Youth Flash Newsletter April 2013

On 25 January 2012, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined the Five-year Action Agenda for his second term in office, which laid out five generational imperatives to be addressed by the United Nations, requiring the mobilization of all the human, financial and political resources available to the Organization. Working with and for young people is one of these imperatives. The United Nations system is called on to address the needs of the largest generation of young people the world has ever known by developing and implementing an action plan on youth.

In response to the Secretary-General’s Action Agenda, the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD) has prepared a System-wide Action Plan on Youth (Youth-SWAP). In addition to responding to the Secretary-General’s Five-year Action Agenda, the Youth-SWAP also addresses requests from Member States to intensify efforts towards a more coherent, comprehensive and integrated approach to youth development, through, inter alia, the Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development.

The Youth-SWAP was developed following a consultative process with young people. A global survey was conducted by the Inter-agency Network on Youth Development (IANYD) in July-August 2012 to obtain inputs to the Youth-SWAP. Over 13,500 respondents from 186 countries participated in the survey. The results of the survey identified young people’s development priorities and confirmed many of the approaches adopted by the UN system to promote youth development. The survey results served as a basis to develop the System-wide Action Plan on Youth.

The Youth-SWAP will guide the work of the whole UN system to promote young people’s human rights and development needs. It derives its mandate from the World Programme of Action for Youth and other inter-governmental agreements.

Based on the Secretary-General’s Five-year Action Agenda, the System-wide Action Plan focuses on the following thematic areas: employment, entrepreneurship, protection of rights, civic engagement, political inclusion, education, including comprehensive sexuality education, and health. It is understood that the thematic areas touch upon, and leverage the potential and benefits of UN work in other areas affecting youth development, such as sustainable development and climate change and culture among others. Information and communication technology (ICT) is seen as a cross-cutting tool to accelerate progress in all areas of the Youth-SWAP.

The System-wide Action Plan on Youth has recently been endorsed by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination at its spring session on 5-6 April 2013.   The Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development is currently developing an implementation framework for the Youth-SWAP and several regional inter-agency networks have already started the process of developing regional implementation plans for the Youth-SWAP. We will keep you posted on further developments!
For further information, please contact us: youth@un.org
Connect with us
http://social.un.org/index/Youth.aspx
Facebook.com/UNyouthyear
Twitter.com/UN4Youth

UNDESA

15 July: Informal Interactive Hearings on Migration and Development

As part of the preparatory activities for the General Assembly High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development to be held 3 and 4 October 2013, the President of the General Assembly will hold one-day informal interactive hearings with representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations and the private sector at the United Nations headquarters in New York on 15 July 2013. The objective of the informal interactive hearings is to provide an opportunity for NGOs, civil society organizations including youth-led organizations and the private sector to interact with Member States and to provide inputs for the High-level Dialogue.

A website for the informal interactive hearings for the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development is now available. Importantly, the website includes under 'NGO Participation' the link to the pre-registration both for representatives of NGOs with ECOSOC consultative status, as well as for representatives of civil society organizations and the private sector without ECOSOC consultative status for both the hearings and the High-level Dialogue.

http://www.un.org/esa/population/meetings/HLD2013/hld2013.html

Young Creative Minds Raise Awareness of Critical Forest-related Issues

They are gifted storytellers who are using stunning visual imagery and powerful narratives to raise awareness of the challenges affecting forests and those who dwell within them, as well as to spur action to protect this vital resource. They are international award winners, and they are all under the age of 30. They are recipients of awards handed out this week in Istanbul during the tenth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF10).

http://www.un.org/esa/forests/international-day-of-forests/video.html

MDG Momentum - 1,000 Days of Action

On 5 April, the UN and partners worldwide observed the 1,000-day mark to the 2015 target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are the most successful global anti-poverty push in history. Governments, international organizations and civil society groups around the world have helped to cut in half the world’s extreme poverty rate. There are 1,000 days to accelerate action on issues such as hunger, access to education, improved sanitation, maternal health and gender equality.

