Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, took part in the Free to Dream Youth Forum, which was opened by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk.

"Young people are the engine of progress in environmental protection. Young people easily adopt and implement modern environmental practices, including digital ones. They actively use the EcoThreat app to record environmental damage. Young people are creating socially responsible business projects and proactive environmental NGOs," said Ruslan Strilets.

On the sidelines of the Forum, the Minister talked to representatives of active youth. In particular, they discussed environmental challenges after the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam. They also touched upon the development of the nature reserve fund. In 2023, the revenues of the protected areas increased 7-fold, and in 2024 we have even greater progress. In the first half of this year, revenues have already reached UAH 12.4 million, which is 10% more than last year. The Minister also told the young people about the pearl of the Ukrainian nature reserve fund - Mezhyhirya, which has recently been operating for the state and contributing revenue to the state budget. Over 20,000 visitors came to the park in just three weeks. All this was made possible by the reform, which has a clear focus on young people through the digitalisation of recreational services.

We agreed to continue the dialogue on the establishment of a youth council under the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources. In 2023, Ukraine signed the intergovernmental Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action. We already have support from UNICEF Ukraine. Recently, we agreed with Munir Mammadzade, the head of the fund in Ukraine, to join our efforts to strengthen the role of youth in climate action. Educational programmes and integration of young people into state-building processes are the priorities of the state policy for young people, as voiced by the President of Ukraine. Our cooperation within the framework of the Declaration will pave the way for strengthening environmental education and the participation of youth councils in environmental protection.

"The key areas that we are developing today will fall on the shoulders of young people in the future. We are talking about dealing with the environmental consequences of the war and the further implementation of the green course. The focus now is to ensure that Ukrainian youth inherit a renewed post-war Ukraine with modern European legislation. I thank the youth representatives for a productive dialogue. I am confident that the future of environmental protection in Ukraine is in your good hands," said Ruslan Strilets.