Youth

An Intergenerational Dialogue on the Role of Youth in Implementing Climate Action

/ WIT / Leave a comment

Organized by the Permanent Mission of Ireland, delegations met today to discuss the role of youth engagement in implementing SDG 13 (Climate Action). Consensus was reached on the urgency of mobilizing all population groups, especially the youth and the individuals from risk-prone regions like the Marshall Islands, into climate action, as they have the most at stake, considering we are currently only experiencing the impact of dire carbon emissions that were created back in the late 90s, with the full consequences of all emissions being foreseen to manifest in the next few decades.

Screenshot 2019-07-17 at 12.45.37 AM

(Source: https://twitter.com/irishmissionun/status/1151125697294979072)

Continue reading →

Illustrating the Power of Citizen Generated Data

/ WIT / Leave a comment

Co-organised by TAP Network, World Vision, and Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, the HLPF side event “Illustrating the Power of Citizen Generated Data for Improved Public Service Delivery and SDG Accountability” was held for discussions about putting people at the center of the data revolution to take place. The panel particularly spent time illustrating the complementary value of citizen generated data to traditional statistics.

sdg

Continue reading →

Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)

/ WIT / Leave a comment

            The Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly gathered for this morning’s meeting “For the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA).” Delegates discussed the organization’s growing funding gap and raised questions regarding its future prospects.

            To begin, the President of the General Assembly, Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa, and the Secretary General, Mr. Antiónio Guterres, introduced the role of UNRWA in providing indispensable education, healthcare and food support for Palestinian refugees. Representing UNRWA, Mr. Pierre Krähenbühl summarized the social, psychological, and material benefits of operations in Palestine, and further affirmed that additional monetary contributions would be put towards ensuring greater stability and relief in this troubled region. The Presidents of the Gaza and West Bank UNRWA Student Parliaments were invited to share the experiences of children gaining from education provision. Their recounts of the security, empowerment and purpose that the organization guarantees were admirably poignant.

            Subsequently, delegates were invited to contribute their opinions regarding this issue. The efforts of UNRWA were overwhelmingly supported, as many nations pledged financial assistance to close the funding gap. The importance of stable and predictable funding were underscored, however, the settlement of a lasting peace was determined as a constant long-term goal towards which the United Nations should strive.

Meeting: Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)

Date/Location: Tuesday, 25 June, 2019; 10:00-13:00; Trusteeship Council Chamber, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY

Speakers:

H.E. Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa, President of General Assembly;

H.E. Mr. Antiónio Guterres, Secretary-General;

Mr. Pierre Krähenbühl, Commissioner-General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA);

Ms. Hanan Abu Sabe, President of West Bank UNRWA Student Parliament;

Mr. Hatem Handuna, President of Gaza UNRWA Student Parliament;

Interventions from Delegates

Written by: WIT Representative, Izabela Zawartka

The right to say no: 72nd session Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women

/ WIT / Leave a comment

1506685855_eeb204dc36061d725f5db3e393c34229-1.jpgBad mothers. Loose Morals. Lack of femininity. That is how world leaders such as Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and President Donald Trump refer to women’s rights activists. Both men have continuously made women the butt of the joke of their presidencies with Donald Trump’s famous “Grab her by the pussy” and President Duterte’s continuous rape jokes and command to shoot women rebels in the genitals. According to the Andrew Gilmour, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, this is the continued norm of how the world treats women.

The conference held on July 26th, 2018 shed light on the deeply rooted patriarchy engrained into our international system that has resulted in the championing of white males in human rights movements and the vilification of the women actually affected.

Lolita Chavez has been the target of 5 assassination attempts, two massive hate attacks, lynching attempts, accused of illegal entry, and has had more than 25 petitions filed against her in court resulting in a forced exile from Guatemala. What could cause this type of horrific backlash on a 5-foot-tall mother of 2? Her advocacy for indigenous people and the environment. In Uganda, Brenda Kuganza has been punched in the gut by a policeman, slaughtered on social media for defending victims of sexual violence and has had to witness her friends be brutally attacked, arrested, and/or killed for wanting the right to say no.

People trying to defend their territories and rights are sidelined – jailed, tortured, raped. Now more than ever, there is a need for concrete action from the international community but also a needed refrain by states in legislation and policy of repression action against human rights defenders. The governments in places such as Guatemala, Uganda, Nicaragua need to make the role of human rights defenders facilitative not restrictive.

There needs to be an understanding that human rights defenders are not performing a job. There is a deep commitment to protecting life, livelihood, and the dignity of communities. That is what empowers these women to endure layers of oppression and brutality.

