Imagine a child soldier, forced into fighting in order to make money and bring himself out of poverty. He has no choice but to obey orders – orders that ask him to injure, hurt, and kill others. If he doesn’t obey, he may himself be threatened with death or injury, or may be kicked out with no food, no money, no resources that ensure his survival.

Are these children, forced into armed conflict, accountable for their crimes? How should the law deal with these children and ensure them justice – should the children be punished for their heinous crimes, or should they be treated as victims, with compassion?


This was the topic of discussion on Friday, June 27, 2008, at the UN University Midday Forum. Vesselin Popovski, Director of Studies on International Order and Justice at the United Nations University Peace and Governance Program, spoke about a book he recently edited, entitled Criminal Accountability and the Rights of Children.

According to UNICEF, in the last decade, more than 2 million children died due to armed conflict; about 20 million children were forced to flee their homes; more than 1 million were orphaned or separated from their families; about 300,000 child soldiers are involved in more than 30 conflicts worldwide.

“We look at children as victims, but also as perpetrators of crimes,” Popovski said. “But they were victims before they were perpetrators.” Moreover, most child soldiers only commit crimes under order – not willingly.

“Accountability, we argue, does not necessarily mean criminal accountability,” he continued.

This issue is fraught with many complexities. For instance, if one argues that child soldiers should be treated as victims, and should not be punished, such impunity can actually have extreme negative consequences for the child! After all, commanders might give children increasingly horrible orders, knowing they won’t be punished. Thus, accountability for children is not necessarily criminal accountability, and a wide range of options must be carefully considered before action is taken.

Popovski traced the development of children’s rights in international human rights law, citing the Geneva Conventions and their importance in guaranteeing special protection for children. He also mentions the significance of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1959. Finally, of note is the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), also ratified by the General Assembly, in 1989.

One message that Popovski emphasized throughout his presentation was that any actions taken should “take into account the best interest of the child” because children are particularly vulnerable.

Another specific problem addressed was that of girl child soldiers. About 40% of child soldiers are girls, and almost 50% of girl soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo described their primary role as fighting. In addition, many are exposed to sexual violence, and as a consequence are isolated by their families when they return home.

Yet another problem was the difficulty of distinguishing between those children who are forced to join armies, and those who join voluntarily. According to Popovski, joining an army is never voluntary for a child. Even if a child decides to join an army because he is poor, it does not mean this is a voluntary act – he is still being forced into joining due to his condition of poverty; ultimately, he has no choice.

Although there is a lot of focus on children in armed conflict, there are still crimes against children that occur during peacetime, such as trafficking, sexual exploitation, and forced labor; these issues should also be addressed by international criminal accountability mechanisms, Popovski emphasized.

During the question & answer session, a question was asked about Security Council Resolution 1820, which I had recently written a blog about. Popovski said that this resolution was an “excellent development” but that rape had already been recognized as a war crime and a crime against humanity by international criminal tribunals, such as in Rwanda – thus, this Resolution was an impressive positive development, but was ultimately nothing new.

Ultimately, Popovski concluded that child soldiers must be given the appropriate measure of justice – which is not necessarily criminal accountability - that takes into account the childrens’ best interest, and the fact that they are victims who are most often forced into committing crimes, and do not commit them voluntarily.

My opinion...
Although the topic was very interesting, I was slightly disappointed that Popovski did not offer many concrete suggestions for change and improvement – the material he discussed was theoretical, and did not encompass many concrete steps or policy recommendations that can be taken. He did acknowledge that “on paper it is one thing, in reality it is very, very different.” But – from my knowledge – he did not manage to get beyond the “on paper” aspect of the issue, to actual proposals for practices that can actually bring about change. There are, after all, so many possibilities to harness the passion and willpower of youth for positive change, as well as empower youth with the information and strength they need to extricate themselves from such situations. Still, it was truly encouraging to hear so much interest in youth issues and children’s rights, and to hear an active dialogue of people wanting to see change in the area and help end child recruitment in armies.