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

Office of the Envoy of the Secretary-General on Youth

The UNSG’s Envoy on Youth Recent Activities

Appointed on 17 January, the first ever Envoy on Youth has been very active in his new role serving the world’s Youth, advocating for better opportunities and friendlier policies for Youth throughout the globe, both within the UN and other civil society partners. Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi’s Work-Plan which is based on four main principles -- participation, advocacy, partnerships and harmonization – was officially endorsed by the UN Secretary-General at the ECOSOC Youth Forum, who called on the International Community, including Senior UN officials, to give him their full support in his new mission.

The Envoy’s new role entails carrying the voice of the UN into programmes for young people and in return, taking the voice of youth back to the UN and its agencies, thus aiming at a partnership where Youth are part of the discussion, formulation and implementation processes of the development agenda. The SG has also described the Envoy on Youth’s mission as the harmonizer of the United Nations’ work on youth issues.

To fulfill this role, the Envoy on Youth has been attending high-level meetings and forums, representing the voice of Youth on a wide range of issues affecting their lives and making sure that these issues figure prominently in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

The Envoy on Youth’s Recent Missions

On 19 March, the Envoy attended the “Global Meeting on Education in the Post-2015 Development Agenda” in Dakar, Senegal, advocating for a youth-friendly Post-2015 Agenda.

In New York for the ECOSOC Youth Forum on 27 March, he stressed the importance of engaging youth as leading users and developers in science, technology and innovation to address global challenges.

In Marseille, France, the Envoy attended the AGORA Youth Workshop: “Youth Empowerment for Social Integration” at the Anna Lindh Forum on 5 April, on social integration challenges faced by Arab and European youth, and the need for national and regional action.

In Oslo, Norway, Mr Alhendawi spoke at the “Energy and the Post-2015 Development Agenda” High-Level Meeting on 9 April, where he highlighted the central role energy plays in the Post-2015 development agenda and youth support for a low-carbon development agenda.

From 10-11 April, he attended the Arab Development Forum in Amman, Jordan. Civil society, academia and private sector participants addressed Post-2015 Agenda issues, including poverty reduction, conflict resolution, civic engagement, access to basic services and environmental sustainability.
The Envoy delivered a keynote speech at the 8th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting: “Young People at the Centre of Sustainable Development”, in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on 17 April.

Google+ Hangouts

The United Nations Secretary General's Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi has announced the hosting of a first in a series of Google+ Hangouts on 17 May 2013 10 a.m. EST. The Google+ Hangout will focus on the Envoy on Youth's role, and some of the key initiatives of the United Nations on youth and how it plans to engage youth at the international, regional and national levels. The UNV Executive Co-ordinator and the Co-chair of the Inter-Agency Network on Youth Development will take part in the Hangout, in addition to 3 youth leaders to be announced soon.

The UN youth envoy invites young people to participate in this event, by sending questions using one of the following channels

E-mail: unyouthenvoy@gmail.com

Facebook: UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth-Ahmad Alhendawi http://bit.ly/YouthEnvoyHangout

Twitter: @AhmadAlhendawi and using #UNYouth

UNESCO

“Islands of the Future – youth building sustainable prospects for SIDS”

In collaboration with UNICEF and other UN and regional partners, UNESCO is contributing to engaging young women and men in SIDS to foster youth action for sustainable futures in SIDS. The aim is to promote youth empowerment, advocacy and networking in SIDS, as well as strengthen youth capacity in contributing to national youth policies, networking, and mobilizing for international sustainable development meetings (e.g. BPOA +20). A multi-agency collaborative effort has been initiated since the end of 2012 towards convening special regional activities and consultations for youth in the lead-up to Samoa 2014. A call for participation “My World, My SIDS” was widely disseminated worldwide in April 2013 and the selection process will take place in May 2013 to allow SIDS youth delegates to attend the SIDS Youth Networking Events which will feed the SIDS preparatory process. These regional meetings will take place from 26 June– 1 July (Kingston, Jamaica), 4-9 July (Nadi, Fiji) and 11-16 July (Victoria, Seychelles), and will be followed by an interregional meeting later in the year.

