Report of the UNESCO Youth Forum



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‘UNESCO Acting with and for Youth’

Report of the thematic week on youth

organized at UNESCO Headquarters (Paris)

16-17 August 2006

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Prepared by

the Section for Youth (BSP)

youth

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 1

Executive Summary 2

1. The Treasure Hunt – an interactive visit to explore ‘UNESCO’ 3

2. Session ‘60 Minutes to Convince’ 3

3. Round Table ‘Youth involvement in fighting poverty’ 6

4. Round table ‘Young People and World Heritage’ 9

5. Exhibition held as part of the week 11

6. Dedicated website 12

Annexe 14

Acknowledgements

This report was prepared by a team led by Ms Maria Helena Henriques Mueller, Chief of the Section for Youth of the Bureau of Strategic Planning.

The success of the different activities organized is a fruit of collaboration between UNESCO’s Section for Youth, UNESCO colleagues from different Sectors and the CPM (Joint Programmatic Commission on Youth of the UNESCO-NGO Liaison Committee, which federates representatives of youth organizations in official relations with UNESCO). The CPM contributed to the preparations of this week and mobilized about 70 local and international volunteers active in work camps in the Paris region to assist at the events taking place at Headquarters. The Section for Youth is very grateful for these efforts.

Finally, we would like to thank all the colleagues, external speakers and support staff, who were willing and motivated to share their experience and best practice with the young people, youth organisations and adults present during the week’s roundtables and sessions. Their invaluable contribution has helped make this celebration a dynamic space for lively encounters and open dialogue.

Executive Summary

UNESCO is 60 years old

60 weeks of celebration

60 weeks=60 themes

Week 49: Acting with and for youth

 

This year UNESCO celebrates its sixtieth anniversary. This event is celebrated throughout 60 weeks, from September 5th 2005 until November 4th 2006. It is a unique occasion for UNESCO, its Member States and all of its partners to highlight, week after week, 60 themes of actions.

 

Considering the high priority of youth for our Organisation, a whole week, from August 14th to the 18th 2006, has been devoted to exploring UNESCO's action with and for youth. This week, entitled ’Acting with and for Youth' is in conjunction with the International Youth Day on August 12th, dedicated this year to 'fighting poverty together.'

In order to emphasize the activities organized around the world to celebrate International Youth Day, especially those on the fight against poverty and the protection of world heritage, a welcome page on the Section for Youth website was created  (youth).

 

 

The following activities were scheduled at Headquarters:

➢ 8-17 August: two photo exhibitions displayed two themes related to youth acting for World Heritage conservation: 'World Heritage in young hands' and 'Youth and Heritage: examples of Youth Workshops for World Heritage conservation.'

➢ 16 August (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.): Treasure Hunt: within UNESCO Headquarters (Fontenoy site) so that youth can learn more about UNESCO: a distance to discover UNESCO programmes, activities and notable works of art.

➢ 16 August (2 p.m. to 3 p.m.):  '60 minutes to convince' gave an introduction to UNESCO`s Strategy 'Acting for and with Youth'. The Section for Youth, in collaboration with other Sectors and Youth Organizations liaising with UNESCO outlined their major projects.

➢ 16 August (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.): Round table on 'Young People’s Involvement in the Fight against Poverty'. UNESCO colleagues and Youth Organizations representatives discussed best practices and how to involve young people in the fight against poverty.

➢ 17 August (10 a.m. to 12 a.m.): Round table on World Heritage. UNESCO colleagues, Youth organization representatives, and special guests from French Polynesia opened the discussion around the involvement of youth in heritage preservation embracing all its different aspects: cultural, natural, tangible and intangible heritage

The Treasure Hunt – an interactive visit to explore ‘UNESCO’

10.00 – 11.15: Upon arrival of the participants, Ms Maria Helena Henriques Mueller presented UNESCO's Strategy of Action With and For Youth which consists of five interrelated functions of youth participation: (i) increased presence and participation of young women and men in UNESCO's bodies, events and activities - the governance function; (ii) incorporation and integration of youth views and priorities in programme activities and partnerships with young people -  the programming function; (iii) assistance to Member States of the Organization in mainstreaming youth concerns and issues into their policies and programmes -  the policy development function; (iv) act as a clearing house of information concerning youth and sustain campaigns;  prepare and disseminate publications and information material, accessible also through a dedicated website youth  - the advocacy function; (v) evaluate programmes and projects targeting and involving young people with a view  to strengthening partnerships and co-responsibilization - the monitoring function.

