More than two hundred students have gathered at the Museum of the University of Navarra for the inauguration of the congress international Tell-Us youth sustainability event. "Empowering youth to cement a more prosperous future for our societies and the planet", is the motto of this event, promoted by the students of the Sustainability Club of the academic center. This forum addresses sustainability and its application in the economic field and business, entrepreneurship, the social and environmental field, the legal field and public policies. 

The inauguration was attended by the president of the University of Navarra, María Iraburu; the Councilor for University, Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Government of Navarra, Patricia Fanlo; and the director of the Master's Degree Sustainability of the University of Navarra, Alberto Andreu. The student Gustavo Manrique spoke on behalf of the students who organized the Tell-Us Summit. 

Maria Iraburu thanked the Sustainability Club for promoting this congress. She then focused on highlighting the human dimension of sustainability and the need to focus on the person; and stressed the importance of the partnership between institutions and companies, public and private, to address challenges and solutions for the future; an idea on which Councilor Patricia Fanlo also agreed. "You, students, are the ones who are going to lead the research, communication, politics, business, the health of tomorrow. Decision-making will depend on you. We have to empower you to be transformers of the world," she said.

In this sense, the president referred to the three axes that should mark the university Education in subject of sustainability: the first, the professionaltraining , through deep learning; secondly, a holistic view of life and the profession itself; and finally, solidarity and commitment to others, society and nature. "We have to be able to train people who are in an attitude of continuous improvement and at the origin of changes; and encourage everyone to be generators of sustainable solutions in their professional field," he concluded.

Commitment to the sustainability of Navarra

For her part, Councilor Patricia Fanlo highlighted Navarra's commitment to sustainability from multiple perspectives. "Navarra presents itself as a benchmark in promoting a more equitable and ecological future, demonstrating a long history of commitment to sustainability," she said. Fanlo has valued the "fundamental role" played by institutions such as BIOMA Center or the National Renewable Energy Center (CENER) have in research and innovation in sustainability.

Finally, the Councilor pointed out that "this meeting, organized by the University of Navarra, represents an opportunity to reflect on the role of society in the construction of a more sustainable future, at a transcendental time when sustainability must be a priority for all institutions, companies and administrations". 

The executive director of the University of Navarra's Sustainability Master's Degree , Alberto Andreu, thanked the University for its commitment to this training of postgraduate program and referred to sustainability as that which allows the needs of the present to be met without compromising future generations. During his speech at the congress, Andreu spoke of the value contribution of sustainability in companies and the generation of income. "It is just as important how much money is earned as how that money is earned," he added.  

"We students don't need to be given the fish, we need to be taught how to fish."

Gustavo Manrique, law student and co-founder of congress Tell-Us, spoke about the objectives of this forum. "Tell-Us wants to be a platform to enrich present generations in various aspects related to sustainability and to solve problems of a not so distant future". Manrique referred to the need to train new generations in sustainability issues. "Students do not need to be given the fish, we need to be taught how to fish".  

The congress will take place today and tomorrow. Among other speakers, the following executives will participate: Javier Goyeneche (CEO of Ecoalf); Eva Saldaña Buenache (CEO of Greenpeace Spain), Antonio Ballabriga (head of Sustainability of BBVA), Jessica Sanchez (communication advisor United Nations Climate Change); Adolfo Utor Martinez, (president of Baleària); Ramón Pueyo Viñuales (partner manager of Sustainability and Good Governance of KPMG in Spain); Jordi Llach (director general of Nestlé Spain), Alberto Andreu (director executive of Master's Degree in Sustainability of the University of Navarra); Gustavo Manrique (former foreign minister of Ecuador); and Javier Sáenz (CEO Total Energies Spain).

The event has the sponsorship and the partnership of Abya, Campus Home, the Biodiversity and Environment Institute (Bioma) of the University of Navarra, the Museum and the Master's Degree of Sustainability of the University.