Web:click here

Contact:  k.ikhlef@unesco.org

UNESCO and Youth Launch the International Year of Water Cooperation

On 11 February, young women and men participated in the launch of the 2013 International Year of Water Cooperation. Twenty MSc and PhD students of UNESCO-IHE attended a youth-focused event to share their knowledge and ideas on water cooperation, during the worldwide launch of the International Year of Water Cooperation was launched at UNESCO HQ on the same day. During this parallel youth event, organized by UNESCO at the Water Pavilion in Paris, the young participants worked together with students from Fukushima (Japan), universities in France and members of the Youth Parliament of Water.

Contact:  m.dora@unesco.org
Web:click here

Projects Selected for the UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers 2013

Following the call for project proposals in January 2013, 55 projects at 53 World Heritage sites have been selected to be part of the “World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) 2013 – Patrimonito Voluntary Action, Inspiring Change”. Jointly coordinated by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC) and the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS), WHV aims to mobilize and involve young people and youth organizations in World Heritage promotion and preservation. From the Great Wall in China to Galápagos Islands in Ecuador, each project consists of various activities such as workshops on World Heritage, hands-on activities for preservation of the sites, and opportunities to experience local culture. An Evaluation and Planning Meeting of the WHV was held in March in Spitz-an-der-Donau, Austria, where representatives from 15 organizations participating in the WHV 2013 shared their past experiences and suggestions for the programme.

Web: http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/714.

Two New Episodes of Patrimonito’s World Heritage Adventures n° 10 and 11

Two new episodes of "Patrimonito’s World Heritage Adventures" Cartoon Series are now available. Episode 10, "Patrimonito in Lebanon: Sustainable Development for the Site of Ouadi Qadisha and the Forest of the Cedars of God", was produced in 2012, based on a storyline from the Patrimonito International Storyboard Competition 2010/2011. The episode raises the importance of sustainable development and encourages young people to protect World Heritage. Episode 11, “Patrimonito in the Republic of Korea: Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple and Youth Involvement”, which has just been completed, highlights the role of youth in World Heritage promotion and preservation. The episode is based on the storyboard submitted by the Republic of Korea in the 2012 Patrimonito National Storyboard Competition. The two episodes are available online, along with the previous episodes, at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre website. Episode 12, “Patrimonito in China: The Great Wall and Youth” is also expected to be available this year.
Web: http://whc.unesco.org/en/patrimonito/.
Contact: c.quin@unesco.org

Building Skills for Youth Civic Engagement in Indonesia

In Indonesia, UNESCO has contributed to supporting youth empowerment through a comprehensive programme that includes research, training for youth, support to youth-led initiatives and consultation of youth on the Post-2015 Agenda. UNESCO has conducted research to identify the gaps and weaknesses of the youth policy in Indonesia. The research team has come up with a set of recommendations that will be brought to further discussion with policy-makers. UNESCO has also provided capacity building for young women and men on key skills such as advocacy, action-plan development and networking and direct support to youth organizations through the UNESCO Youth-led Initiatives Grant Scheme. The programme included a youth consultation on the UN Post-2015 Agenda. The results have been submitted to the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons that is designing the new global development framework after the Millennium Development Goals.

