UN Children’s Conference In State

NEW LONDON (AP) — Hundreds of young environmentalists from 40 nations will converge on New London later this month for a United Nations-sponsored conference on environmental issues.

When the environmentalists, age 10 to 13, finish talking about water pollution, energy conservation, needs of indigenous people and other issues, their resolutions will be passed along to the United Nations for debate.

The conference is the fifth held by the United Nations Environment Programme since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio De Janiero recommended involving children in environmental causes. It will be the first to be held in the United States.

About 400 of these ambassadors, half from developing countries, will attend the conference, along with about 200 parents and chaperones.

The conference at Connecticut College, from July 19 to 23, will also include a tall ships festival and an environmental fair that will be open to the public along New London’s waterfront, starting with a parade of sail July 22 and running through the weekend.