The sixth conference on the convention on biological diversity (COP 6), running in The Hague, Holland, has significantly benefited from the young delegation attending, according to UK Environment Minister Michael Meacher.
"Children are the group within the population that are most interested in the environment, and for a very good reason, [they] are the future," he said.
"There is no point in having international conferences with Ministers, coming along making fine, prepared speeches and then nothing much happens. It's deceptive and actually counter-productive."
For the first time since its inception in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio, there has been a large emphasis placed on young people's viewpoints.
Official organisers the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Nature Management invited a youth delegate from each of the 182 countries at the conference.
Fifty youth delegates replied, accompanying their respective Ministers, in an official capacity, to all conference meetings.
Nearly 10 times that amount of young people were mobilised by Greenpeace International to campaign peacefully about the ancient forests.
Official Coca Islands youth delegate Moaroa Hosea, 15, has found it hard getting his voice heard in The Hague: "Only a few Ministers listen to us, but I don't think a majority of them do," he said.
"In the past they didn't listen to us, so why should they listen now?"
He was more positive about his own government's response to local environment issues: "Back home, we do protect our environment and we don't have any big problems. When the government set laws, they are obeyed and the government always try to help our environment," he said.
Although enthusiastic about young people's involvement in the conference, Mr Meacher's office did not respond to the invitation from conference organisers to bring a youth delegate.
However, Greenpeace UK flew two youth representatives from Britain to The Hague to present Mr Meacher with a signed plaque, containing over 30,000 signatures from UK children demanding the protection of the ancient forests.
Michaela Boren, 14, official youth delegate for the Philippines, said her environment Minister promised to help set up an environmental group when they return home. But there are some changes she would make if she were organising the conference: "If I was running the conference, I wouldn't have it in this big building, I would have it a smaller building with more recycled materials," she said.
Ministers have yet to confirm what changes, if any, will be made, especially in relation to deforestation.
Official youth delegate for El Salvador Veronica Rodriguez, 16, thinks young people need to be closer to decision making so that action can happen at a quicker pace: "We hope they listen to our speeches and think 'let's do something about that'.
"They've just been talking for the last 10 years and done nothing while eight per cent of the world's forests have disappeared," she said.
Austrian Greenpeace supporter Nina Senekowitsch, 17, agrees with Veronica Rodriguez's conclusion and is equally unhappy with the way decisions are made: "All decisions that they are making are being made behind closed doors. We want to know why we aren't allowed to sit in on meetings," she said.
Finnish youth delegate Maria Lahtinen, 18, hopes it is not too long before what young people have to say carries real political power: "We're so isolated from the conference that we don't get the information or near the decisions that have been made, but a youth representative should always be present to be heard," she said. "We can make a difference. I believe we can."
About the team
This story was produced by Sarah Montague, 15, and Daniel Monaghan, 16. It was published in the News Letter in Northern Ireland.
Sarah and Daniel's also appeared on Radio Five Live from the Hague.