Meeting: Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women; 72nd Session

Location/time/date: Conference Room 2, UNHQ-NYC; July 26th, 2018

Speakers: Michéle Forest, Special Rapporteur; Andrew Gilmour, Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights; Marusia Lopez Cruz, Senior Associate, Power & Protection of Women’s Activist; Lolita Chavez; Brenda Kuganza; Asha Kowtal; Miriam Miranda

Written by: WIT Representative Ariel Granat

 

 

Fifteenth Annual International Human Rights Summit

/ WIT / Leave a comment
20180706_Human_Rights_Summit

(Source: author)

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights marks its seventieth anniversary this year. In recognition of international efforts to advocate human rights, the Human Rights Summit aimed to improve the state of human rights in respective nations and communities.

First, panellists underscored the importance of defending human rights in bringing about peace and social cohesion. The international community has been called upon to embrace the values of human rights, social justice and the rule of law. Unless concerted efforts are made to safeguard human rights, the international community shall have failed in its collective responsibility to promote peacebuilding, social cohesion and community resilience.

Second, the summit addressed local issues on human rights to eradicate injustice and inequality. From the perspective of police forces, Mr. Ricky S. Veerappan from Canada and Mr. Charalambos Philippides from Cyprus outlined how their police forces have established education centres to implement age-appropriate human rights measures. From the perspective of non-governmental organisations, they have introduced outreach programmes focusing on fair education, sanitary care for females, empowerment for youths and democratic citizenship. They have drawn international attention to marginalised, vulnerable social groups around the world, including children, youths, women and the elderly. Representatives from war-affiliated countries, such as Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan, further advocated that human rights are the cornerstone of achieving long-term conflict resolution.

Meeting:
Fifteenth Annual International Human Rights Summit (co-organised by the Permanent Missions of Australia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Morocco and Romania)

Date/Location:
Friday 6th July 2018; 10:00 to 13:00; Economic and Social Council Chamber, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY

Speaker(s):
Ms. Mary Shuttleworth, President, Youth for Human Rights International
H.E. Luis Almagro, Secretary General, Organisation of American States
Ms. Mihaela Mecea, Third Secretary, Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations
Mr. Ricky S. Veerappan, Police Superintendent, York Regional Police, Canada
Mr. Charalambos Philippides, Deputy Director of European Union and International Police Cooperation Directorate, Cyprus Police
Ms. Anne Nolan, Manager, Integration and Support Unit, Ireland
Ms. Isabele Miranda Wallace, President, Asociación Alto al Secuestro (Stop the Killings), Mexico
Mr. Luis Hernando Redondo Melo, President, Association of Training, Guidance, Refugee Aid and Emigrant (FOARE), Spain
Ms. Mary Consolata Namagambe, Founder, She for She, Uganda
Ms. Frida Farrell, Co-Producer, Selling Isobel
Ms. Kerri Kasem, Founder, Kasem Cares, United States

Written by: WIT Representative LAU Chun Ki

Leveraging innovative partnerships with higher education institutions towards sustainable and resilient societies

/ WIT / Leave a comment

Partnerships are increasingly being valued when it comes to realizing SDGs across the globe. By leveraging partnerships networks, not only can it capture the benefits resulted from synergy effects, but it can also provide more opportunities for different parties to interact with each other. Thus, this meeting focused on case studies on partnerships, especially programs with higher education institutions.

Ms Carpentier first introduced the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) as a recent program jointly launched by various UN agencies to synergize with higher education institutions for advocating SDGs from an educational perspective with students as key players. The representative of Harvard University shared the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure that offers indicators and tools for sustainable infrastructure. An envision rating system, including measurement for leadership, resource allocation and quality of life, is incorporated to reflect the effectiveness of infrastructures as enablers to achieve SDGs.

Ms Thoresen presented an overview on projects of the organization, Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living. She highlighted the importance of addressing pedagogical learning process, government education policies as well as interdisciplinary research when it comes to connecting teaching and learning with SDGs. Mr Howard, representing the University of Oxford, illustrated a lifelong learning programme offered by the University, the Sustainable Urban Development Programme, as an example of partnerships with NGOs, professionals and the academia to empower more individuals on understanding SDGs.

The meeting was concluded by a discussion on the current extent of students’ engagement in formal education setting, such as schools, regarding SDGs implementation at local level. Ms Thoresen pointed out that a revamp of school curriculum is possibly needed to better equip students to face upcoming challenges as future generations. Professor Iglecias suggested that a bottom-up approach should be promoted to facilitate students to initiate ideas for realizing SDGs more effectively.