In the following, the audience watched and discussed a short video produced on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of UNESCO and discussed, based on this introduction, the mission and mandate of UNESCO.

Participants then split up in smaller groups and went on a 1,5-hour tour around UNESCO premises. The purpose of this ‘Treasure Hunt’ was to make young people discover UNESCO in an interactive way: the UNESCO Headquarter building and its works of art, UNESCO’s priorities, working modalities and , most importantly, the opportunities given to young people organizations to participate and make their voices heard.

Led by a member of the Section for Youth, the groups ‘discovered’ and learnt about the history and work of UNESCO.

➢ Room I : General Conference

➢ Room II: UNESCO Youth Forum - in addition to the UNESCO Youth Forum, participants learnt about the work of the CPM and its activities with young people.

➢ Room X : Executive Board

➢ Works of art of UNESCO (Miro, Picasso, Guyasamin)

➢ The Japanese Garden and Takis sculptures

➢ Peace Wall / Square of Tolerance and the UNESCO constitution

➢ World Heritage quiz: Colleagues of the World Heritage Centre invited participants to learn more about world heritage and how to protect it through an interactive quiz (see annex)

2. Session ‘60 Minutes to Convince’

The 60-Minute session on UNESCO’s Strategy of Action With and For Young People was chaired by Mr. Munoz Gomez, Director of the Bureau of Public Information, who was assisted by a young intern of his office. The session was exceptionally well attended with more than 70 youths coming from International work camps based in the Paris region and UNESCO staff present. Speakers for the session included: Ms Maria Helena Henriques Mueller, Chief of the Section for Youth in the Bureau of Strategic Planning, Jacqueline Groth, of the Section for Youth, Michael Tran, of the Small Islands and Coastal Regions Platform (SC/SIDS), and Marc Assokoly, a representative of the Ivory Coast Scouts Association.

The session began with an introduction from Maria Helena Henriques Mueller who outlined the dynamics in terms of the global numbers of young people, regional concentration and growth of this age cohort and most especially, the challenges facing today’s youth. Considering young people’s specific needs, expectations and concerns, UNESCO’s approach is to establish a partnership with young people themselves. The main objective is to empower youth so as to ensure their full potential and participation in society as equal and valuable partners.

In addition to recalling the five functions that characterize UNESCO’s approach to youth – governance, programming, policy development, advocacy and monitoring - Ms Maria Helena Henriques Mueller projected a short video featuring the 4th UNESCO Youth Forum, which was held as an integral part of the 33rd session of the General Conference in October 2005. In line with its recommendations, UNESCO is organizing a Youth Forum in each of the UN regions in 2006-2007. The first of this series of regional youth forums was held as part of the Pacific Youth Festival (17-22 July 2006, Tahiti, French Polynesia). At the festival, UNESCO developed the theme of ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ and provided a space for young people to exchange experience, discuss their concerns and, most importantly, define concrete youth-led action fostering sustainable development in their communities and at the national level. The next Regional Youth Forum will take place in Cyprus from 16-19 November 2006, and will bring together 100 youth delegates from the Euro-Mediterranean region around the theme: ‘Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue to Ensure Peace’. Other regional forums are scheduled for 2007 in Asia, Africa, the America’s and the Arab States region.

As the theme of this Year’s International Youth Day was designated by the UN as ‘Tackling Poverty Together’, Jacqueline Groth (Section for Youth), presented an example of a concrete project the Section for Youth has led working together with local youth organizations in South Asia. She first highlighted a few facts and figures regarding the global situation of youth in poverty and pointed out the lack of adequate policy responses targeting young people as a group which is particularly vulnerable to the multiple dimensions of poverty.

