and education. These are all essential ingredients for equipping a generation to create positive and sustainable environmental change.
Dialogue: Exchange of ideas through regular forum events and local groups – both in Azerbaijan and internationally
Action: Participation in youth camps, events and specific environmental projects around the region
Leadership: Encouraging and recognizing young leaders, who can effectively spread the word and lead others in our environmental endeavors
Education: Providing resources to schools, groups and communities, to empower them to protect their environment better
IDEA aims at holding a number of environmental actions to draw attention of young people to the necessity of protecting our fragile planet, to focus on the conservation of oceans and coasts, forests, and freshwater ecosystems. Among other issues, it is also concerned with endangered species, pollution and climate change.
Publications
IDEA regularly publishes reports, fact sheets and other documents on issues related to its work, in order to raise awareness among youth.
Global initiatives
Actions, such as organizing seminars in the regions, distribution literature, and supporting local environmentalists were taken in order to raise awareness on environmental issues. One of the initiatives - planting of three million trees - corresponded to three million young people living today in Azerbaijan. This was an excellent way to bring Azerbaijani people together and focus on environmental issues. Another IDEA initiative, "Reintroduction of gazelles to their historical habitat areas in the Caucasus" - aimed at increasing the population of gazelles, including relocation to the areas they before inhabited, from which they disappeared for various reasons.
