Thank to you all, to the local committees of previous congresses and to the International Permanent Secretary’s constant action, the world congresses WEEC are celebrating their 10th anniversary of meeting and the 7th world congress here in Marrakech.
We can say that by now the world congress WEEC are the most attended and abiding meeting in this field.
The congresses that have been realised until now have given universities, schools, associations, networks, small and big parks, museums, institutions, local communities, enterprises, etc., the opportunity to present their experiences.
This world congress in Marrakech will be a precious opportunity to know each other, to share, to create networks and to sign agreements, which can strengthen local, regional and international initiatives in the future.
When we meet face to face, we are not just sharing some ideas or some scientific researches, but also energies : meeting centralizes the energies, increases the energies.
Thus, I hope that this congress allows us to make a new step forward and to start a new phase, which will have an important stage during the next and 8th WEEC in 2015.
The extent of participation and the large number of theoretical and research contributions presented are the premise and promise that this will be possible: they will give us a comprehensive view of the overall situation, with its strengths and weaknesses, enthusiasms and limitations.
Among other things, the upcoming end of the UN Decade presents us with the challenge and responsibility to take advantage of the results the UN gave us in order to bring a sustainable future.

As we know, humanity is facing the challenge of ensuring a fair and sustainable  development.  The social, economic, environmental and politic levers are strongly linked and interdependent.
From a social point of view: humanity has the right to education for everybody, to equal opportunities between men and women, to children’s rights respect, to health and job for everybody.
From a political point of view : human beings have the right to a democratic society based on freedom, solidarity and equality values.
From an economic point of view: humanity must fight against hunger and poverty, ensure people’s food autonomy, and find out a new agricultural, industrial and urban development.
From an environmental point of view: as humanity must face the climate change, the biodiversity’s lost, resources’ waste, it is responsible for the protection of ecosystems’ balances and of every living being on the planet, as well as for the protection of landscapes et local cultures.

So, the priorities are the fight against the climate change, the biodiversity’s preservation, helping the farmers, the fight against urbanisation, the reduction of pollution’s effects on health and the responsible use of natural resources.
These environmental aims represent the levers of another economy, because they foster innovation and spirit of entrepreneurship.

The environmental education fundamentally contributes to the transition to a “greener” society providing us with an integrated approach to all human activities, to the problems that those activities create and for the well-being of population and to our planet’s health.
Education can contribute to create networks among all involved actors.
We must increase the opportunities to meet and debate. We have to exchange experiences, be coordinated: public, international, national, local institutions, civil society, businesses, forces that are active in their diversity, both in the public and in the private sector.  This effort must contribute to the progress of methodologies, to the enrichment and to the diffusion of the pedagogic tools, to the structures’ improvement.
This is our commitment and it’s with this commitment that I will conclude my greetings, thanking everybody again and wishing you a fruitful, cordial, pleasant congress.
Thank you.

Mario Salomone, 9th June 2013