She then introduced the cross-cutting theme project ‘Breaking the Poverty Cycle of Women’, one of the series of interdisciplinary pilot projects implemented since 2002. This projects aims at empowering out-of-school adolescent girls to become agents of social transformation in their communities through an integrated and holistic programme combining literacy, skills training, health and legal education, science, income generation and microfinance. It is implemented in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.

As part of the project, the Section for Youth has developed and tested a new approach, i.e

peer-group monitoring and evaluation, which aimed at gaining new insights and a better understanding of the favorable conditions for the complexities involved in empowering adolescent girls. This innovative approach was also meant to provide local youth organizations, who were charged with undertaking regular field visits, interviews and focus group discussions with the projects participants and members of the wider community, with transferable skills and expertise in this field. Even though this activity proved to be a challenge, it was successful in generating findings not normally produced by an adult-led ‘conventional’ evaluation process. Also, the ‘added’ value of youth participation in these kinds of initiatives was reflected in an institutionalization of the partnership between youth and ‘adult’ NGOs (responsible for the project implementation). The way forward will be the development of Policy guidelines on ‘Peer-group Monitoring and Evaluation’ and a practical tool kit for young people and youth organizations.

Michael Tran, of the Small Islands and Coastal Regions Platform (Natural Sciences Sector) focused on UNESCO’s Youth Visioning for Island Living’ initiative. This project seeks to build capacity among island youth, giving them a voice in sustainable development matters; and enabling them to make positive changes at the local and national level.  It is composed of three phases: (i) preparatory (involving on-line discussions with young people from Small Island Developing States); (ii) the Youth Visioning event: an international Youth Forum held parallel to the International Meeting ‘Barbados+10’ in January 2005 in Mauritius and (iii) Project Implementation phase. The Phase three is critical as it will provide indication of the success of the overall Youth Visioning initiative. Michael Tran provided detailed information on the project proposal process and the kind of technical support offered by UNESCO through its Youth Visioning Committee.

He also gave an example of a project led by young people from the Palé Kwéyòl Initiative, designed to revive the Kwéyòl language and culture. Activities included the Kwéyòl march, the Kwéyòl extravaganza, the Kwéyòl classes and peer tutoring. The project has been successful and has now become a sustainable annual event.

Marc Assokoly, in charge of the Educational Programme for the young people aged 15 to18 - of the Catholic Scout Association of Ivory Coast highlighted the role of youth organizations in promoting a culture of peace in (post)-conflict situations. He gave an overview of the civil war in Ivory Coast and the devastating impact it has had on youth organization’s structures and activities. In spite of important constraints, the CSAIC managed to carry out humanitarian assistance activities: 400 displaced women, children were sheltered in a CSAIC’s training center and the organization put in place a reinsertion programme for women and children (clothes and food gathering, psychological assistance, courses, etc.).

Underlining that educating and training young people to become agents of a culture of peace is crucial, he presented Fö-oundikro (peaceful village in English), an initiative developed by his organization. This campaign started with an international workshop organized in partnership with UNESCO that took place in Yamoussoukro in 2003. Delegations from the Balkans, Colombia and Great Lakes African States were invited to share their experience on the Scout movement’s role in countries in conflict and discuss good practices led by young people. Consultants of the Section for Youth held several workshops on non-violent conflict resolution and communication. The participants agreed on a way forward called ‘peace ambassadors’, which has become an effective mechanism to get young people involved into the overall reconciliation process of a war-torn society.

Discussion

As a feed-back to Marc Assokoly’s moving presentation of the Fö-oundikro initiative, Simona of CCIVS, stressed the operational partnership in Ivory Coast’s crisis situation between UNESCO and youth organizations. This complementarity of actions can serve as a model for all partnerships.

