OIYP Voice
August 2005
Focus Peace and Conflict
This month’s focus will be on issues of Peace and Conflict, looking at the ways that IYP Action Partners are working towards a more stable world in which all people can live without fear of violence.
Recent world history has not been encouraging to those seeking a more peaceful society. Many wars are being fought at present in the full glare of the world media, wars which serve the political purposes of a few but do not regard the shattered lives of many. There are, too, conflicts in more forgotten parts of the globe that are deeply destructive but which go unreported and unacknowledged. IYP Action Partners play an important role in both areas, campaigning for change and for a better world. Our stories this month include an overview of the campaigns of Amnesty International in Italy and an opportunity to get involved in UNOY’s day of peace campaign.
Next month, IYP Voice will focus on Gender, following a successful gender skills share in the OIYP Skills Forum. If anybody has a story to tell which focuses on this area of Action, please email iypvoice@caa.org.au.
See September’s Voice to read more about the great work of OIYP Action Partners in this area!
We hope you enjoy this issue.
The OIYP Voice Team
Editor: Catherine Loy
Action Partner News
Read about positive change and accomplishments by OIYP Action Partners around the world, including within our monthly theme.
Hazem Abu-Hussain
OIYP 2004 Action Partner, Ireland.
At this point in my project, I am still taking part in the planning process, as well as supervising the execution of the various steps of Cancer Awareness Day. The project is being led by one of our IFMSA-Ireland officers (Alaa Ayyoub).
At the moment, a draft plan of the marathon (to be held at the end of April or early May 2006) was sent to Dublin City Council for approval. Once we receive that, we will produce a survey this fall and disseminate it to the public and get some feedback as to their understanding on certain issues we wish to focus on. This will help us develop the activities planned for Cancer Awareness Day. A team will be set to deal with various aspects of the day (i.e. such as the information stands and media events).
We have the full support and backing of the Irish Cancer Society, who have been extremely helpful and are willing to provide the logistics we will need to hold the marathon (i.e. cover insurance, publicity, t-shirts, information leaflets, etc.).
As for me, I'm finishing up my last reports for IFMSA-Ireland and IFMSA. If you're interested and would like to know more about the federation, please go to www.ifmsa.ie and www.ifmsa.org.
Soon enough, I'll start studying for my Step 1 USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exams) exam and that will keep my busy all summer until college starts again in September!
My term for IFMSA-Ireland will end by December 31st, 2005 and then I'll be strictly focused on my studies and Cancer Awareness Day!
Mostafa Sen
OIYP 2004 Action Partner, Cambodia.
Under the support of UNICEF UK and Cambodia, Child Assistance for Mobilization and Participation (CAMP) sent a Cambodian Child Representative named Sou Thida to participate in the C8 Forum. C8 is a children and young people’s version of the G8 meeting.
The C8 met from 1 to 6 July 2005 in Scotland where the UK hosted the G8 meeting. UNICEF UK brought children and young people from 8 of the
world’s least developed countries together with young people from G8 countries to debate, discuss and firmly place their issues on the agenda of
the G8 leaders.
The representative children not only participated in the C8 forum but also participated in the G8 meeting, presenting the recommendations they made during the C8 forum. So we hope that the childrens’ voices will reach the G8 leaders and have a positive impact upon future decision-making.
Mostafa Sen
Program Manager of CAMP, Cambodia
Duncan Japhta Khothatso Moeketse,
OIYP 2004 Action Partner, South Africa.
South Africaheld a national AIDS conference on HIV/AIDS from the 07 - 10 June in Durban, South Africa. We had delegates from all over the world and OIYP sponsored Elisha Cliff and myself to represent you guys. Unfortunately, though, Elisha couldn’t attend.