What do YOU think about the issue of child soldiers in zones of armed conflict? What can be done about the issue? What do you think can be done by youth to protect their fellow young people? Please comment here and leave your input!



One more interesting thing: After leaving the UN Headquarters, I passed by a VERY loud protest on the topic of freeing Tibet. I haven’t seen many protests, so this was a surprise to me! The protesters bunched together on the opposite side of the street from the UN Plaza, and used a loudspeaker to chant their messages. They were asking the UN and Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon to do something about the situation and help free Tibet. It was pretty dramatic and an interesting sight to watch!

(Information credit: Policy Brief from United Nations University - Number 4, 2006)

On May 19-21, 2008, the United Nations Programme on Youth organized an Expert Group Meeting on Youth at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The purpose of the meeting was to develop goals and targets for the priority areas in the World Programme of Action for Youth. The meeting gathered representatives from UN agencies, academia, governments, NGOs and youth organizations.

Why does the UN organize Expert Group Meetings?
The UN is a place where governments come together to discuss and make recommendations and decisions on issues that are affecting the world. The UN Secretariat, a substantial part of the UN system, helps to plan and prepare for meetings, and to follow up with technical advice and monitoring of the recommendations governments make at the UN. Governments also often ask the UN Secretariat to look deeper into an issue and to prepare reports and recommendations that governments can discuss and negotiate.

When the UN Secretariat is tasked with this process, their goal is to produce a comprehensive report that is balanced, well researched, and inclusive, and that also contains recommendations for actions that governments can use as a baseline for negotiations. These reports are often referred to as “Secretary General’s report on…”, although the SG himself of course does not write all of them. But to the point, the UN Secretariat staff, although usually very knowledgeable, do not have all the expertise and experience needed to look comprehensively at all the issues being discussed. Therefore, they organize Expert Group Meetings in order to gather experts on an issue for a 2-3 day discussion on what the report should focus on. Researchers, professors, statisticians, field workers, NGO representatives and more come together to share opinions and experiences, and the UN Secretariat tries to capture all this and put it into the report which is then sent over the governments to consider.

Why was the Expert Group Meeting on Youth organized?
The background document of the meeting was the World Programme of Action for Youth. This document was adopted by governments in 1995 and lays out 10 priority areas (Education, Employment, Hunger and poverty, Health, Environment, Drug abuse, Juvenile delinquency, Leisure-time activities, Girls and young women, and Participation) for governments to focus on for youth development. In the World Youth Report 2003, an additional 5 areas were proposed (Globalization, Information and Communication Technologies, HIV/AIDS, Youth and Conflict, Intergenerational Relations), and these were adopted by the General Assembly in 2005.

The 15 priority areas are commitments and guidelines for governments to improve the situation for young people in their countries. However, it can be very hard to determine whether progress is actually being made. Consider the passage below, which is taken from the Participation section of WPAY:

Proposals for action

107. The following actions are proposed:

• a) Improving access to information in order to enable young people to make better use of their opportunities to participate in decision-making;
• (b) Developing and/or strengthening opportunities for young people to learn their rights and responsibilities, promoting their social, political, developmental and environmental participation, removing obstacles that affect their full contribution to society and respecting, inter alia, freedom of association;
• (c) Encouraging and promoting youth associations through financial, educational and technical support and promotion of their activities;
• (d) Taking into account the contribution of youth in designing, implementing and evaluating national policies and plans affecting their concerns;
• (e) Encouraging increased national, regional and international cooperation and exchange between youth organizations;
• (f) Inviting Governments to strengthen the involvement of young people in international forums, inter alia, by considering the inclusion of youth representatives in their national delegations to the General Assembly.

As you can see there are a lot of good intentions here, but also a lot of words such as encouraging, strengthening and promoting which does not really make a firm commitment for action for governments. Any government can say it has encouraged youth participation since 1995, but how can we know that youth participation has actually increased?

