UN Youth Flash, Vol

Youth and the United Nations: UN Youth Flash, Vol. 6, No. 6, July 2009 Page 1 of 14

UN YOUTH FLASH Vol. 6, No. 7, July 2009

WELCOME to the UN Youth Flash, a service of the United Nations Programme on Youth to keep you informed about the work of the UN on youth issues. You are encouraged to use and forward the information below to other networks. This update is prepared with input from UN offices, agencies, funds and programmes, and from youth organisations around the world.

In this issue:

Feature: Focusing the Youth Agenda: Youth and the Environment International Youth Day 2009 - Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future. International Youth Day at UNHQ, New York News from UN Agencies Youth in Action Publications Calendar of Events 2009 JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER | NOVEMBER | DECEMBER

FEATURE: Focusing the Youth Agenda: the World Programme of Action for Youth

The World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) is a useful tool for local and national Governments, IGOs, and NGOs championing youth issues around the globe. To assist with its implementation, the United Nations has worked with its partners and Member States to develop a set of goals and targets that can help to shape youth-targeted interventions.

This month’s feature is the third in a 10-part series that will familiarise our readers with the WPAY and its related goals and targets.

To read more about the WPAY and to access the full text, please visit http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/global.htm.

Focusing the Youth Agenda: Youth and the Environment

With the recent crisis in food and energy, and the ever growing global concern with climate change, increased attention is being given to our relationship to the environment. As a human family, we are giving increasing recognition to the need to examine our economic and social practices and how they interact with the environment. We are giving increasing recognition to the need to move forward in a truly sustainable way.

As part of our attention to sustainable development, we must be careful to ensure that our efforts include and accommodate both the generations of today and tomorrow. As such, the World Programme of Action

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for Youth (WPAY) highlights the importance of recognising the important role of youth in stewarding our environment and in ensuring that our economic and social practices do not leave behind a burdensome ecological debt. As outlined in the WPAY, "young people have a special interest in maintaining a healthy environment because they will be the ones to inherit it."

To empower young people to be effective stewards of the earth, we must educate them on the various aspects of the environment and how they are affected by their daily actions. As such, the first goal of the WPAY in relation to the environment is to ensure environmental awareness among youth. This goal carries two targets:

1. by 2015, ensure that environmental awareness components or modules are included in the curricula of every formal and non-formal education programme; and 2. by 2010 introduce and begin to implement programmes to ensure that, by 2015, at least 50 per cent of all teachers at primary and secondary levels and community leaders receive training to enable them to provide instruction and guidance on environmentally responsible habits.

By achieving these targets, environmental stewardship will come as second nature to youth, and mean a more promising existence for many generations to come.

However, looking to the youth is not just about teaching them what they may not know, but about learning from what they do know. Young people today are more educated and more interconnected than ever before. Their daily activities and social outlooks often differ considerably from those of other age groups, and this makes them a valuable knowledge resource in public and private-sector efforts to promote environmental protection. As such, one of the goals of the WPAY aims to increase their participation in these efforts. This goal suggests two targets:

1. by 2015, ensure that at least 50 per cent of environmental initiatives at public and private-sector levels, and at national and community levels, provide opportunities for youth to contribute to the design and implementation of these initiatives; and 2. by 2015, set national and community benchmarks for monitoring the level of recycling and establish community level programmes to give youth leadership roles in promoting waste reduction and waste recycling in their communities.

As we encourage youth to take stock of their relationship with the environment, and invite their input in shaping the way forward, we must also ensure that youth are prepared to function in economies and societies that are more sustainably crafted. The goals of the WPAY thus advocate enhancing the preparedness of youth to be employed in renewable and sustainable energy sectors. The two targets shaping this goal pay specific attention to focused skill building and employment creation:

1. By 2015, ensure that secondary and vocational school curricula are geared towards preparing youth for careers consistent with clean and sustainable technologies; and 2. between 2005 and 2015, increase by 25 per cent, the percentage of youth who are employed in jobs in sustainable development and renewable energies sectors.

Youth not only need to be included in shaping a sustainable future but must be properly equipped to be full participants.

