Youth Cooperation

1
Youth Cooperation Sustainable Development

• Ginny Ng
• International Conference on Disaster Management
  and Environment
• Our Shrinking World
• 26 29 August 2005

2
United Nations Development Programme

• UNs global development network
• Present in over 160 countries globally
• Goal
• To achieve the Millennium Development Goals
  (MDGs) by 2015
• Strategic thematic areas democratic governance
  poverty HIV/ AIDs energy environment and
  crisis prevention recovery

3
Sustainable Development

• Concept outlined in the Brundtland Commission,
  1987
• Setting the global agenda for change
• People, profit and planet
• UNCSD as a follow-up to the United Nations
  Commission on Environment and Development/ Earth
  Summit

4
Sustainable Development

• Population and human resources
• Food security
• Species and ecosystems
• Energy
• Industry

5
MDGs Sustainable Development

• Framework for sustainable development
• Millennium Declaration during the UN Millennium
  Summit, NY 2000
• Consists of 8 mutually reinforcing time-bound
  goals focusing on
• Human well being
• Eradication of extreme poverty

6
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

• MDG 1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• MDG 2 Achieve universal primary education
• MDG 3 Promote gender equality and empower
  women
• MDG 4 Reduce child mortality
• MDG 5 Improve maternal health
• MDG 6 Combat HIV-AIDS, malaria and other
  diseases
• MDG 7 Ensure environmental sustainability
• MDG 8 Develop a global partnership for
  development

7
Youth Global Trends

• Poverty over 200 million or 18 of youths live
  under USD 1/ day
• Education enrolment increasing, but 113 mill
  children not in school and 130 mill youth
  illiterate
• Employment about 88 mill youths unemployed,
  highest in Western Asia, North Africa and
  sub-Saharan Africa.
• Health about 10 million youths living with HIV/
  AIDS, it is the first cause of mortality of
  youth, followed by violence and injuries

8
Youth Global Trends

• Environment substance abuse due to emergence of
  synthetic drugs worldwide
• Juvenile delinquency harsh incarceration and
  deterrence policy
• Girls and young women stereotypes of women
  continues to exist
• Globalisation increasing challenges for
  employment, migration patterns, culture and
  consumerism

9
Youth Global Trends

• Information communication tech increasing
  global digital divide
• Youth and conflict international legal framework
  exists but lacks implementation

10
Youth and Sustainable Development

• UNCSD - most active areas with youth
  participation
• CSD Youth Caucus sits in the Commission with
  delegates
• Utilises and/or establishes mechanisms for youth
  participation at national sustainable development
  initiatives

11
Youth and MDGs

• Varied participation
• Effective participation results in
• Advocacy and awareness
• Creating opportunities for youth to express views
  and share experiences
• Interaction with national leaders
• Enhance education on sustainable development
• Peer educators

12
Youth the United Nations

• Adopted the World Programme of Action for Youth,
  1995
• United Nations World Youth Report, 2005
  published every two years
• Renewed commitment to the goals of the World
  Programme of Action

13
Youth and UNDP

• Human Development Report
• Education
• Health and
• Employment issues
• Programme focus on youth and poverty.
• Global Initiative on Primary Prevention of
  Substance Abuse
• To develop and test a model for the prevention of
  substance abuse and related health and social
  problems among young people in a range of
  different geographic sites

14
Youth Cooperation Challenges for Decision
Makers

• Strong need to scale up the investments in youth
• Youths are essential partners in achieving the
  MDGs
• Governments to be encouraged to develop and
  implement integrated youth policies
• To pay attention to disadvantaged youths i.e.
  disabilities, foreign migrants, and indigenous
  youth
• Need for a set of verifiable indicators to allow
  the measurement of progress

15
Youth Cooperation Challenges for Youths

• Increasing participation in decision-making
  processes
• Understanding the areas to change
• Ability to lead to influence
• Encourage others to get involved