Full report is available at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002202/220232E.pdf

Contact: m.aguirre-idiaquez@unesco.org

Building Peace through Youth Civic Engagement in Burundi

In follow-up to the training of ten national trainers on civic education and social cohesion, conducted by the “Réseau des Jeunes en Action pour la Paix” (REJA) and UNESCO in Bujumbura, February 2013, UNESCO and RESA supported the ten trained trainers in further applying what they have learned in the provinces of Bujumbura, Gitega, Muramvya et Mwaro. In March 2013, the trainers led capacity building workshops for a total of 153 representatives of youth and women associations, local administration and officials, as wells as representatives of religious groups. These workshops looked into the following themes: civic education, diversity of cultural expressions, intercultural dialogues, peace and human rights’ education; democratic principles, participation in decision-making, good governance, fight against corruption, transparent and peaceful elections. Through interactive exchanges and role-play, the participants discovered and understood the important role that they can play by participating in decision-making, implementation and monitoring of public policies.

Contact: y.matuturu@unesco.org

GYM: Gender, Youth and Migration

Following the international workshop on “Migration, Gender and Social Justice”, held in Trivandrum, Kerala on 14-16 February 2013, UNESCO and UNICEF have joined efforts to develop a knowledge management tool on Gender, Youth and Migration (GYM) as a sub-community under existing Gender Community (UN Solutions Exchange–India). A formal meeting with UNICEF, UN-Solutions Exchange and UNESCO has taken place to outline the next steps for this initiative. The GYM sub-community aims to serve as a one-stop window where practitioners and academics can find available information on migration related works, focusing on youth and gender, including latest events and publications. It would thus be a dedicated ‘resource hub’ that brings together people, enabling them to learn from each other and stay connected. It would additionally help consolidate the informal UNESCO-UNICEF Internal Migration in India Initiative (IMII), a network of approximate 200 researchers, NGOs, policymaker, UN agencies and key partners, such as UN Women, UN-HABITAT, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and ensure its sustainability in the long term.

Contact: m.faetanini@unesco.org

Sandwatch: Empowering Youth to Adapt to Climate Change in Indonesia

“Sandwatch” is a global environmental education project supported by UNESCO, where youth and adults work together to monitor and evaluate problems facing their coastal environments, and then implement activities to address problems identified. Since the launch of the Sandwatch pilot project in Indonesia in 2012, approximately 200 students aged 13 to 17 from nine schools have been involved in activities. Sandwatch in Indonesia strengthens existing local curriculum on coastal environment focusing on beach monitoring, and traditional marine ecological knowledge. Sandwatch training has been held in three pilot sites: Wangi-wangi, Wakatobi in December 2012, Nusa Penida, Bali in February 2013 and Lhonga, Aceh in March 2013. To date, Sandwatch has been successful in bringing a positive impact in widening students’ knowledge about their beach and encouraging them to actively participate in efforts to save coastal environment.

Contact: l.hiwasaki@unesco.org

Youth Employment Network (YEN)

Project Impact!

According to the World Bank, as much as 40% of youth employment projects have no impact on labor market outcomes for youth. The Youth Employment Network (YEN) wants to help reduce this percentage and see more projects impact youth positively. Failure is a great teacher and the reality is that even the best program plans will face challenges in successful implementation as they respond to the realities on the ground. Many organizations have learned valuable lessons both when projects succeed and fail. Sharing these lessons from the field could help to increase impacts of other projects.

This is why YEN has just launched Project Impact! an online competition to gather important lessons and to share them with practitioners. We are seeking submissions from any youth employment project anywhere in the world. The projects with the most insightful lessons will receive a cash award and be featured at the 2013 Global Youth Economic Opportunities in Washington DC.

For more information, go to: https://yenmarketplace.org/whats-working-competition

Youth Employment Programme (YEP)

Youth Guarantees: ILO’s Call for Action

As young people continue to be disproportionately affected by the employment crisis, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has said it is ready to join forces with the European Commission to support EU member states in implementing youth guarantees.

The concept of youth guarantee implies an entitlement to a job, training or education of a defined group of young people seeking employment and an obligation for the Public Employment Service (PES) or another public authority to provide the services and/or implement the programmes within a given period of time. ILO review shows that youth guarantees can play a significant role in reducing the scars of long-term unemployment and of disconnect from labour markets of the unemployed and discouraged young women and men.