After the conference Oxfam Australia (South Africa office) organized post-conference training on gender that was attended by delegates from Oxfam partners and organizations supported by Oxfam in other parts of Africa, such as Combined Gender and HIV/AIDS (Cogenha) serving in Zimbabwe and Johap (Joint Oxfam HIV/AIDS Programme) from Mozambique. I had the honour of making a presentation about OIYP and youth initiatives that were supported by OIYP post-IYP2004, specifically on my project, Project Y2Y, that has had an impact in my community. A few days after the training I received an invitation to apply as voluntary Oxfam HIV/AIDS Southern Africa Program Advisory Board member, representing the youth.
Story of the Month
Our Story of the Month is by Catherine Bevilacqua, OIYP 2004 Action Partner from Italy, who reflects on what her project with Italian Amnesty International has achieved since the sitting of the Oxfam International Youth Parliament in Sydney one year ago.
Every year on 10 October, human rights activists worldwide take to the streets and speak out to mark the World Day Against the Death Penalty. At our regional Amnesty International demonstration in the centre of Milan, Italy, local groups came together to petition for urgent cases of detainees on death row in various countries in the world, from the USA to Iran. Volunteers were on site from the early morning talking to the general public, with information materials, petitions and a video-documentary playing throughout the day.
Members of youth groups contributed to this event that raised more than three thousand signatures, with some creative action: as they lay on the ground like corpses on a crime scene, their silhouettes traced in chalk, passers-by stopped in their footsteps to look at the case profiles chalked on black signs next to their bodies and read out on a loudspeaker by activists (“My name is Iskandar. I ‘confessed’ under torture. Now I am sentenced to death. -Uzbekistan”). It was a simple but effective idea to raise awareness that day, as people approached volunteers to know more.
Photos of this and other local action are on AI Italy’s youth groups’ new (as-of-yet unofficial) website, www.amnestyoung.it(click on the link ‘foto’). Most recently, one university group presented a theatre piece on the Rwanda genocide of 1994, with a survivor opening the event as guest speaker.
On a national level, much energy in the past year has focussed on youth participation within our Italian section, and on co-ordination between youth groups. On the national youth activism team we have organized regional and national meetings that allowed groups to exchange ideas and plan action together (a demonstration to stop the use of child soldiers in northern Uganda was one result of these efforts).
Youth groups are also key actors in AI Italy’s contribution to the innovative Control Arms campaign: supported jointly by Amnesty International, Oxfam and IANSA, this campaign to control the global arms trade aims to collect 1 million photos worldwide of people requesting an Arms Trade Treaty. The photo petition will be presented to the UN in 2006. If you have not yet joined the online petition, don’t wait for camera-wielding activists to come your way: add your face on www.controlarms.orgnow!
So, as the anniversary (sob) of the OIYP draws near, a new season of activism begins. I will be moving to Boston, USA for my studies from September, so my life too takes a new turn as I leave behind work in progress and exciting developments in youth activism locally and nationally. Who knows what form my activism and action plan will take? However I look forwarding to finding out, for no doubt wherever I am I will never be lacking possibilities to act – one way or another - for social change.
august Feature: YOUth ACTion Peace Day
Our August Feature is an invitation from UNOY to participate on September 21st in the International Day of Peace, 24 hours around the globe
The United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY Peacebuilders) is a global network of young people and youth organisations active in the field of peacebuilding, mostly working in conflict and post- conflict regions. They run the Peace-it-together campaign. UNOY would like to invite OIYP Action Partners to join the YOUth ACTion Peace Day.
[WHAT?] Join a youth global celebration for peace! We invite you to organize an activity to celebrate the International Day of Peace on the 21st September. The idea is to involve as many young people as possible!
UNOY Peacebuilders will provide technical support by sharing materials and ideas, will coordinate an on-line virtual conference, collect information about the activities undertaken by youth, and give visibility to them through its website, newsletter and a public event in New York.
The purpose of this public event is to present the results of the Civil Society World Mid-term Report on the Culture of Peace, which among other aspects, highlights the participation of youth. Five YOUth ACTion Peace Day activities will be presented at this public event that will be attended by ambassadors to the UN General Assembly, UN officers, important organizations based in the US and the media. *
[WHY?]
