“PepsiCo Social Responsibility Youth Forum 2012” gives UAE youth a voice on sustainability

Health and wellness, caring for our planet and talent development highlighted by youth as major areas of interest in building a sustainable future in their communities

Dubai, 11 June 2012: The 2nd PepsiCo Social Responsibility Youth Forum took place yesterday alongside the 9th Middle East Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Summit. The conference brought together over 50 youth delegates across the UAE, and hundreds more through social media, to discuss and develop solutions for creating a more sustainable and healthier future for their communities.

This year’s full-day event included interactive workshops, speaker panels and discussion groups on topics relating to health and wellness, environment and talent development under the theme of ‘Be the Change’. With partners including comedian Nitin Mirani, the Global Youth Empowerment Movement, Ananasa, Abu Dhabi Cause Connect, UthMag, Murdoch University and the Emirates Marine Environmental Group, the forum actively engaged youth delegates and provided a platform for them to voice their ideas on various sustainability issues that affect them.

Heba, a young delegate who enjoyed the day’s events said: “A forum such as this is great because it gets young people thinking about the changes they can make in the communities and in the world at large.” For her, “Critical thinking is one of the most important things that we can have in this region.”

Recommendations and ideas from the forum will be developed and shared with business and government representatives attending the 9th Middle East CSR Summit with the view of exploring how to make them actionable through strategic partnerships.

Important topics discussed at the forum included:

• Lack of awareness in the Arab world around environment sustainability
• Lack of awareness in the Arab world around health and nutrition/ Confusion around labeling of food products
• Generational gap between youth and their parents around career expectations

Workshops held during the forum provided delegates with applicable skills for developing sustainable business models, nutritional information for healthy meal planning, step-by-step instructions on community activation projects and a hands-on upcycling workshop.

Throughout the day, attendees shared photos and videos through social media and many youth from around the region participated in the discussion through Twitter, using the hashtag #BEtheCHANGE.

Noha Hefny, PepsiCo External Communications & CSR Manager- Asia, Middle East & Africa, explained that, “Through this forum, we can help build a future generation of socially responsible leaders who can achieve progress and advance sustainable development in their communities and the companies they will one day lead. The forum empowers youth to think and be proactive in coming up with solutions for social issues facing their communities.”

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo’s people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also, means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo’s promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.