The ILO and the European Commission will actively pursue ways to cooperate on a review of youth guarantee schemes and a range of other policy measures for youth employment.

Read EU-wide youth guarantees - ILO at the ready: http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_209283/lang--en/index.htm

ILO Policy Brief on Youth Guarantees: http://www.ilo.org/employment/Whatwedo/Publications/WCMS_209468/lang--en/index.htm

Decent Work for Youth Platform

The ILO Youth Employment Programme will launch the Decent Work for Youth Platform in May! Users will have the chance to explore the platform’s 3 sections: learn, share and connect! On the platform users can learn about the importance of decent work for youth, share “good practices” and initiatives with the community, and connect with all sorts of people and institutions working on youth employment. Many of the contributions to the platform will go directly into ILO thematic reports. Stay tuned on www.ilo.org/yep for the launch!

Academy on Youth Development

In order to meet increasing demands for support from countries on youth development issues, the International Training Centre of the ILO will be organizing a capacity building programme on youth development policies and programmes. The two-week Academy on Youth Development will take place in Turin, Italy, from 24 June to 5 July 2013. Its ultimate objective is to support the development and implementation of policies and programmes that effectively respond to young people's needs in four core areas: youth employment and entrepreneurship; education and training; health, including sexual and reproductive health; and youth participation and civic engagement. The Academy is a platform for training and capacity building, knowledge-sharing and mutual learning for international and national actors concerned with youth development issues.
To register visit:  http://www.itcilo.org/academies/youthdevelopment
Application deadline: 03 May 2013

ITU

Young Innovators’ Competition

ITU is looking for the next generation of social technopreneurs – young people aged between 18 and 26 with an inspirational ICT-based solution to developmental challenges. Ten winning finalists will be selected to attend ITU Telecom World 2013 in Bangkok, taking part in workshops, pitching sessions, mentoring and networking, plus receiving seed funding of up to USD 10,000 per project. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2013.
 
Find out more about the competition: http://world2013.itu.int/event/innovation/

Email: young.innovators@itu.int

OECD

OECD Forum 2013
For twelve years, the OECD Forum has gathered world leaders, government ministers, CEOs, NGOs, academia and trade unions to debate on the most pressing policy issues of the day. This year the OECD Forum will take place on 28-29-May 2013.
We are now into the fifth year of the greatest economic crisis of our lifetimes, 200 million people around the world are unemployed, and we are faced with increasing inequalities in advanced and many emerging economies. Many countries are under immense pressure to put their public finances back on a sustainable footing, yet at the same time investment must be made to generate confidence and kick start growth. It is essential that growth becomes more inclusive and sustainable.
Building on outcomes of Forum 2012, Forum 2013 will be organized around three key themes at the heart of the debate on how to achieve a sustainable future: promoting inclusive growth and addressing inequalities, rebuilding trust in the system, and fostering sustainability.
Participation is by invitation. To register your interest, go to: http://www.oecd.org/forum/register/

UNIC Almaty

Paving the Way to Post-2015

In a bid to prepare for the future they want, the UN Office Almaty organized series of student round tables, discussions and Model UN simulations in Kazakhstan.

Throughout February and March, the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda was on the front burner in the cities of Almaty and Temirtau when students at Kazakh Economic University, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakh-American University, Miras International School, the Foundation of the First President of Kazakhstan and Tokhtar Aubakirov college discussed the importance of sustainable development, environmental sustainability, education, tolerance and political stability on country, regional and global levels as well as key UN led initiatives and international observances.

http://unic.un.org/imu/recentActivities/post/2013/03/24/Paving-the-way-to-post-2015.aspx

UNIC Lima

Schools for Tolerance

The UN Information Centre (UNIC) Lima organized an introductory workshop for the “Youth for Tolerance” project launched by the Friends of the UN Club, whereby a series of activities with a special focus on racism and homophobia, are being conducted throughout the 2013 school year.