To learn more about the goals and targets related to youth and the environment please read the Report of the Secretary-General A/64/61 & E/2009/3 available at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/library.htm#reports.

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For more information, contact the United Nations Programme on Youth at [email protected], or visit http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/global.htm.

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY 2009 Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future.

What are You Doing to Commemorate International Youth Day 2009? On 12 August 2009, young people all around the world will be engaged in activities promoting youth empowerment, development and action. Focused on the theme "Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future" these activities will take various forms ranging from educational opportunities, to creative expression, and community projects. Read below to see what some youth organisations are doing to commemorate the International Youth Day 2009.

Australia

Artistically Expressing the Message Youth Health South of the Department of Health and Human Services in Australia is running a 6-week course that culminates in an art exhbition on International Youth Day (IYD), 12 August 2009. Called the Inspire Programme, the course will take a creative arts, health and well-being focus and content will incorporate the IYD theme, focusing on the interrelation among the three facets of sustainability.

For more information, please contact Jonathan Paré at [email protected].

Bangladesh

Encouraging Youth Action The Pro Youth Network in Bangladesh is undertaking large-scale advocacy for International Youth Day (IYD) 2009. The organization will be developing promotional material, focused on the theme "Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future", and will be distributing them to youth organizations, local NGOs, donor NGOs, foreign embassies, Government ministries, universities & colleges, encouraging them to observe the day in their organization. A youth rally will also be held.

For more information please contact [email protected] , or [email protected]

Barbados

Youth Arm of Barbados Workers' Union to Host Week of Events The Youth Arm of the Barbados Workers' Union will host a week of events 9-15 August, 2009, focused on the theme "Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future." The week's events will feature a seminar addressing the intersecting issues of youth and the economy, youth and the environment, youth in society and youth health. Youth will also undertake a debate on sexual and reproductive health, and have the opportunity to participate in a craft and health fair. For more information, please contact Serena Browne at [email protected].

Canada

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Action and Entertainment Feature Sustainability in Bonavista Youth Employment Services (YES); Bonavista Area Youth Network (BAYNet) and MMSB are working together to host a major celebration for International Youth Day 2009. Focused on the theme "Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future", the event will showcase the contributions of youth within the community. This regional event will see youth involved in a number of activities from beach cleanups in partnership with DFO and Ocean Net to a Tree Planting initiative with the Department of Natural Resources. In addition there is entertainment with the East Rock Crew and activities with MMSB, the Vista Family Resource Centre & Ticker Tom. For additional information on how you can participate, contact Cyndy Stead at [email protected].

Nigeria

Photo for Life: Photo Exhbition at the British Council - Lagos On 12 August 2009, an exhibition tagged “Photo for Life” will be staged at the British Council Lagos to celebrate IYD in a creative way. "Photo for Life", an exhibition of photographs from the heart of Africa, is aimed at using the Art of photography to create an engaging means of involving young people to be active in building community. Considering the need for youth to embrace the challenge of sustainability in its fullness, young people need to tell their stories using images with a focus on impacting community and creating an engaging form of expression through photography. Photo for Life will feature photos from Olayinka Taiwo a young landscape photographer based in Lagos Nigeria with a passion for the Art and Nentawe Gomiyar an International photographer who has staged Exhibitions at GOETHE Institute Lagos and in Germany. For more information on the event, please contact Jennifer Ehidiamen at [email protected].

Uganda

Planting Trees to Raise Awareness The Environment Project, in Kampala, Uganda, will commemorate this year's International Youth Day by planting trees and hosting a youth march. After their tree planting activity, youth will march to town council headquarters where a seminar will be held on the impact of climate change on youth.

For more information, please contact the Environment Project at [email protected].

To read more about International Youth Day 2009, please visit the website of the United Nations Programme on Youth at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/iyouthday.htm.

INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY AT UNHQ, NEW YORK

Youth Showcase Their Answers to the Challenge Youth will gather together at United Nations headquarters in New York (UNHQ) to share their solutions to the challenge of sustainability.

