When the concept of climate change is considered at a global level, it stems from the rapid increase in the accumulation of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by human activities such as the use of fossil fuels, land use changes, deforestation and industrial processes, which deteriorates the natural greenhouse effect. Climate change is a common problem for the global world due to its overt and covert effects and consequences.

Concept of urban agriculture has various benefits in terms of “food and nutrition security”, “economy”, “environmental quality” and “ecosystem”. It provides development at local level and targets to eliminate economic inequalities in access to food especially for developing and less developed countries.

According to data included in the UN World Urbanization Prospects Report in 2014, in 1950 30%; in 2014 54% of world population lived in the urban areas and this trend increases day by day. 66% of world population is expected to live in urban area by 2050. Rapid population growth is seen as the source of many direct and indirect problems on the ecosystem and the environment. Accordingly, increasing inequality of access to food emerges as an inevitable problem. It is very important to develop urban agricultural practices on the ecosystem where access to natural resources is gradually decreasing as a result of climate change and transforming agricultural models. These topics can be addressed within the scope of economic benefits, environmental quality, improvement of ecosystem services and food and food security.

Adverse impacts of climate change on ecological system threaten not only agriculture but also several areas in our lives. Warmer temperature and less rain, increase in meteorological phenomena, decrease in water resources, rise in drought, destruction of ecosystem and reduction in biodiversity paved the way for decline in agricultural production.

As article 13 of United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development states, at the heart of forming immediate action plan to fight against climate change and its effects lies leaving a livable World for future generations. The systematic functioning of national policies, local government strategy plans, private sector and non-governmental organizations plans is very important in adaptation and mitigation policies to be formed against the effects of climate change.

Training, raising awareness and improving human and institutional capacity for mitigating and adapting climate change, reducing its effects and early warning mechanism play a strong and supporting role to produce effective policies. In order to form development actions, technology transfer and mitigation strengthening institutional, systemic and individual capacity building forms an important step.

Sustainable development is defined as scaling up and improving life quality by balancing ecosystems, of which humans are a part of and which is needed for human beings to exist. In that sense, sustainability of biodiversity is required for the needs of today’s generation and protection of rights of future generations.

In that framework, biological diversity, which is covered under three main headings as genetic, species and ecosystem diversity, is also an indicator of the ability of ecosystems to help humanity sustain its life. To protect fertile and sustainable agricultural ecosystems, there is a need to develop and apply integrated agricultural and environmental policies at national and international level. These policies should include as a whole protection of soil productivity, elimination of environmentally detrimental substances, conservation of fertile plant, animal and fish population, and of soil, water resources and habitat.

In rural areas, problems in the land subdivision lead to a decrease in income of farmers because of economic pressure stemming from rapid population growth and loopholes in legal system. This situtation urge farmers to engage in disruptive activities such as destroying forests to open up field, overgrazing, destruction of pastures, overuse of plants. On the other hand, unsustainable practices in forestry policies that have changed with the transition to sustainable forestry policies are among the factors affecting biodiversity adversely.

Since the 1992 Rio commitments period, important projects have been developed in terms of legal regulations and political commitments for the conservation of biological diversity in Turkey. Five-year Development Plans, National Environmental Strategy and Action Plan, Biological Diversity National Strategy and Action Plan, and national/international legal regulations are the basic documents that should be examined in terms of policies and practices on these issues. In this context, although there are tangible data, especially within the scope of biological diversity, current legislation creates loopholes in the legal system. There has to be major changes in conservation of biodiversity and effective use of water resources in Turkey. In order to do that, cross-sectoral approach based on common work is required at national and international level.

In around 160 countries, ecological agricultural activities are carried out with differing degrees. The biggest and certified area for ecological production in the world exceeds 40 million ha. In Turkey, traditional farming methods have been used in the form of small-scale family businesses that cause minimal damage to nature for a very long time. Although ecological agriculture does not date back a long time, it emerges as a nascent sector.

Importance of ecological agriculture increases over time. As people get more conscious about this issue, demand for ecological products rises, which leads to opening up new production yard and more people employed in this sector. That traditional agricultural methods had been used for a very long time in Turkey and late use of pesticide, herbicide, hormon, medicine and fertilizer constitutes the biggest advantage in the sector. Considering vast and virgin lands and pastures of Turkey and having a great potential for ecological farming shows the need for increasing awareness in ecological agriculture and its development.

World Academy for Local Government and Democracy (WALD) encourages young people to take initiative in current and social issues with the principle of democratic participation as conscious individuals and works for increasing the awareness of democratic methods and processes among young individuals.

From this point of view, it is aimed to increase democratic participation among young people and to create democracy awareness in the light of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through WALD E-parliamentary Youth Sessions.

By the developed WALD E-Parliamentary modality, young people will have the opportunity to share their views and suggestions on current and relevant issues in the fields of Sustainable Cities, Circular Economy, Environment and Climate Change, Climate Migration and Gender Equality, and Elimination of Inequalities.

Young people, the leaders of the future, will have the opportunity to meet with the leaders of the present on common ground. WALD E-Parliamentary Youth sessions will be continued via face-to-face and online participation with the contribution of innovative thinking.

Young individuals from around the world will have the opportunity to share their experiences on a common platform through facilitation of the hybrid method. In this way, the communication among young people on current social issues will be increased and this will contribute to bringing different perspectives to the solution of global problems.

These sessions are planned as 12 sessions in 2022-2023 period. Each session will be organized with the face-to-face participation of young people from Turkey and the online participation of young people around the world.

Each session will be held specific to an SDG and in association with a city in Turkey. In this framework, the first one of the sessions was held in Balıkesir on 12 November 2021 with the theme of ‘Green Deal and Youth’. The second E-Parliamentary Youth Session was held in Istanbul-Beykoz on 11 May 2022 with the theme of ‘SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities’.

The third WALD E-Parliamentary will be held in Konya as a session within scope of the 'Sustainable Development, Urban Agriculture and Biodiversity Forum'.

Through the WALD E-Parliamentary Youth Session to be held within the Forum, young people will have the opportunity to benefit from the experience of valuable leaders of today and ask questions about today's issues that will contribute to responsible construction of the future.

In this session, United Nations Turkey Resident Coordinator Alvaro Rodriguez, Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, Uğur İbrahim ALTAY and Rector of Konya Selçuk University Metin AKSOY will answer the questions of young people on today's issues. Thus, the questions of young people in the following areas will be responded to; more efficient local and national production and being resistant to climate change, protecting biodiversity and responsible consumption. Thus, the planned session will contribute to the actions taken on a global scale in the field of climate change.

In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, it is aimed to raise awareness among young people about minimizing the harmful effects on the nature resulting from production and consumption processes in this WALD E-Parliamentray Youth Session.

Within the scope of the Forum, it will support the sharing of ideas on the adoption of sustainable production, consumption and agriculture as a principle by international institutions, local actors and citizens in today's world. In addition, young people will also contribute from the perspective of 'SDG 12: Responsible Production and Consumption and 'SDG 13: Climate Action' within the framework of Sustainable Development Goals on the international arena.

Local and foreign students from Selcuk University, KTO Karatay University, Konya Agriculture and Food University are expected to attend the program face to face. Young people from the USA, Belgium, Georgia, North Macedonia, Mexico and Romania are also going to participate online in the session. Additionally, young people from Konya, Selçuklu, Karatay and Meram Municipality Youth Assembly Members will also take place in the session.