Undertaken by upper grade high school students, one of the activities is the creation of a blog to exchange ideas about tolerance, racism and homophobia. Others activities included training school correspondents to cover the topics, and songwriting and producing audiovisual material (photographs, videos, cartoons) for a school-wide campaign promoting the value of tolerance in opposition to racism and homophobia.

http://unic.un.org/imu/recentActivities/post/2013/03/26/School-for-Tolerance.aspx

UNIC Yangon

Myanmar Journalists Learn that Disasters are not Natural

Young journalists attending a Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR) workshop learned that while hazards are natural, disasters are not. Young journalists were provided with information and skills to help reduce the risk of disasters in Myanmar. “Teach us like we are children,” one nascent Myanmar journalist implored.  “How do you expect us to reach out to the trishaw men and bus drivers and make them aware of DRR when we yet to understand it ourselves?”

http://unic.un.org/imu/recentActivities/post/2013/03/29/null.aspx

UNIC Mexico

The Experience of a Blue Helmet

Brenda Mabel Quiroz Alarcón had the chance to learn about the UN Blue Helmet force during a UN Model organized by her high school - Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Hidalgo.  She didn’t know what it would be like in the beginning, nor could imagine the kind of experiences she would take home; she didn't even realize that her job would be very serious.  However, once it was over, she called it one of the most rewarding experiences she ever had in school.

http://unic.un.org/imu/recentActivities/post/2013/04/03/null.aspx

UNIC Tokyo

Honoring Water in Japan

Chuo University, a participating UN Academic Impact university, organized a symposium together with UNIC Tokyo and other entities on 22 March to commemorate World Water Day 2013 and the International Year of Water Cooperation 2013.  Water and its safety issues were the topics selected by the University when it joined UNAI three years ago.

http://unic.un.org/imu/recentActivities/category/Tokyo.aspx

UNRIC Brussels

One Man’s Trash is a UN Intern’s Treasure

Over lunch, UNRIC’s Deputy Director discussed with her intern how the UN Regional Centre could step up its outreach activities in the UK. Intern Sigurd Tvete proposed a partnership between the London-based recycling company "Renew", which produces innovative recycling bins. At a cost of £25,000 per unit, the bins are bomb-blast proof and feature large digital information screens.

Sigurd engaged UNRIC's graphic designer to re-purpose posters from the ad competition "Say No to Violence Against Women". On 8 March, for International Women's Day, UNRIC rolled out a campaign on all of Renew's recycling bins around the City of London with a likely reach of more than three million views. At a frequency of one ad per minute, in all, that's roughly 200 screens throughout the day being reminded to "Say No to Violence Against Women"!

http://unic.un.org/imu/recentActivities/category/Brussels.asp

Do One Thing to support Cultural Diversity and Inclusion

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) in partnership with UNESCO, and various other partners from corporations to civil society, is launching the world campaign “Do One Thing for Diversity and Inclusion”, aimed at engaging people around the world to Do One Thing to support Cultural Diversity and Inclusion. Following the adoption in 2001 of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, the UN General Assembly declared 21 May as the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. This Day raises awareness on the richness of world cultures and the opportunities that cultural diversity can bring to societies.
http://www.unaoc.org/do-one-thing-for-diversity-and-inclusion/

Youth in Motion

Youth in Motion is a joint initiative of the Latin American Center on Youth (CELAJU) and the United Nations Organization for Education, Science, Culture and Communication (UNESCO). It aims to develop scientific research, in order to analyze the main features and the most relevant impacts of youth movements in general and students in particular, emerging in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as promoting the creation of a common forum for exchange of specialized researchers, youth leaders and decision makers. Participation and contribution of specialists from agencies of the United Nations and other major international organizations such as the Ibero-American Youth Organization (OIJ) and the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) is also ensured. Results of the process will be published, and a Virtual Library on Youth Movements in Latin America will include documentation available during this process.

Web: http://jovenesenmovimiento.celaju.net/
Contact: jcarranza@unesco.org.uy

Post-2015 Youth Consultations: The Results Are In!
 