In order to measure progress on youth development, governments in 2005 requested the UN Secretariat to develop goals and targets in all areas of WPAY. The idea is to have concrete numbers and deadlines that can be more easily monitored and evaluated. In 2007, the UN Program on Youth organized an Expert Group Meeting to develop goals and targets in 4 of the WPAY priority areas (Education, Employment, Poverty and Hunger, and Globalization), and a number of goals and targets were developed. This year’s meeting focused on the remaining 11 areas of WPAY and was therefore far more ambitious, since we had about the same amount of time (3 days).

How was the meeting organized?
The UN Program on Youth were in charge of all the preparations for the meeting, and they invited participants from a wide range of fields, including professors, UN staff, field workers, and representatives of youth-led and youth-supportive organizations. Unfortunately, a lack of time and funding made it difficult for young people to participate, which is a common problem in these processes. Participants had the chance to submit their suggestions before the meeting, and the European Youth Forum suggested the following goals and targets on Participation:

- Goal 1: Ensure young people’s rights to participate in decision-making on the national and international level
- Goal 2: Ensure the equal participation of girls and boys, young women and young men, in decision-making

Targets:
- The establishment of youth-led, democratic and gender equal National Youth Councils in every Member State of the UN, building upon youth civil society, within 2015.
- The establishment of youth-led and gender equal participation structures in each pilot country of the One Country – One UN Reform by 2010.
- Ensure that no country has a voting age higher than 18 and that all women and men can be elected to national assemblies from the age of 18 by 2015.

Compared to the original text on Participation in WPAY, this is a lot more action-oriented. It also allows for youth organizations and others to hold governments accountable if the goals and targets are not achieved. However, this was just a suggestion ahead of the meeting, and there were many other suggestions and thoughts around this theme from other participants.

The meeting started with a series of presentations from experts within the 11 areas that we were discussing. The experts had also been asked to develop suggestions for goals and targets that could form the basis for discussion. It is too much to cover in one blog, and needless to say it was easy to feel overwhelmed as one important area for youth after another was covered in about 2 hours. Franziska Seel, Executive Director of GYAN, gave a presentation on Youth and ICTs where she highlighted access and content as important areas.

From United Nation...

The second day started with more presentations, and Naomi Sorkin from the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA) presented on HIV/AIDS and highlighted that young people need access to information, health services and participation opportunities. Christoffer Grønstad from the European Youth Forum criticized the meeting process for not including enough youth organizations and for not having enough of a development focus.

On the 2nd day, I was also able to give a presentation on participation. I focused on the work Franziska Seel and TakingITGlobal has done around National Youth Councils, and presented some findings from their research report. In addition, I highlighted what I think is an important trend in youth participation – the use of technology to consult with a large and diverse number of young people on important issues. This method of participation should not at all replace traditional democratic youth networks, but it can be a very useful addition especially in countries where these structures do not yet exist.

After a lot of presentations, it was then time for discussions. The participations were divided into small groups and given the challenge to discuss the 11 issues and come up with suggestions for goals and targets. Needless to say this was a formidable task, since each issue easily could have filled a 3-day meeting. It was reflected in the discussions where we were only able to skim the surface of each issue before having to suggest the goals and targets and then moving on to the next issue.

From United Nation...

The last day we then went into a plenary discussion to try to finalize the goals and targets for each of the 11 areas. It became clear that we were not going to reach full consensus on all goals and targets, and that many of the issues needed further research and input before sensible and relevant goals. It was agreed that the UN Programme on Youth staff would be tasked with following up on this meeting and finalizing the goals and targets based on the discussion we had in the meeting. This is not an easy task, to say the least.

What was the final outcome and conclusions of the meeting?
At the time of writing this blog, the final outcome of the meeting is now yet ready. The UN staff is still working on the goals and targets, and they will now most likely be presented to the General Assembly in the fall for further discussion, negotiation and hopefully adoption. You can monitor the progress at the Expert Group Meeting on Youth website.

Overall, it was a very interesting meeting on a really short timeline. I understand the constraints the UN Programme on Youth in terms of available resources and staff, and given the circumstances they did a great job getting this meeting organized. However, the UN system as a whole really needs to pay more attention to youth issues and provide more time and resources to organize meetings like this. The meeting was often dominated by Western perspectives on youth development, and there were also not many youth organizations present.