In commemoration of International Youth Day 2009, the United Nations Programme on Youth in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs has worked together with the United Nations Department of Public Information and Discovery Education to host a showcase at UNHQ. The showcase will feature three students who worked with their teacher as "Team Dead Weight", to win the " We Can Change the World Challenge". Also part of the showcase will be Jonathan Hiles of the youth network of the United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office of North America, who will present his work, and the

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work of his network in promoting student-led education in climate change and sustainable development. Members of the youth programme, Directions for our Youth, will also take the stage, showing their use of creative expression in advocating that youth take on the challenge of sustainability.

Youth present at the showcase will also hear how other sectors of society plan to help them take on the challenge. Representatives of the Discovery family, Planet Green/Treehugger, will share their youth- focused initiatives, and statements will be made by representatives of the Permanent Mission of the United States (to be confirmed) and of the United Nations.

For more information on the event, please contact the United Nations Programme on Youth at [email protected].

Sustainability Through Youth Lenses In commemoration of International Youth Day 2009, the United Nations Programme on Youth, in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, has partnered with the Shoot Nations global photography competition to host a photo exhibition at headquarters in New York.

The exhbition will run 4-14 August, 2009 and features 50 photographs that explore the challenge of sustainability in the modern age, through the varied lenses of young women and young men around the world. They show how each gender experiences economic, environmental and social life, and display varied reflections on the challenges ahead.

Shoot Nations is the result of a partnership between Plan, an international children’s charity,and Shoot Experience, an experiential photography organisation. Shoot Nations is a participatory global project for young people between the ages of 11 and 25, and utilizes photography as a medium for cross-cultural communication. For young people without a camera or access to the internet, drawings were accepted via the Plan network of country offices.

For more information, please contact the United Nations Programme on Youth at [email protected].

NEWS FROM UN OFFICES

(Find out more about the work of United Nations system organizations on youth issues at: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/agenda.htm).

WHO

HIV/AIDS pre-implementers and implementers' meeting, 10-14 June 2009, Windhoek, Namibia From 10-14 June, staff from WHO's Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development (CAH) participated in the 2009 HIV/AIDS Implementers Meeting, held in Windhoek, Namibia. CAH contributed to a pre-implementers meeting workshop on male circumcision, organized by WHO's HIV Department, where there was discussion of aspects of male circumcision programmes in the East and Southern Africa sub-region of importance to adolescents. The discussions covered areas such as traditional male circumcision and the development of an adolescent sexual and reproductive health package that could be implemented at the same time as the circumcision. During the implementers meeting, CAH staff moderated and gave a presentation in a session on "Responding to the Needs of Adolescents Living with HIV" -- an area of programming that is likely to be of growing concern as increasing numbers of children who acquire HIV during the neonatal period survive into adolescence, while knew adolescent cases of

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HIV continue to develop. For more information, visit http://www.hivimplementers.org/

Inter-Agency Youth Working Group meeting, 25 June 2009, Washington DC, USA Staff representing CAH participated in the annual meeting of the Inter-Agency Youth Working Group, facilitated and supported by Family Health International (FHI) and USAID on 25 June 2009 in Washington DC, which this year focused on young people most-at-risk of HIV. CAH was responsible for making the initial scene-setting presentation during the meeting on "Vulnerability and Most-at-Risk Young People - Towards a Common Framework". The meeting brought together participants from UN agencies, USAID, PEPFAR and NGOs to develop stronger commitment and consensus for the prevention and care of most-at-risk adolescents and youth. The meeting also provided opportunities to follow-up on ongoing collaborative efforts with USAID, FHI and organizations involved with the Systematic Review and Policy Guidance that CAH is carrying out on preventing too-early pregnancies and poor reproductive health outcomes among adolescents in developing countries.

For more information, visit http://www.infoforhealth.org/youthwg/iywg/25June09.shtml.

WORLD BANK

Youthink! International Youth Day Essay Competition This year, for International Youth Day, Youthink! wants your ideas on how youth can create effective change. Dream big and enter the contest! Deadline for submissions is August 12, 2009. For more information, visit http://youthinkblog.worldbank.org/youthink-international-youth-day-essay-co mpetition.