Following the presentations, the speakers answered questions from the audience. The President of the 4th UNESCO Youth Forum, raised issues related to the follow-up to the Youth Forum, e.g. the need of a permanent youth structure at UNESCO. Ms Henriques Mueller responded by saying that the Youth Forum is a dynamic process and its recommendations should be followed-up at all levels. UNESCO does not see the need for a permanent office for the Youth Forum representatives because of the rotation of the elected functions every two years. Rather, it encourages close networking with key partners such as UNESCO National Commissions. As far as budgetary requirements are concerned, the Secretariat – particularly the Section for Youth - is striving to obtain extra budgetary resources to foster activities with and for youth.

Another person raised the issue of the representative nature of young people involved in UNESCO’s activities. Ms. Henriques Mueller responded by saying that UNESCO is working with National Commissions, which nominate youth delegates to attend the Youth Forum. UNESCO is encouraging the rotation of youth forum members in order to provide new insights and also works on a continuous basis with both youth NGOs and issue-based youth networks.

A member of the Kenyan National Commission for UNESCO stressed the issue of lack of resources provided by UNESCO to address young people’s concerns. Ms. Henriques Mueller answered by saying that UNESCO is striving to find additional resources to support its actions in many important fields and young people is no exception.

A participant also asked how the Small Island project can be implemented in Kenya. Michael Tran invited members of the Kenyan National Commission for UNESCO to visit the Youth Visioning website.

3. Round Table ‘Youth involvement in fighting poverty’

The session was chaired by Ms Henriques-Mueller (Chief, Section for Youth), and attended by UNESCO staff, representatives of the Joint Programmatic Commission on Youth (NGO liaison Committee) and about 15 young people (participants of International work camps based in the Paris Region. Speakers for the session included: Ms Deirdre Debruyn, (Section for Youth), Mr Nicolas Aguilar (Secretary-General of Solidarités Jeunesses), Ms Claudine Mignard (Director of La Vie Citoyenne of the City of Nanterre), and Joao Salviano (member of the European Youth Forum in charge of global affairs).

Ms. Deidre Debruyn (Section for Youth) presented the policy guidelines for working with young people on the monitoring and evaluation of poverty reduction projects. The Section for Youth has involved local Youth NGOs as monitors and evaluators of the UNESCO pilot project, ‘Breaking the Poverty Cycle of Women: empowering adolescent girls to become agents of social transformation in South Asia’ since 2002. This project works to teach education and skill development through non-formal learning centers. It includes basic literacy skills, science and technology, micro-finance for entrepreneurship, health and legal counseling, and an awareness of human rights. By targeting the empowerment of young women, the project moves beyond a limited perspective of considering vulnerable adolescent girls as mere recipients. Instead, the project looks upon them primarily as individuals whose rights must be defended for the well being of all, and as agents of change who can think, act and react, and if given the opportunity, reshape their own environment and determine their livelihoods.

A significant challenge in the ‘Breaking the Poverty Cycle of Women’ project has been to monitor and evaluate the process of empowerment of the participants and the level of their social transformation. To this end, the Section for Youth has collaborated with local youth NGOs in each of the four countries to conduct the Peer Group Monitoring and Evaluation component of the project (which comprises observations, focus group discussions and individual interviews performed by trained members of the partner youth organizations).

Based on this experience and the findings generated, the Section for Youth drafted four recommendations to share the methodology as well as the successes and the challenges of this novel evaluation approach: (i) young people in poverty need holistic and integrated non-formal education packages covering human rights, science, basic education and skills training, with a focus on empowerment; (ii) empowerment should be defined and explained as clearly as possible and accompanied by a set of indicators to measure social empowerment, economic empowerment and educational empowerment; (iii) in working with youth organizations, training should be emphasized from the beginning, particularly to strengthen skills in the measuring of empowerment and to perform a higher level of data analysis.