I hope the meeting eventually does lead to the adoption of new goals and targets for youth development. Although one can argue whether development can always be quantified, it is helpful both for governments and youth organizations to have something to strive towards. The alternative is having the vague commitments of promoting and encouraging youth development.

What do you think about using goals and targets to monitor youth development?

On Thursday, June 19, 2008, the Security Council members met in the United Nations to discuss sexual violence against women and children, in conflict and post-conflict situations. After a day-long debate on the issue, Security Council members agreed to adopt Resolution 1820 and demanded an end to sexual violence against women as a tactic of war. Those who attended and participated in the debate included senior Ministers and representatives from Japan, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Croatia, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Panama, Nigeria, and so on.

United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chaired the debate on the behalf of the U.S.

“We affirm that sexual violence profoundly affects not only the health and safety of women, but the economic and social stability of their nations,” she said in her opening remarks.

Resolution 1820 declares that rape and other forms of sexual violence constitute war crimes, or crimes against humanity. The Resolution also confirms that the Council should consider imposing measures against those groups that engage in sexual violence and rape. It also acknowledges that many groups use rape as a tactic of war in order to “humiliate, dominate, instil fear in, disperse and/or forcibly relocate civilian members of a community or ethnic group” – actions which clearly aggravate conflicts.

The text also asks those parties currently engaging in armed conflict to take appropriate measures against the use of sexual violence and to protect civilians in times of conflict. This includes military disciplinary measures, improved training of troops, and “debunking myths that fuel sexual violence.”

The Resolution also asks the Secretary General to submit a report detailing specific situations in which sexual violence against civilians is prevalent. It also asks for proposals on how to implement the Resolution, with guidelines for reducing the exposure of women to such violence, directed towards UN peacekeeping officials as well as specific countries and groups.

The delegates also discussed United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, on Women, Peace, and Security. Resolution 1325 was passed unanimously almost eight years ago, on October 31, 2000. It was the first resolution ever passed by the Security Council that specifically addresses the impact of war on women, and women's contributions to conflict resolution and sustainable peace. It expressed concern that civilians, particularly women and children, account for the vast majority of those adversely affected by armed conflict. It also addressed the need to increase the role of women in decision-making relating to conflict prevention and resolution.

The speakers at the conference, representing these various nations, all expressed concern for the current situation and emphasized the need for change, while supporting the mission of Resolution 1325.

Yukio Takasu, Chairperson of the Peacebuilding Commission for Japan, said that since Resolution 1325 was passed, there has been steady progress in helping women participate in post-conflict decision-making. However, “the response to gender-based violence has been inadequate,” he said. In order to improve the situation, he said that the Security Council should
1) Collect actual data on the impact of sexual violence
2) End impunity and punish those responsible for sexual crime
3) Provide training for peacekeeping and humanitarian personnel
4) Strengthen mission mandates in the area of protection, and set concrete goals to implement

Gender issues also cannot be viewed as simply women’s issues, but as necessary for peacekeeping as a whole, he said.

For the Democratic Republic of Congo, the issue of violence against women hit home. The country’s Minister of Gender, Family and Children, Omatuku Atshakawo, said that rape has become a weapon of war, used to destroy the enemy, destroy the family, and destroy the dignity of women. It is “weakening the physical, psychological, and economic health of women.” 50% of women victims are under the age of 18, she said. A code for the protection of children would be adopted soon by the Congolese Senate, Atshakawo said.

Sexual violence is “leading to the feminization of poverty” she continued. Rape prevents women from being able to return to work and make a living. The Democratic Republic of Congo offers medical, psychological, and economic help to abused and raped women, allowing them to return to school and work. The government also offers free legal and judicial services, allowing victims to bring their cases to court. Atshakawo also spoke about youth, stating that the Congolese government helps young female victims to return to school and cares for those orphaned as a consequence of sexual abuse.

Article 14 of the Congolese constitution also provides for the equality of men and women, she said. The government thus strives to fight ignorance by making sure that women know their rights. Furthermore, female judges are trained to offer proper legal services to victims, and there is also an increasing number of female military and police personnel. The government also prevents known rapists from holding public posts.