Get Answers to Your Questions on Global Development Curious or Confused About Development? What are the challenges to building a highway? How can better governance help improve a country's water supply or sanitation? Ask us everything you ever wanted to know about development work. We'll check with World Bank experts and post the answers on the site. Email your questions to [email protected].

YOUTH IN ACTION

Arab Youth Awarded for Outstanding Development Initiatives During the closing ceremony of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East, held at the Dead Sea from 15-17 May 2009, His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan honored four winners out of ten outstanding Arab youth finalists for leading pioneering efforts in their communities to improve people’s lives.

The Jordanian, Palestinian, Sudanese and Egyptian youth focused on issues of employment and social inclusion and reached out to the most vulnerable groups in their communities.

The awards programme was launched by the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD) in partnership with the International Youth Foundation (IYF) to support young social entrepreneurs in the Arab World.

To learn more about the finalists, please go to the awards website at http://www.kaayia.org/

ASASS-Burundi Looking for Schools Networks and International Professors to Share Best

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Information on higher education and Lifelong Learning. ASASS-Burundi is working toward higher education and lifelong learning in Burundi. The organisation is looking for higher schools (universities and colleges), basic schools as well as professors, lecturers and students to collaborate on academic programmes development in Burundi. The collaborator school networks would help ASASS-Burundi and its network education organisations in developing countries to share their curricula. The schools will also accredit ASASS-Burundi education programmes in Burundi and in other part of Africa. The network will also aid ASASS-Burundi in enhancing professor/teacher skills in developing countries, and aid students and the general population through literacy/outreach programs. For more information send an e-mail to [email protected].

Calling for Applications for the Major Group on Children & Youth - Deadline July 12th, 12:00 am EST The Ad Hoc Committee Members for the Children & Youth Major Group of the Commission for Sustainable Development (commonly referred to as the Youth Caucus) is calling for applications from young leaders from around the world to help lead the Children & Youth Major Group this upcoming year. The Major Group on Children and Youth works to ensure that children and young people’s perspectives are represented at each session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, striving to increase their visibility and participation at each stage. The Youth Caucus provides a venue for young people to raise their concerns, speak up for themselves and their communities and ultimately, bring about change on those issues affecting us all. For more information, please visit http://www.youen.org/.

Youth Release Declaration on Youth and Gender Equality More than 150 young people and youth leaders from 29 countries around the world participated in the 9th Melaka International Youth Dialogue on "Youth and Gender Equality", held on 25-27 June this year in Puteri Resort Ayer Keroh, Melaka, Malaysia. The young people gathered made some important recommendations that can assist national youth councils, youth organisations, governments and the global communities at large to empower them to effectively participate and achieve gender equality. For more information, please visit www.way.org.my.

2010 Development Market Place Grants Competition The Development Marketplace (DM) is a competitive grants programme administered by the World Bank and supported by partners including the Inter–American Development Bank (IDB), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT), among others. The Development Marketplace awards grants from USD 5,000 to USD 30,000 to innovative projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, which generate positive social impact by helping young entrepreneurs thrive in their businesses endeavors, creating employment and assisting vulnerable groups. The programme seeks ideas that are youth-led and/or youth-focused.

The competition is open to all types of development innovators/organizations who can present their proposals to the Grant Competition 2010 from 29 July through 15 September 2009. The winners will be announced on October 22nd, 2009.

For more information about the 2010 DM Competition or to register a proposal visit http://www.lac- developmentmarketplace.org/ or www.ybiz.net, or contact Valerie Lorena at YABT, [email protected], + 1 202 458 6442.

Call for Applications: "Global Governance 2020: Designing Scenarios for the Future of International Institutions" - Berlin, Shanghai, Washington D.C. The “Global Governance 2020: Designing Scenarios for the Future of International Institutions” (GG2020) programme will bring together 24 young leaders, eight from China, Germany and the United States, respectively, for three 5-day dialogue sessions in Berlin, Shanghai and Washington D.C. between

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January 2010 and January 2011.

