Voice Newsletter

April 2006 Edition

Oxfam's International Youth Parliament (OIYP) Voice Newsletter showcases the positive social change accomplished by Action Partners worldwide. Distributed to over 4500 OIYP Network members in 150 countries, Voice also features relevant news from external partners and organizations for the benefit of our readership. Also Published at www.iyp.oxfam.org/news/

Email us at: iypvoice@oxfam.org.au

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Focus

This April edition, OIYP Voice focuses on the Millennium Development Goals. The eight (8) developmental goals agreed to in 2000 by 189 heads of state, promising to free men women and children from extreme poverty by 2015.

Reflecting the realities of the progress and level of achievement of each goal in our local communities, countries and globally we can only be challenged by this question “Can the MDGs be achieved by 2015?” This is a challenging question which each one of us has to ask ourselves.

As young people we must be aware that we are the beneficiaries as well as implementers of the MDG’s. We are the leaders of today and tomorrow, the action we take for the MDG’s today will affect us tomorrow.

It is very impressing that many OIYP action partners and other dynamic young people through various youth networks are advocating for more direct youth involvement in the MDG’s and undertaking MDG’s related projects. In this edition we will learn about projects some action partners are doing as well as how to get involved.

Let’s do the MDG Thing!!!!

Guest Editor

Ruby Kenny

OIYP action partner

PNG

Action Partner News

If you have an update please send it to iypvoice@oxfam.org.au. .

Olusegun Olowu

OIYP 2004 Action Partner, Nigeria.

¡§MDG¡¨ what it means to me¡¦

The Millennium Development Goals are important for development to thrive. It is in the least another reason to develop under the watchful eyes of the rest of the world. These goals bind the Third World to the First World. And achieving these goals mean 'the world' can proceed to set new goals.

I feel the most critical of these goals is poverty. And addressing the poverty debacle means for instance that I can afford a better education and many others can afford to go to school at all. A reduction in poverty levels would no doubt impact positively by reducing hunger, enhancing access to education, and helping the health related MDGS (goals 3, 4, 5, 6) by making better health care affordable.

Significant part of my direct involvement on MDG projects has been around reproductive and sexual health issues, programmes integrating health, education and poverty reduction, and more recently health reforms. Reproductive health is not an MDG but it has strong linkages to the health related MDG goals: reducing under-five mortality, maternal mortality and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria.

Discussing the MDGs and what we want to achieve has been very easy. Moving towards the goals has been very challenging because the outcomes are typically not visible and do take time to manifest. The impact in real terms has not very significant because the scope of the programmes has been limited and the reach minimal. I feel that with adequate support, if youth initiatives can be replicated and multiplied, more impact would be felt and we'll be more effective catalysts in helping our government and nation to meet these goals.

Everyone is a stakeholder. As individuals and groups, we should not compromise the efforts of government. And governments need to be more sincere and open about their activities.

I would like to see government take a more serious look at poverty reduction. The challenges to meeting the MDGs have to be tackled head-on. A major challenge is that of adequate resources and I think that debt relief by creditors has really been helpful in this regard. Also the human and institutional capacity to achieve these goals is important. The challenge here is to formulate and effectively implement strategies for making education, health services and economic empowerment opportunities accessible to the people in greatest need such as adolescents, women and the poor.

Practically, there is no short cut to achieving the MDGs. If people need to have money to get out of poverty, we need to get them jobs. And the economy needs to grow and provide opportunities for jobs to be created. Developing or growing an economy takes time, like growing a tree!

The MDG e-workshop has helped me to step away from my involvement with the MDGs and take a non-cursory look at how others¡V my community, other communities and OIYP Action Partners see the MDGs. I conclude that our perceptions differ based on our locations, needs and worldview. The learning from the forum however, is very relevant in developing our MDG-related projects.

I am currently working with neighboring communities in developing specific action plans which would improve access to education by otherwise deprived children.

Shoma Prasad

OIYP 2004 Action Partner, Fiji

Shoma Prasad, Kajaal Kumar & Jacky Koroi, Fiji

Empowering Women at University of the South Pacific

Last month (March) our group known as Emerging Leaders organised an open forum for discussion on the formation of University of the South Pacific¡¦s Women¡¦s Association at the University of the South Pacific, which is the only regional University in the South Pacific.

The Emerging leaders group comprises of three International Youth Parliament delegates, Shoma Prasad, Kajaal Kumar, and Jacky Koroi and other women who were gradates of the Emerging leaders Forum in 2003/2004. From our different experiences at IYP and ELF we have come together to make a difference.