“Women have the right to peace, and without that, all dignity and development will be lost,” Atshakawo said.

Some similar points were made by Claudia Fritsche, from Liechtenstein, who stressed that more women must be appointed to leading positions, especially in the UN and in positions regarding diplomacy and peace. This would allow women to be stakeholders, not just victims. Many girls in regions of conflict associate uniformed officials with sexual violence, so if women are increasingly given such roles, such widespread negative perceptions will change.

A common theme running through the all the speeches of the day was that women should be given an active role in peace-building and conflict resolution processes in order to ensure that any peace becomes truly sustainable.

Overall, it was extremely inspiring to see so many representatives come forth with their full and unhindered support of the United Nations Resolutions 1820 and 1325. The United Nations Resolution is an encouraging first step towards truly reducing the use of rape as a war tactic. With the passing of this Resolution, it is hopeful that many nations will take further concrete steps to improve their military procedures, educate their soldiers on the consequences of sexual violence during war, introduce more severe sanctions to punish sex offenders, and provide readily accessible resources that allow female victims to bring justice to their assaulters, recover from the trauma, and get back on their feet. Education can also help reduce the social stigma around sexual abuse, which can truly help re-integrate victims into society and allow them to make valuable contributions to their communities.

The fact that the United Nations placed such a great emphasis on children and youth was also very encouraging. Many of the speakers discussed the role of the government in helping to care for young girls negatively impacted by sexual violence, as well as those orphaned by it. Still, there is more that can be done. Although the Security Council members have emphasized the role of women in peacebuilding and in ensuring the social and economic development of states, they must place equal emphasis on youth and children. Young people are truly the future of the world, and if the efforts of leaders and decision-makers today are to succeed and be truly sustainable, young people must be viewed as the equals of adults, and must be recognized for their talents, passion, idealism, and infinite potential to change the world.

If you'd like to learn more about this issue, please read further by visiting the UN News Centre OR USA Today. Thanks for reading!

(Picture Caption: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, next to UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon: opening remarks at Thursday's Security Council Meeting. Picture Credit: UN News Centre)

On June 12th, over 150 people gathered in the United Nations’ Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium to listen to genocide expert David Hamburg talk about his new book, Preventing Genocide: Practical Steps Towards Early Detection and Effective Action. The event was organized by the United Nations University.

“It’s encouraging that there is so much interest in such a grim subject,” Dr. Jean-Marc Coicaud, the head of the United Nations University said while introducing Dr. Hamburg. “The fact that we have such a large crowd here is a true testament to peace.”

For the next hour, Hamburg argued against the widely held belief that genocide is inevitable and affirmed that it is indeed preventable. He explained that while much research has gone into documenting and analyzing genocides, experts have said little about prevention.

“It’s widely accepted among political leaders that genocide cannot be detected until the last minute,” Hamburg explained. “However, research shows that early signals always provide ample time for response options, provided that we have focal points for mobilizing the best practices.”

Hamburg credits United Nations’ former Secretary Generals Dag Hammarskjold for introducing the concept of genocide prevention and Kofi Annan for proving that humanitarian help can be provided quickly and efficiently. Because of these two men, Hamburg said, the United Nations has "started to get the ball rolling" in formulating a set of genocide prevention tools. Hamburg identified six tools in preventing genocide, including pro-active help in prevention of mass violence, fostering equitable socio-economic development, promoting education for human survival, and preventing human rights infractions through forms of international justice.

Yet while Hamburg applauded the UN for “setting a favorable trend” in genocide prevention, he acknowledged that there is still much room for improvement.

“Agencies can do more in prevention than they are now doing,” Hamburg said. He pointed out that United Nations genocide prevention efforts are constrained by the threat of a Security Council veto and by nations’ fear of overriding sovereignty in the General Assembly. Additionally, departments that deal with genocide prevention are usually “underfunded and understaffed.”