The programme offers GG2020 fellows an opportunity to develop scenarios for the future of international institutions in the areas of peace/security, energy/climate change and trade/finance. The application deadline is the 30th September 2009.

GG2020 is jointly implemented by the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi), the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Fudan University, the Hertie School of Governance, the Brookings Institution and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. For further information on the programme, please consult the programme webpage at www.gg2020.net, or contact [email protected].

KidEarth - 12 year old's global warming song turns into an international youth movement

KidEarth is an international music project started by Aitan, a 12 year old boy from California. Aitan hopes children everywhere can save the earth from global warming by singing "100 Generations," a song he wrote on global warming. Children from the US, Botswana, Ethiopia, Venezuela, Guatemala, France, and Taiwan Province of China have joined in already but more voices are needed to make the kind of impact Aitan thinks this problem deserves. So, Aitan hopes people everywhere will take his song "on the road," locally and abroad. The notes, lyrics and instrumental tracks to "100 Generations" chorus are on kidEarth's website (www.kidEarth.us). Students can sing at school or at home, using Aitan's words or their own. To join their voices together, students are posting their own "100 Generations" music videos to kidEarth's internet video page.

One World Youth Project One World Youth Project (OWYP) is a non-profit educational programme pairing schools & youth groups around the world for the purpose of cultural exchange and collaborative community service toward the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals. One World Youth Project is free of charge, does not require that students physically travel beyond their classroom, and provides consistent staff support to youth leaders and teachers. OWYP was founded by youth and remains entirely run by a staff of young people. For more information, visit www.oneworldyouthproject.org

PUBLICATIONS

(For UN documents on youth, visit: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/library.htm).

“Guide for the integrated restoration of the rights of children, adolescents and young people disengaged from organized armed groups operating outside the law” (IOM Colombia) This publication is directed at professional teams responsible for the Administrative Process for the Restoration of Rights (APRR) and the social integration of children and adolescents disengaged from organized armed groups outside the law. It establishes the legal foundations and routes for the integrated restoration of rights and provides tools to guide the actions of the authorities responsible for this process and outlines the challenges facing society, the State and the affected children and adolescents in the process of restoring their rights. The publication was produced by IOM Colombia, based on work carried out with the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF), “Fundación Social” with the financial support of the US (USAID) and Italian governments. (Also available in Spanish). For more information, contact: [email protected].

“The power of your rights: Children, adolescents and young people who have rights and are in

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the process of integration and reconciliation” (IOM Colombia) This publication discusses the idea of somebody having a right, the building of spaces for coexistence, the peaceful resolution of conflict and the building of reconciliation spaces as an essential teaching suggestion and is aimed at children and adolescents that have been removed from illegal armed groups and are going through the process of integration and regaining rights. The publication outlines the key points so that these children and adolescents are accepted as having rights during the process and, in the future, will succeed in building spaces for peaceful coexistence (also available in Spanish). The publication is a result of work carried out with the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF), “Fundación Social” with the financial support of the US (USAID) and Italian governments.For more information contact: [email protected]

CALENDAR OF YOUTH EVENTS

(Please send us information on major international youth events that do not appear below)

July 2009

22 July-2 August 2009: 44th Youth in Community Action (YiCA)

The Korean National Commission for UNESCO (KNCU) is organizing the 44th Youth in Community Action (YiCA) on the theme Vision, Value, and Action for Sustainable Community! The event will be held at 6 field sites in the Republic of Korea, from 22 July to 2 August 2009. The event will allow young people, from various backgrounds, to share vision and values through field projects that tackle global and local issues and intercultural exchanges.

For more information, please visit http://youth.unesco.or.kr/iyc_eng.

August 2009

5-7 August 2009: Global Model UN Conference The UN Department of Public Information will organize the first annual Global Model UN Conference in Geneva, Switzerland from 5-7 August 2009. The event will bring together university-level students from Model UN programmes currently organized around the world. The theme of the conference will be “The Millennium Developments Goals – Lifting the bottom billion out of poverty”. It will involve youth in all aspects of the planning process and encourage the organization of new Model UN programmes where they do not exist, serving as a model of best practices. Furthermore, it is expected that the Global Model UN will inspire the next generation of leaders to be involved in national and global issues.