Mr. Nicolas Aguilar, Secretary-General of Solidarités Jeunesses (member organization Youth Action for Peace), elaborated on the importance of voluntary service as a tool to fight poverty. He highlighted a number of key elements of voluntary work which are significant for social development, e.g. it promoted solidarity and tolerance, does not require a great deal of previous experience, is open to everyone and integrated an element of learning.

Through international work camps, thousands of young volunteers participate in local development projects in all regions of the world. As an example of an indirect strategy to fight poverty, he presented the activities of Que Viva Mexico, a voluntary service organization in Mexico, through which long-term volunteers support teachers in non-formal education programmes, in particular in the delivery of language courses. This activity has significant impacts, as it mobilizes the local community and involves a range of partners.

Ms. Claudine Mignard, responsible for civic activities at City Council of Nanterre, focused on the efforts of local authorities to contribute to fighting poverty. To this end, the City of Nanterre has developed a programme assisting young residents of Nanterre to implement projects related to international solidarity. This initiative is a call for youth-led project proposals, which are assessed by Members of the City Council and, provided they are in compliance with the objectives of the programme, eligible for technical and financial support by the City.

Ms Mignard gave three examples of activities undertaken in the framework of this programme: the invitation to tender system set up by the City Council, which gave the opportunity to the youth of the city to implement projects related to international solidarity. It aims at providing financial and technical support to young people’s projects:

• Participation of Youth from Western Sahara in Holiday Camps in France

• The establishment of a school in Nepal

• HIV-AIDS Prevention Campaigns led by young people in Africa

Mr. Joao Salviano, representative of the European Youth Forum, presented youth organizations’ role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals n°8: the development of a global partnership for development. He highlighted a number of recent developments related to international youth organizations joining their efforts in order to create a global community of young people. This idea was launched in 1997 with the establishment of the Global Cooperation and Coordination Committee (GCCC), coordinating mechanism involving nine regional youth platforms. The committee follows the agenda of the ‘World Programme of Action for Youth’ (1995) which defined ten priorities for youth policies and programmes. In 2005, the UN General Assembly review added five ‘new’ priorities to this global blueprint: youth in conflict, HIV/AIDS, intergenerational dialogue, globalization and ICTs. In 2004, the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations (ICMYO comprises the regional youth platforms as well a number of global youth organizations) further deliberated on common strategies to advance the global youth agenda.

As far as the MDG n°8 (global partnership for development) is concerned, M. Salviano stated that one cannot work for young people without working with young people. Young people should not be recognized as a problem but as a resource, not as victims but as actors. Coordination mechanisms are crucial in order to identify priorities for cooperating with international institutions. In this regard, M. Salviano stressed the strategic role of the Joint Programmatic Commission through which international youth organizations discuss about which actions can be implemented and monitored in cooperation with UNESCO.

The subsequent discussion with the audience highlighted the following issues:

CCIVS stressed that there are many different opportunities for UNESCO to work with youth organizations and youth networks. In developing partnerships, attention should be given to harnessing the complementarity of capacities and functions. Youth organizations are often efficient partners as they reach out to a wide youth constituency and dispose of local knowledge, expertise and contacts. Opportunities to cooperate with UNESCO should be explored in a more systematic manner (e.g. contributions to toolkits and publications, joint programmes).

Chief BSP/YTH highlighted the upcoming Open Forum on Youth (NGO Liaison Committee) as a good opportunity to define further cooperation (28 September 2006, UNESCO HQ). In addition, the Section for Youth will work closely with youth organizations in the preparation and follow-up to the Regional Youth Forums organized by UNESCO in the current bi-ennium.

Several participants stressed the need to better define modalities for successful partnerships: these should be based on efficient mechanisms for consultation, mutual trust, a clear division of roles and tasks. It is also crucial that Member States monitor more closely activities with and for young people and that programmes developed in cooperation with UNESCO be provided with sufficient resources.

The discussion furthermore highlighted the different constraints and challenges young people and youth organizations face in their work. It is essential that activities aimed at empowering young people counter the ‘sense of hopelessness’ many young people experience and can make a real impact at the grassroots level. Youth organizations provide spaces of non-formal learning, where young people can develop their capacities, assume responsibility and define their personal priorities and objectives.