The book also identified patterns that can be found at the roots of genocides. Hamburg made the point that genocides usually occur when one group blames a weaker group for its own problems and cultivates intergroup hatred. If left untouched, the stronger group may incite violence that will grow over the years, from periodic outbursts, to civil war, to genocide. It’s for this reason, Hamburg says, that we need to focus on early and mid-range genocide prevention tactics and not wait until it’s too late.

Along with identifying the early steps of genocide, Hamburg called upon policy makers to create environments where genocide is less likely to occur. “A fundamental responsibility of policy makers is to …promote factors of political process in violence-prone societies,” he said. “It’s necessary that countries move to gradual elimination of prejudices and animosity that poison group relations in the first place.”

“It’s hard to understand how decent human beings can commit genocide,” Hamburg concluded. “If we can’t learn to live together, then all of our efforts won’t be of much value.”

Dr. Hamburg’s book can be purchased on Amazon.com. For more information, please log onto conference’s website, which can be found at www.ony.unu.edu/genocide .

Caucus on Families and Orphans affected with AIDS.

Because HIV/AIDS is such a heavy, multi-faceted issue, it's hard to view it simply as a virus. Along with the actual virus, we see HIV/AIDS in terms of the number of lives it takes, the social stigma it creates, and its growing prevalence in developing countries. Yet while these are examples of direct causation brought on by the virus, it's important to note how HIV/AIDS is so powerful that it indirectly affects people living without AIDS. As part of the United Nations' two day high level meeting on HIV/AIDS, two women (Sharon Slater from the group "Global Helping to Advance Mothers and Children" and Jennifer from "Mothers for World Care Ordinance") lead a panel about how AIDS has left over 15 million children orphans.
In their lives, both women have made extraordinary feats in addressing the orphan issue in their own countries. In Kenya, Jennifer helped found a movement that has placed over 4,000 Kenyan orphans into families. While Sharon has also done work in Kenya, her work has brought her to over 25 countries to push for HIV prevention and adoption policies.

This week at the UN an “AIDS” theme was prevalent in the various discussions and meetings that to. On Wednesday June 11 2008 a small caucus entitled Families & Orphans affected with AIDS was held in conference room B. This caucus was organized in order to spread interest in an adoption model based in Kenya, but can be potentially implemented in other parts of the world. The model was created by a woman from Kenya named Jenifer, who established the “Mothers for World Care Ordinance”; an adoption program in which families adopt children of aids victims. This program places orphan children from her community in Kenya into the homes of families of the same or sometimes neighboring communities. In return for their help, the program provides the families with basic material necessities such as food and clothing for the children. The program also provides training to families so that they can effectively handle the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of the orphans. As a result of this program many orphans have found mentorship and are now able to live on their own.
The caucus was very small and intimate and consisted of a short presentation by Jennifer followed by a brief discussion and question and answer session led by Sharon Slater, a representative from the group “Global Helping to Advance Mothers and Children”. Despite its overwhelming success and effectiveness, this program is suffering from a lack of funding which can potentially led to its end. Although the caucus itself was a bit rushed, Jenifer’s presentation was very impressive and she was modest in her accomplishments. Her model and presentation were well thought out and detailed; however, in the question and answer session that followed the presentation several questions were posed by audience members regarding the “stigmas” and “controversy” often associated with international and domestic adoptions. Because of this many worry about whether this model can be implemented at a worldwide or even national level.