For more information, please visit: http://www.un.org/gmun.

5-7 August 2009: MDG Youth Summit, The Phillippines The International Youth Day Philippines Celebration and Millennium Development Goal Youth Summit will be held August 5 to 7, 2009 at the Philippine Normal University. With the theme “Sustainability: Our Shared Responsibility, Countdown to 2015”, this three-day event will gather 300 international and local youth delegates to discuss platforms for actions in achieving the United Nations eight (8) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The United Nations Association of the Philippines (UNAP) through its official youth arm, the United Nations Youth Association of the Philippines (UNYAP) served as organizers

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to this event with partner institutions such as the UN Millennium Campaign, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (ChED, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the National Youth Commission (NYC). Participating in the celebration will be Philippine President Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and other high-level guests.

For more information please visit www.unap1947unyap.blogspot.com.

5-7 August 2009: 6th Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations The Youth Assembly is an annual gathering of hundreds of young people (ages 18-26) from around the world who seek practical ways to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals through individual action, global networking and social entrepreneurship skills. The Assembly has grown to become a major gathering of young people as well as specialized, keynote speakers and workshop leaders at the United Nations. Each year, it provides avenues for students and young professionals to learn about and become involved with programmes that address global and local issues, network among a large international group in attendance, and become engaged and empowered to take leadership roles in their communities. The 2009 Youth Assembly is being organized in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Public Information.

For more information, please visit: http://www.faf.org/unyouthassembly/ya_overview.htm.

7-14 August 2009: International Summer School, Burkina Faso The Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie is organizing a summer school for youth leaders from all regions of the Francophonie, which will take place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from 7-14 August 2009. The summer school will focus on four main themes: ICT, Human Rights, Social Entrepreneurship and the Environment and will identify the opportunities offered in these areas for youth employment and civil society action. To apply for the summer school, download the application form at: http://jeunesse.francophonie.org/. Candidates will be chosen based on their engagement on youth issues in their countries, their knowledge of the four themes and their participation in preparatory activities.

For more information see http://jeunesse.francophonie.org or contact [email protected]

12 August: International Youth Day 2009 The theme for International Youth Day 2009 is Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future.

Sustainability encapsulates three facets of life: the environment, society and the economy, and sustainable development can only occur where the three intersect in symbiotic fashion. Therefore, in order to embrace the challenge of sustainability in its fullness, we must all adopt a global sense of social responsibility.

The United Nations Programme on Youth is encouraging youth organisations around the world to host community barter fairs for International Youth Day. Remember, with bartering there is no money involved, only pure exchange of goods and services.

How will YOU celebrate International Youth Day 2009? Are you ready to take on the challenge?

For more information visit: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/iyouthday.htm.

12-14 August 2009: African Youth and Governance Conference, Accra

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The African Youth and Governance Conference, 2009 will bring together youth from all over Africa to address issues of youth policy, youth participation and empowerment, and youth mobilization. Centred on the theme, "Sustainability: Our Challenge. Our Future", the Conference aims to to stimulate a dialogue on democratic governance issues among the youth of Africa by advocating and emphasizing the role they can play in Africa’s social, political and economic development.

African youth between the ages of 18-35 are eligible to apply as delegates. Youth from other continents can participate as observers for purposes of experience sharing.

For more information, please visit the conference website at http://www.aygconference.org/.

18-25 August 2009: 20th International Youth Forum, Seoul, Republic of Korea The International Youth Forum, organized by the National Youth Council of Korea and hosted by the Korean Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, will focus on Climate Change and Green Development. The Forum intends to provide youth from Korea and abroad with a place where they can meet and share opinions on these issues, allowing them to find ways to cooperate with each other. For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected].

21-26 August 2009: TUNZA International Youth Conference The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the UNEP National Committee for the Republic of Korea will be organizing its Tunza International Youth Conference on the Environment in Daejeon. The Conference will bring together 200 youth to learn about the environment through plenary sessions, workshops and field trips. The Conference will be be divided into three segments: a Global Town Hall meeting on 21 August, Regional Meetings from 22-23 August and a Conference from 24-26 August. The daily themes include Climate change: Limiting the Foot Print, Youth and Green Jobs, Disasters and Conflicts and their Impact on the Environment and Sustainable Lifestyles. More information: http://www.unep.org/tunza/youth/conferences_events/TIYC2009.