We are currently working on a number of projects, the first one is the formation of the University of the South Pacific¡¦s Women¡¦s Association. The reason for our involvement in this project is to have an active and empowered group at the University who are able to voice their concerns against issues affecting them, which will enable them to be active citizens in the future. The objectives of the Association are:

„h Raise awareness, inform, and engage students on various issues of concern through open forums

„h Strengthen student interaction

„h Provide support structures to cater for members needs

„h To represent the concerns of members to the council

The open forum went very well. We had a lot of work to do at the background and the members of the group attended and coordinated several meetings with the University student¡¦s council and with lecturers, discussing the needs and vision of the association. At last the open forum took place on the 23^rd of March at the University campus. A lot of questions were raised from the crowd such as ¡¥will the association promote breaking up of relationships and families at the university? Will we be discriminated by other students and lecturers if we join the association?¡¦ Some of the issues affecting women at USP were identified as: sexual harassment, health issues to do with food on campus, need to do skill building in areas of public speaking, research and assignment writing and above all child care support for mothers.

Speakers at the forum included one lecturer, student representatives from different associations and cultural representative. Through wide student consultation, we now have a draft constitution with a few project activities for the association, which will be tabled in the next council meeting. I would like to add that it has been fun and challenging working on this project and we are 100 per cent sure that the Women¡¦s Association will be elected by the end of April.

STORy OF THE MONTH

Doing the MDGs through E-workshop

It was just a burning idea to create an avenue for action partner and possibly other young people to openly discuss and share ideas about the MDG¡¦s. This idea came to reality on the 6^th Feb, 2006 when OIYP agreed to assist though an e-workshop.

Anna Powell, training Coordinator OIYP and Shasheen Jayaweera OIYP action partner 2004 my co facilitator and I started planning and promoting the e-workshop two months the before the date of commencement.

We started the forum on a very high note with the registration of more than twenty young people.

On the first week the discussions were based our around developing an understanding and raising awareness about the MDG¡¦s, individually exploring the meaning and our roles as young people in achieving the goals. More discussions came in toward the end of the week so we allowed the same discussion to continue into the second week.

The third week we looked at understanding the relevance of the goals to the government and the community and participants highlighting their experience in working towards the MDG¡¦s

The fourth week, which was the last week of the forum, was dedicated to discussing possible project ideas. This discussion was allowed to continue with an extension of the workshop for another week as we thought the participants needed more time to think about possible project they could work on,while at the same time examples of possible projects with other resourceful information were provide to them.

This e-workshop was the first of its kind on the MDG¡¦s, it was a wonderful and learning experience as there were so many things everyone of us (Participants and Facilitators).

Below are some of the things we learnt about the MDG¡¦s through the discussions, told through the voices of the participants:

Quotes of some interesting discussion points;

¡K.the Millennium Development Goals have more meaning and really make sense to those working in development and the planning and running of economies. For the lay man, the goals notwithstanding, what's important is food on the table, clothes on the back and a roof over the head.

Personally, I see the MDGs as an opportunity to speed up development and move closer to the rest of the world. And this of course can be achieved by putting an end to poverty (food on the table...meeting basic needs), improved health (a chance to live longer, better?!), quality education (or any at all), nip HIV in the bud and of course access to the good things of life (good roads, water, environment, empowerment).

Above all, the MDGs mean a chance to achieve meaningful development and a better standard of living to the average person in my community.

Olusegun Olowu

Nigeria

What do MDGs mean to the common man? I wish to refer to the needs that common people experience in a day to day basis. What ever we can refer MDGs to, I do believe that every human being has a feeling on what has to change and how. Therefore all of us are key to the achievement of MDGs but how many people think it is not their role? My government, politicians etc are blamed. But have we done our part?

i do believe that there is need for continuous public awareness and civc education to the people to help them better understand MDgs and the role each has to play.
I am perturbed that not many young people in my country are aware of MDGs or are eager to follow up on civic issues. This to me is the greatest impediment to us

developing a common vision for achieving MDGs¡K

Douglas arege
Kenya

So, the MDGs are a good plan, but it is very sad to say that the ordinary people in my country are not feeling the impact of the global efforts at combating extreme poverty. Our government is not giving the international community the true picture of situations in my country.

Ganiu Aiyodele

Nigeria

I personally support the fact that not every men, women, youth and children in every communities know about the MDGs. I believe that if these goals will be made clear to everyone, then people will be able to take plans as to how best they can be able to take part in the developments¡K¡K.

Sharon Diave

PNG

I think that the last goal is most important and is the key to achieve the other goals also. For example

If a global partnership is developed then it would be helpful for countries to combat poverty and hunger.

In the context of ¡§Meaningful¡¨ Global partnership,¡K¡K through the global partnership countries can secure funds to combat HIV/AIDS, T.B etc, make good education policies, and eradicate the hazards of War¡K. Through global partnership if hazards of war are minimized then it means budget used for missiles, bombs and other weapons would be automatically reduced. In this way much can be utilized on other sectors i.e, education, Health, Empowerment of Communities etc etc.