‘Youth Voices on a Post-2015 World’ is the result of youth consultations that were run in 12 countries globally from October 2012 to January 2013 to understand young people’s views on what should come after the Millennium Development Goals. 346 young people were given the space to discuss the local and global issues of importance to them, and articulate their visions and solutions for a better world beyond 2015. Delivered through a global network of 14 youth-led and youth-focused partners, these consultations have engaged diverse groups of young people rarely present in global or national policy-making processes.

This innovative collaboration adds strength and depth to the existing global conversation that young people are engaging in on what development can and must look like beyond the expiry of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. It also provides a depth of analysis and understanding rarely seen; offering access and insight on the world that young people want, and showing that young people can and must be a leading part of the solution.

You can view the report in full at www.youthpost2015.org/youth-voices, or to download your own copy please visit Restless Development’s resources site.

World Youth Foundation

International Conference on Trafficking of Young Women and Children,

World Youth Foundation is pleased to invite you to participate in the International Conference on Trafficking of Young Women and Children to be held from 3rd – 7th September 2013 at Melaka, Malaysia. The five day International Conference aims to operate primarily in an interactive mode  to provide an opportunity for young people to discuss, understand, share, find solutions and develop strategies on issues pertaining to young women and human trafficking that can be implemented at country level. The International Conference will seek to educate and empower youth about issues on human trafficking and to serve as a resource by providing valuable information about other initiatives working to address human trafficking. The Call of Participation, Provisional programme, Application form, FAQ and Payment Details can be found at www.wyf.org.my or email WYF at wyf@po.jaring.my / wrdyth@gmail.com for further information.

UNA Youth Edinburgh

Link Arms against Arms

The under-regulated arms trade has devastating consequences for people around the globe. Each year, armed conflict kills an estimated 200,000 people. Millions more suffer indirectly from the threat of violence, which destroys livelihoods and displaces communities.

The United Nations has now passed the worlds first Arms Trade Treaty, that would limit conventional weapons from falling into the wrong hands. While this is a step closer to a safer world, we at UNA Youth Edinburgh still demand for stricter laws and regulations to be addressed within this treaty and have organized a campaign in order to be herd regarding the same.

Our campaign ‘Link Arms against Arms’ is a physical display of solidarity. A way of showing those at the negotiations our strong desire about a well-regulated arms trade.
Watch our campaign video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4gBMWwiPTI

2013 Design Science: Global Solutions Lab

The ninth annual Design Science/Global Solutions Lab is being held this summer, June 16-24, 2013, at the United Nations in New York and Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. Students and young professionals from around the world are briefed by UN experts, develop strategies for solving one of the world's most critical problems, and present their work at the UN.
This year the Lab will focus on the regeneration and greening of cities. Food, energy, water, transportation, shelter, health-care, education, and the environment are all on the table. Is fundamental re-design of our basic life-support systems essential for sustainable cities in the 21st century? If so, what are these designs?

Participants work collaboratively and intensely for seven days. They present their work to UN, corporate and foundation leaders on the last day of the Lab, as well as have their work published in a book. To see last year's publication, check out http://www.designsciencelab.com/book.
Further details and registration information are at www.designsciencelab.com.

Population Reference Bureau

The World's Youth 2013 Data Sheet

Girls and boys in developing countries are enrolling in secondary school in greater numbers than ever before, giving them knowledge and skills for healthy, productive lives. While this is good news, many young people still face challenges to employment, and they must also navigate serious risks to their health, such as smoking, early marriage and childbearing, or having unprotected sex.

The World's Youth 2013 Data Sheet provides a comprehensive portrait of the well-being of youth ages 10 to 24 across the globe, including such indicators as the current and projected size of youth populations, educational enrollments, labor force participation, marriage and fertility, and health risks and behaviors.

Link:
http://www.prb.org/Publications/Datasheets/2013/youth-datasheet-2013.aspx/