Meeting: HLPF 2018 – Leveraging innovative partnerships with higher education institutions towards sustainable and resilient societies

Date/Location: Conference Room 5, UNHQ NYC; 10:00-11:45; July 11th 2018

Speakers: Ms. Chantal line Carpentier (Chief of UNCTAD New York Office), Ms. Cristina Contreras, (Representative of Harvard University), Ms. Victoria W. Thoresen (Representative of Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living [PERL]), Mr. Jakob Grandin (Representative of University of Bergen, Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation), Mr. David Howard (Representative of University of Oxford), Professor Patrícia Iglecias (Head of Environmental Affairs, University of Sao Paulo)

Written By: WIT representative, Rosalind Cheung

“Small Business, Big Impact: The Youth Dimension”

/ WIT / Leave a comment

On the International Day for Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, the UN, International Trade Center, Permanent Mission of the Argentine Republic and the International Council for Small Business put together a panel presentation on bringing youth and businesses together.

His Excellency Mr. Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. brought up the need to “deglamorize” big (regarding big business). We must start building up the reputation of being “small” and being good at it. Small enterprises employ the most people and account for most of the economy in the Philippines. For the most part, a lot of small enterprises belong to the underground economy- where it is difficult to regulate and easy to evade. Although that sounds bad, it is how they are able to grow. The problem today is that young people cannot afford to learn from their mistakes, that’s why this initiative will help them prevent costly mistakes.

Mr. Paul Maseli informed us that today’s youth face an unprecedented level of challenges when it comes to starting a business. Many face barriers when trying to start up a business. Documented challenges include lack of skill/access to the market and funds, being deemed as high risk by banks because of their age and no experience in navigating regulatory framework.

Income and employment opportunities are key to rebuilding infrastructure. We can achieve that by supporting local business so we can stimulate local and national development.

Meeting: Panel Discussion entitled “Small business, big impact: The Youth Dimension”, on the occasion of the International Day for Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (A/RES/71/279).

Date/Location: Wednesday 27th June 2018; 10:00 to 12:00, Conference Room 9, UN Headquarters, New York, NY.

Speakers:

H.E. Martin Garcia Moritán, Permanent Representative of Argentina to the United Nations

H.E. Mr. Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations

Moderator Riefqah Jappie, Representative to the UN, International Trade Centre

Mr. David Hanif, Financing For Sustainable Development Office, UNDESA

Mr. John Denton, Secretary General, International Chamber of Commerce

Mr. Stephan Spazier, Deputy Trade Commissioner of Austria

Ms. Ashia Sheikh Dearwester, Nest.org

Mr. Farid Hegazy, Senior Technical Cooperation Officer, ILO

Mr. Raymond Landveld, UNCTAD office, New York

Mr. Paul Maseli, UNIDO Representative to the UN

Written By: WIT Representative Esmeralda Abdourazak

The Sustained Eradication of Child Labour

/ WIT / Leave a comment

Child Labour

This meeting was a Briefing on the IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour. It was co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Argentina and Belgium, and the International Labour Organization.

Mr. Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Director of Programmes, spoke about approaches to ending child immigration detention. Specifically, he discussed: worldwide dialogues; agreeing and focusing on solutions and practices; a global compact on migration under the supervision of co-facilitators; and, encouraging member states and their partners to build road maps for taking systematic steps.

Mr. Donald M. Kerwin, Jr., Executive Director Center for Migration Studies, noted that most migration situations can be met by alternatives.  Detention should be a last resort only after all other solutions are fully exhausted. Moreover, states have a legal obligation to carefully examine the use of detention if other options are not sufficient. Also, the number of detentions and for-profit prisons should be reduced, and detentions should be used for non-criminals for the shortest period possible.

Ms. Ashley Feasley, Director of Policy for United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Msgr. Bob Vitillo, Secretary General of the International Catholic Migration Commission, discussed their organization’s support for: family reunification; refugee housing; fighting human trafficking; and, maintaining the family unit. They both stressed more protection for children’s rights as well.

Overall, it was felt that it is cruel and degrading to deprive children of their liberty of because of their parents’ immigration status. Children should not suffer due to circumstances out of their control. Many delegates agreed with this stance, and are working on the further development of effective alternative solutions to the detention of children.

Meeting: Briefing on the IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour (co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Argentina and Belgium, and the International Labour Organization)
Date/Location: Wednesday, February 21st, 2018; 13:15-14:30; Conference Room 12, United Nations
Headquarters, New York, NY
Speakers: Ted Chaiban, Director of Programmes for UNICEF; Mr. Donald M. Kerwin Jr., Executive Director Center for Migration Studies; Ashley Feasley, Director of Policy for United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Msgr. Bob Vitillo, Secretary General of the International Catholic Migration
Commission
Written By: WIT Representatives David Jansen, June Hong, and Calvin Ferrara

Accountability in Education: Meeting Our Commitments

/ WIT / Leave a comment

Education

In commemoration of the 2018 Winter Youth Assembly, organizations in the United Nations held a forum regarding accountability in education.