§ Contribute to develop a culture of peace and non-violence
§ Be linked to a global network of young peacebuilders
§ Get inspired and learn from others
§ Be eligible to be part of the advocacy team for the Mid-term Report on a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence in New York during October 2005*
[WHO?] Young people committed to build a Culture of Peace!
[WHERE?] Local: In your own community!
Global: join an on-line virtual conference!
[WHEN?] International Day of Peace: 21st September 2005
[EXAMPLES of what YOU could do]
These are examples of actions developed during 2004 by members of the United Network of Young Peacebuilders:
· Play for Peace, Peace It Together: peace through sports like in RWANDA.
· Organise a peace walk, like in SOMALIA (See picture SOYDEN Somalia sent by Osman Moallim).
· Repair and maintain public school buildings like in BOLIVIA.
· Drum for peace in a train station like in the NETHERLANDS.
· Organise a Vigil
· Write an article to news editors of local papers
· Write letter to your public officials.
Read more about these examples at the UNOY Project Bank and download a step-by-step toolkit on our website: www.unoy.org
[HOW TO PARTICIPATE?]
If you would like to participate, please, send us:
A summary of your planned activity for 21st September(max. 2 pages) including:
1. Name of the organization
2. Name of the contact person
3. E-mail
4. Telephone
5. Address (street, zip code, city and country)
6. Website (if available)
7. Brief description of the activity (include “what”, “why”, “how”; “with whom” that is names of the organizing team
8. Approx. total number of people who will participate
9. Partners
10. Two references (names and contact details)
*We are in the process of seeking funds to reimburse basic expenses for 10 excellent proposals (the criteria will also include geographical and gender balance). We will only reimburse expenses which the UNOY Peacebuilders has previously approved up to 100 USD and we will only transfer the amount upon submission of activity report, including photos.
Applications must be submitted ASAP to:
Youth Action Peace Day 2005/ United Network of Young Peacebuilders
Email: campaign@unoy.orgAddress: Javastraat 58, 2585 AR The Hague, The Netherlands. Tel. +31 70 3467799; Fax: +31 70 3622633
Letters to Voice
Dear Voice,
Very warm greetings from Mexico to the IYP Voice team.
I am writing to mention that we recently carried out the State Youth Parliament in my country. I am also happy to inform that, in accordance with my action plan, as a result of the parliament we are actively opening up spaces for free expression in my area.
I will soon meet the country’s president and will present him with an OIYP information pack and CD on behalf of the OIYP team.
Warm regards,
Cesar Rene,
OIYP 2004 Action Partner, Mexico.
Are you interested in writing to the OIYP Voice? Please email letters to iypvoice@oxfam.org.au. Please limit your letters to 150 words or less.
Resources
For this month's Events, Opportunities and Resources, visit TakingITGlobal at: http://www.takingitglobal.org/static/section.html?section=Opportunities&tag=hds
Online Peace and Conflict Resources.
www.conferencealerts.com/peace.htm
A website listing upcoming conflict resolution conferences worldwide.
www.emu.edu/library/peace/html
A gateway to Peace and Conflict websites from all regions.
www.bitterlemons-international.org/
A Middle East Roundtable discussion of current events and topics with a different issue and different contributors each week.
http://www.commongroundnews.org/
A news service which commissions and distributes balanced and solution-oriented articles by local and international experts to encourage thought and dialogue around current Middle East issues.
The Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies was established in August 1996 as an independent think tank studying security issues in South Asia. This organization is based in India and the website is informative and wide-ranging.
Endnote
A closing thought to inspire you this month.
We need a just world, and no-one will give it to us on plate, so we have to work for it, not even the G8 countries, not the IMF, not the World Bank, not the United Nations, not the African Union not even our Presidents, not our mothers, not our fathers, no-one but ourselves.
Otto Saki,
OIYP 2004 Action Partner, Zimbabwe.
The contents of this newsletter do not reflect the views of its subscribers or Oxfam Australia.