Eid Muhammad Shamas

Pakistan

Feature Article

The feature article is from Shasheen Jayaweera OIYP action partner 2004 and Kate Morioka who are the Founders and Directors of the Youth for Sustainable Future

Putting the ‘YOUTH’ to the MDGs

“What are the MDGs? What do they mean?” a commonly asked question among people who first hear the unfamiliar – yet important – acronym. But ask the members of Youth for a Sustainable Future Pacifika (YSFP) and they’d be able to tell you the answer.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are 8 goals, 18 targets and 408 indicators which set realistic goals for development. Unlike past initiatives, the MDGs signify a joint promise made by the United Nations’ member countries, working together as partners to reduce poverty, illiteracy, maternal an child health, gender inequality, HIV/AIDS and environmental degradation.

A catalyst for increasing youth participation in the implementation of the MDGs, YSFP was established by a group of Pacific youth in September 2003. Run by young people for young people, YSFP is a premier youth resource network which currently has a membership base of 120 from 15 Pacific island countries.

YSFP in collaboration with the UN agencies and the Government of Samoa organised the first Pacific Youth MDGs Summit in May 2005. The Summit brought together youth leaders from the region, with their attendance at the Summit being instrumental to accelerating the implementation of the MDGs. At the Summit, the delegates produced a set of key documents: the Pacific Youth MDGs Declaration, the National Youth MDG Action Plans and the Youth Statement on the Pacific Plan.

Almost one year since the Summit, YSFP has continued to mobilise young people in the Pacific, not only as the beneficiaries of the MDGs but as primary implementers in their own communities. Some of the achievements of YSFP in the past one year include:

Endorsement of the Pacific Youth MDG Declaration by the UN Resident Coordinators in Fiji, Samoa and Papua New Guinea;
Presentation of the above declaration at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and Pacific Youth Ministers’ meetings in late 2005 ;
Funding YSFP member projects in Tonga and Solomon Islands;
Representation of Pacific youth at conferences and events such as the World Youth Congress III (Scotland), UNESCO Youth Forum (France) and UN Engaging Communities Conference (Australia); and
Establishing strong relationships with UN agencies and programmes, the World Bank and the Secretariat for the Pacific Community.

YSFP provides project management assistance based on a peer-mentoring model, to make sure that young people in the Pacific have access to information and resources to be the MDG campaigners in their own countries.

Want to know just how simple it is to get involved in promoting the MDGs in your country? Here’s how:

Join YSFP by visiting our website www.pacifikayouth.org and registering to be a member
Download a copy of the Pacific Youth MDG Declaration and the Youth Statement on the Pacific Plan from the YSFP website www.pacifikayouth.org

resources

Online Resources focusing on the Millennium Development Goals

http://www.takingitglobal.org/themes/mdg/campaign_kit.html

If you are preparing an MDG campaign, you might want to check this website. It has posters, postcards and lots of interesting info about campaigning.

http://www.undp.org/mdg/goodpractices/Brazil-casestudy.pdf

http://www.undp.org/mdg/goodpractices/Ethiopia-casestudy.pdf

The United Nations Development Programme has done some case studies and these ones are two cases: one from Brazil and one from Ethiopia

http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/audio_slideshows/mdgs/

The Earth Institute at Columbia University created this multimedia explanation of the MDG’s (with slideshows, video and photos)

News, Events and opportunities

News, upcoming events and involvement opportunities .

Rotary World Peace Fellowships

The Rotary Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2007-2009 Rotary World Peace Fellowship.

Successful candidates would pursue a master’s level degree in international studies, peace studies, and conflict resolution at one of seven Rotary partner universities: University of California, Berkeley; Duke University; University of North Carolina; International Christian University; University of Queensland; University of Bradford; Universidad Del Salvador.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree, be committed to a career in peace building, and have relevant work experience. Interested candidates would apply via their local Rotary Club.

Further information regarding the fellowships can be found at:

http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/amb_scho/centers/scholars/index.html

Inquiries may be directed to: ann.ellingson@rotary.org

UNDP Human Development Fellowships 2006

Media Fellowships

The objective of the UNDP Human Development Fellowships for Asia Pacific (Media) is to support policy advocacy and communication of research in order to bring people to the centre of development debates. The aim is to encourage dissemination and advocacy on issues of concern to countries of the Asia Pacific region from a human development perspective.

This is intended to support mid-career professionals to communicate on human development themes in mainstream media. The theme for this years fellowship is International Trade and Human Poverty in Asia and the Pacific.

Selection will be based on an assessment of complete application with proposal not exceeding 2,000 words, including a proposed budget, an estimated project timeframe (preferably 12 months or less) and a brief but concrete dissemination plan for the end product. Short-listed candidates may be required to participate in an interview. Applications should be submitted by 30 April 2006.

http://www.undp.org.vn/undp/docs/2006/fellow/media.htm

Endnote

A closing thought to inspire you this month.

Yesterday is already a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision; but today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of Happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.

From the Sanskrit