Dr. Joshi presented key findings on the Global Education Monitoring report, stressing the importance of education and holding governments accountable, as well as highlighting the important role of youth and students. Targeting the international gap in education, Dr. Joshi revealed that over 100 million children cannot read, and millions are taught in languages they do not understand. Dr. Joshi claimed that accountability is a means to improve education and achieve SGD 4, listing governments, schools, teachers, parents, students, international organizations, and private sectors as responsible in different ways. Dr. Joshi explained that governments can develop a robust accountability system by facilitating meaningful engagement, creating credible education plans and budgets, avoiding narrow performance measures, being transparent, and monitoring education systems. In regards to youth, Dr, Joshi explained that protests can be effective tools in progressing education development, alluding to recent demonstrations that have produced evident results.

Ms. Khalif shared her brief history of advocating for young people and women, alluding to her respective organizations and achievements. Ms. Khalif encouraged youth to use their voices, underlining the importance of amplifying issues and finding robust ways to address them.

Mr. Gannon claimed that youth do not have to wait to tap into their potential, stressing the importance of student organizations and social media being a powerful vehicle for change. Mr. Gannon shared a brief history on his organization and its present efforts to empower youth. Mr. Gannon claimed that momentum for universal education are in the hands of youth, and encouraged young people not be discouraged nor complacent. Mr. Gannon also noted the lack of exposure students have to education system processes, stressing the importance of being knowledgeable.

Meeting: Forum on —“Accountability in Education: Meeting Our Commitments”

Date/Location: Thursday, February 15, 2018; 10:00; United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY

Speakers:

Dr. Priya Joshi, Research Officer for Global Education Monitoring Report, Moderator

Ms. Munira Khalif, US Youth Observer for the UN, Co-FOunder of Lighting the Way, Global Activist for Women’s Rights

Mr. Chris Gannon, Vice-President of US Student Association

Written By: WIT Representative Timothy Stephens

 

Youth Integration for Sustainable Development

/ WIT / Leave a comment

Youth Sustainabiliy.jpg

In partnership with the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the UN and the International Federation for Family Development, the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the UN held a conference to discuss the importance of youth integration of sustainable development. The youth today are far more dependent on parents and grandparents than past generations, leading to idleness that serves as a precedent to corruption among the young population.

Ms. Bogyay discussed the importance of how children are educated at home, highlighting the importance of the parents’ role. Education and employment are two notions that go hand in hand, and education on sustainability must begin at an early age. Emotional intelligence is also critical in how the youth build trust and communicate, especially in the digital age of the modern world.

Mr. Riederer reported a tremendous increase of youth unemployment in European countries. However, jobs are not enough as they must be both decent and sufficient to sustain the well-being of the population. He discussed the four different dimensions of vulnerability: economic, social, psychological, and physical; one dimension can lead to another. Vulnerability reproduction is also prevalent today, which constitutes its intergenerational transmission. Parental education is a critical component of this reproduction, as the level of education obtained by the parents mirrors the risk of youth poverty. Education is important for children, parents, employers, and society. Mr. Riederer concluded with three main points:

  1. Vulnerability is multidimensional.
  2. Vulnerability reproduction within families must be stopped.
  3. Education is key.
    1. Quality, school-to-work transition, decent jobs

Mr. Pomperada highlighted investment in youth and authentic development of future leaders. Young people must be taught that they have inherent value, as the youth are not just future leaders, but the leaders of today.

Meeting: International Federation for Family Development (IFFD) Briefing 2018: Youth Integration for Sustainable Development

Date/Location: Thursday, 2 February 2018, 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm; Conference Room 7, United Nations Headquarters, New York

Speakers:

Ms. Renata Kaczmarska, Social Affairs Officer, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Moderator

Mr. Mario Armella, World President of the International Federation for Family Development

H.E. Ambassador Alya bint Ahmed Al Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations

H.E. Ambassador Katalin Annamaria Bogyay, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations

Mr. Bernhard Riederer, Wiggenstein Centre, Vienna Institute of Demography

Mr. Obadias Ndaba, Founder and CEO of Jimbere Fund (United States)

Mr. Fabio Lup, Vice President of Associação do Abrigo Nossa Senhora Rainha da Paz (Brazil)

Ms. Katalyn Kardosné Gyurkó, President of Nagycsaládosok Országos Egyesülete (Hungary)

Ms. Noor Al Malki Al Jehani, Executive Director of Doha International Family Institute (Qatar)

Mr. Lord Leomer Pomperada, President of the World Youth Alliance

Written By: WIT Representative Kristin Kweon