31 August – 4 September 2009: World Climate Conference-3 Organized by the World Meteorological Organization, the World Climate Conference-3 (WCC-3) provides the world community with a unique opportunity to address the challenges associated with current climate variability so as to build societal resilience to the imminent effects of climate change.

For more information, please visit http://www.wmo.int/pages/world_climate_conference.

September 2009

29-30 September 2009: Global Youth Enterprise Conference

Designed as a participatory learning event, this conference aims to support youth enterprise and entrepreneurship programmes and policies to achieve greater effectiveness around the world. Participants include practitioners, funding organizations, the private sector, academics and youth leaders from around the world who will share best practices, unique approaches, and groundbreaking ideas that help youth develop the necessary skills and opportunities to start their own businesses or seek quality employment. Prospective participants are being encouraged to share their 2020 Vision for the Youth Enterprise, Employment, and Livelihoods Development Field. A call for proposals has been issued. For more information visit: http://www.youthenterpriseconference.org/.

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October 2009

1-3 October 2009: 6th UNESCO Youth Forum

The 6th UNESCO Youth Forum will take place from 1-3 October 2009 in Paris as an integral part of the 35th UNESCO General Conference. The Youth Forum will give its youth participants the vital opportunity to exchange views, share experiences, and identify common opportunities and challenges. The Forum’s main theme "Investing out of the crisis: towards a partnership between UNESCO and youth organizations” will be complemented by a cross-cutting theme on "Youth participation - UNESCO Youth Forum, a long term approach''. The Forum will result in a final report which will be presented at the General Conference.

Youth delegates will be nominated by UNESCO Member States as members of their official delegations. Youth organizations, international and national NGOs and UN agencies will be invited as observers.

For more information please go to http://portal.unesco.org/ or email [email protected].

24 October - 2 November 2009: Indigenous Climate Connections: Indigenous Youth and Climate Change; Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Indigenous Climate Connections aims to help youth to understand and take action on climate change as an issue of Indigenous rights/self- determination. Indigenous Climate Connections will empower Indigenous youth to take action on their rights as Indigenous peoples .This will involve trainings on UN mechanisms (e.g. the UNPFII) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Delegates will be able to use these trainings to apply the UNDRIP and UN mechanisms to their local, national situations. To know more on the ICC, or to register for the conference, follow this link http://climate.conscious.maori.nz/.

November 2009

28 November - 4 December 2009; Copenhagen Ahead of the UN conference on climate change in December, children and teenagers (aged 14-17), from 42 countries meet in the Danish capital to agree on recommendations for the world leaders. For more information visit http://www.unicef.dk/script/site/default.asp.

December 2009

2-6 December 2009: International Seminar on EuroMediterranean Voluntary Work - France

This seminar aims to introduce the EuroMediterranean Voluntary service and its impacts and encourage new initiatives in the Euromed Region. The seminar targets promoters, members of NGO's, representative of institutes and public bodies who are already experienced in the voluntary work and/or European Voluntary Service and wishing to share their experiences and to exchange practises on volunteering.

For more information and application please visit http://www.salto-youth.net/euromedevsfrance/

7-18 December 2009: United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15)

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The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change entered into force on 21 March 1994. The Convention sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle climate change and recognizes that the climate system is a shared resource whose stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The Convention enjoys near universal membership, with 192 countries having ratified. A number of nations had approved the Kyoto Protocol, as an addition to the treaty with more powerful (and legally binding) measures. The Protocol's first commitment period ends in 2012. A strong multilateral framework needs to be in place by 2009 to ensure that there is no gap between the end of the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period in 2012 and the entry into force of a future regime. COP15 (Conference of Parties) in Copenhagen is a vital step in this process.

For more information, visit: http://www.cop15.dk

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CONTACT INFORMATION

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