Today, February 21st, the UN put on a communications workshop for NGO's entitled "Expanding Opportunities for NGO's to Network Locally and Internationally". It was moderated by Juan Carlos Brandt who is the Director of the UN Information Center in New York, Carolyn Schuler Uluc who works in the Department of Public Information, and Nyi Aye who is the the Officer in charge of the Informations Management Unit. They were joined on teleconference by The Directors of the UNICs from Mexico and the new center in Brussels.
The workshop began with an explanation of the new types of technologies and services which the UNIC's are starting to use and how they can be of use to the NGO's and civil society. The new teleconference system that was being used was the main example of how the UN is moving into the future. Although actually working that technology seemed to baffle them, prompting the Mexico City Director to comment that even in the 1st world we can't get things to work!
The NGO's are a very important part of the outreach work that the UN does all over the world. They are the ones who go out into the communities and are on the front lines of addressing the most pressing needs. Therefore, it is imperative that the UN be able to better connect these NGO's so that they may be able to communicate and share solutions to the problems that they are facing in the field.
The representatives from all of the UNIC's stressed the fact that they are compiling databases and information on all of the NGO's with whom they work and making that information public. With the new information centers, individuals will be able to contact their local UNIC and find organizations in their area focusing on any number of different issues. These databases, will hopefully encourage 'horizontal communication' between NGO's who are working toward similar goals. Effective networking and communication is essential if we are to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. There was a special focus on youth participation in particular, because as 18% of the total world population, they are uniquely positioned to take on some of the world's biggest issues with new perspectives, as well as greater knowledge of new technologies.
That is why organizations like Global Youth Action Network are so important. They network and provide links between community organizations all over the world. The Mexico UNIC recognized this when she mentioned GYAN in discussing how to connect isolated NGO's to the resources that are available to them.
All in all it was an informative workshop that demonstrated the increasingly vital role that new technology, along with organizations like GYAN, will play in solving current issues by connecting people!

On Monday, February 11 the U.N staged a thematic debate on Climate Change. I had the opportunity to attend and listen to what the U.N delegates and speakers had to say about this ever-growing and frightening issue.
There were two panel discussions which were led by moderators and had speakers from all different countries and professions there to lend their unique perspectives to the issue. The first panel concerned the issue of co-operation with the private sector and how to enlist them in the effort to offset climate change. The second was entitled 'The UN at work' and focused on what the UN could do specifically to address the issue. The President of the U.N, Srgjan Kerim, captured the U.N's general policy for most issues in saying that, "The U.N can set the table but the rest of the world has to act". The idea is that if delegates and representatives from all over the world come together and discuss the issue, that they will return to their home countries with the necessary information in order to act locally. What everyone agreed was necessary was the participation of the private sector in any global movement against climate change. Governments can only do half of the work in drafting legislation, private companies must take it upon themselves to decrease their carbon footprint. As the panel member from the Board of Chinese Business Council put it, "we need to develop a good faith collaboration". Both the private and public sectors need to come together honestly and sincerely to solve the problem.
What was stressed over and over was the fact that the poorest countries produce the least carbon emissions but are affected the most by climate change. For example, while U.S and Chinese (the two most polluting countries!) factories and businesses churn out environmentally damaging gases, it is the small, poor villages in Southeastern Asia that are being washed away by tsunamis. It was also noted multiple times that while 20% of the world's population resides in cities, cities produce 80% of total gas emissions. So, it is evident that large cities such as New York carry a larger burden in trying to reduce their carbon footprint. Mayor Bloomburg spoke about some small changes that NYC city is undertaking to combat this problem, such as converting all NYC taxis to energy efficient vehicles, taxing drivers in Manhattan during peek hours and planting 1 million trees within the next 10 years. Although they may seem like small changes, these are the things that do make a difference in the long run. The 1st world and pollutant countries also bear the burden of helping the 3rd world countries develop with new, greener technology with private funding that will help not only in battling climate change but also in battling poverty.
One of the panel speakers, Martin Korr from Indonesia, spoke of the danger of overloading the agenda. We need to focus on the four main areas of attack: finance, litigation, technology and adaptation. If the problem of climate change is addressed on these four fronts then the global community has a chance of succeeding!
As an American, it was interesting to watch this discussion be played out in New York City. After the U.S government refused to sign the Kyoto treaty in 1997, it was a disheartening and embarrassing failure on our part to address this important issue and it seemed as if it would never be taken seriously in the US. But ten years later, it is the issue on everyone's lips and more and more people are taking small steps to do their part. Every citizen, and especially the YOUTH who will have to live with these decisions long after the aging administration, should pressure their government into taking action NOW so that we might have the possibility of saving the earth and saving our way of life!

On Wednesday, October 17th, I had the opportunity to attend (and participate in) the presentation of the Youth Report companion of the Machel Study 10-Year Strategic Review to the UN. The Youth Report is a culmination of work by GYAN in partnership with UNICEF, UNFPA, and other NGO partners that presents the voices of youth from conflict-affected areas. Their thoughts and ideas were collected as a key contribution to the Machel Review through a series of focus group discussions and an online questionnaire. Capturing the voices of some 1700 young people, the group discussions included children and young people who have experienced conflict themselves, with many of the participants speaking about how their own lives have been affected. The report itself is written in first person, much different from any other UN report, and highlights significant elements of a child's life in conflict.

The Machel 10-Year Strategic Review is an assessment of the work done since the initial study of the effect of armed conflict on children by Graca Machel. This study brought about the position of the Special Representative to the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG-CAAC), and several intiatives by UN agencies, NGOs, governments and regional organizations for concrete action. The 10-Year Strategic Review provides the findings of the current SRSG-CAAC, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, during several visits to conflict areas, and including recommendations for future action as well. One important suggestion is the participation of youth in decision-making. The presentation of the Youth Report is an important element in the Strategic Review, and reinforces the need for youth voices in the ongoing discussion on armed conflict.

The Youth Report was presented by four young people from conflict-affected areas, and included presentations from the sponsoring member state, Norway, the SRSG-CAAC, Radhika Coomaraswamy, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Ms. Hilde Johnson, and the Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA, Ms. Mari Simonen. Well-attended despite the conflicting Stand-Up Against Poverty! program that same morning, the moving presentation featured readings from the report by the youth participants, and a corresponding slideshow. Copies of the Youth Report were available and the young people had the chance to meet and take photos with the high-level representatives from the UN organizations.

However, the difficulties and problems facing the presentation of the Youth Report may be more evocative than what was actually said and presented. The team working on the presentation faced several obstacles; first and foremost, they were barred from presenting to the General Assembly alongside of the Strategic Review. In addition, the difficulties in bringing youth from conflict countries was indicative of the refusal by many states to acknowledge the significance of youth voices at the UN. It was quite disheartening to learn of young people refused visas to travel to New York and present their report. In addition, the work to censor the words of the young people demonstrated the inability of UN organizations and delegates to truly listen to these voices. The demands presented at the end of the reading, a crucial element of the Youth Report, unfortunately, will go unheeded as long as their voices remain suppressed.


Read the Youth Report, and endorse the demands of the young people by signing the online petition.

The DPI/NGO Conference on Climate Change was held on September 5-7, at the UN Headquarters. About 2,000 representatives of NGOs from over 80 countries attended roundtables, panels and workshops, reviewing the scientific evidence of climate change and its consequences on indigenous peoples, water security and land use.
A few specific workshops focused on the effect of climate change on various youth issues. The following workshops focused on children's issues: "Caring After the Storm: The Impact of Climate Change on Children in Areas Where Rising Waters Create Despair and Destruction", "Youth, Education and Climate Change", and "Small Steps - Big Effect: What Families and Children Can Do to Help Reverse Global Warming". The presence of youth representatives were felt at these smaller workshops. However, youth were also present at the larger, closing session of the Conference. Moderated by the Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, this session featured conference summaries presented by 4 youth participants in the UN International School. Reading aloud from prepared summaries, these 4 participants were the few young people present. Though there were various references to the importance of youth participation in climate change, and the effect of current practices on the future, very few members of the audience represented the youth movement. The conference website, however, featured a section on youth, which included a Youth Education Outreach Initiative that incorporates and encourages advocacy and participation in the global discussion on climate change.
Closing with a beautiful poem and visual presentation by Mr. Rolland Smith, after a lengthy address by Mr. Rajendra K. Pachauri (the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), the session pointed to the many successes of the 3-day conference, including a formal declaration prepared for the representatives. This declaration stated the goals and objectives of the conference, and suggested several initiatives for the representatives to take. Coming before the UN Climate Change Conference this December in Bali, this conference provided a brief look into the many new findings and positions of the IPCC. However, the role of youth needs to be much more visible and accesible in order to truly create the partnership and the essence of sustainable development that so many representatives stressed.