4. Round table ‘Young People and World Heritage’

The round table on World Heritage was chaired by Ms. Maria-Helena Henriques Mueller, Chief of the Section for Youth. The session was attended by UNESCO staff, members of the Delegation of French Polynesia in Paris and representatives of the Association of Students from French Polynesia in France.

Speakers for the session included: Ms. Carmela Quin, (World Heritage Center, Promotion, Publications and Education Unit) Ms. Sara Finke, (Associate Expert Asia and Pacific, World Heritage Centre), and members of the Association of Students from French Polynesia in France  : Ms. Christelle Carlier, (student in archaeology), Ms. Tevaiti Pomare, (student in finance) and Mr. Teihotu ARLES (student in informatics and president of the AEPF).

The session began with an introduction by Maria-Helena Henriques Mueller who underlined the challenges facing today's world heritage, both in its tangible and intangible forms.

In the following, Carmela Quin presented a global picture of today’s world heritage. She presented the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), highlighted the definition of cultural heritage and natural heritage and shared some examples of the world’s most outstanding natural and cultural heritage sites. She underlined today’s threats to sites endangered by natural conditions or human activity. She finally focused on the long-term cooperation agreement at the national level between young people and UNESCO. She presented a UNESCO special project: the World Heritage Education programme, which fosters young people’s participation in World Heritage preservation and promotion. This project has been followed by the first Regional World Heritage Skills Development Course for the Arab States held in Petra, Jordan (2002), which focused on basic techniques of archaeological digs. She also presented the manual “Introducing Young People to Heritage Site Management and Protection”, addressed to students between 12-18 years old, which presents the overall concept and reflects the activities undertaken during the skills development course. This has set a precedent for future long-term cooperation agreements at the national level between schools and management site administrators.

Ms Quinn finally presented also the International Course in Restoration for Youth, with the example of the World Heritage site Rorøs, where the young people took part in various specific restoration tasks such as turfing, building restoration and haymaking under the guidance of experienced work leaders.

Ms Sarah Finke introduced the operational projects held by UNESCO World Heritage Section in Afghanistan. In times of war and conflict, the safeguarding of all aspects of cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, including museums, monuments, archaeological sites, music, art, traditional crafts etc. holds an important position in order to strengthen the sense of national integrity. With reference to UN Secretary-General’s dictum ‘Our challenge is to help the Afghans help themselves’, policies and activities for the safeguarding of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage focus on training and capacity-building activities, related to the preservation of this cultural heritage.

She then took the special example of the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan, which includes some of the most important examples of Gandharan art in the world, despite the Taliban’s destruction of its two monumental Buddhas in 2001. The Expert Working Group on the Preservation of the Bamiyan site was formed in 2002 within the framework of the coordination mandate for all cultural projects in the country entrusted to UNESCO by the Afghan government. This Expert Group coordinates activities carried out under the UNESCO project ‘Safeguarding of the Bamiyan site’, for which the Japanese government granted a total of $3.1 million. The project aims at conserving the cultural heritage of the Bamiyan Valley, inscribed on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2003.

Following the previous Bamiyan working groups and the efforts carried out in 2005, a group of Afghan and international experts will work together, and examine the progress of the consolidation of cliffs and niches, the preservation of mural paintings, the conservation of the remains of the statues of the Buddha, the preparation of the master plan, the development of the archaeological survey and the creation of a 3D model map. It will also, as it has in the past, make concrete recommendations for follow-up activities.

Christelle Carlier, student in archaeology, intervened on challenges faced in preserving the archaeological heritage of French Polynesia. She indicated that the extent of the Polynesian territory has difficult the conservation of heritage made. Moreover, during long years French Polynesia had suffered from a neglect of its cultural heritage and local traditions. Fortunately, the 1960s saw a certain ‘cultural revival’ and a growing interest in heritage sites. However, there are many vestiges which continue to be ignored. She pointed out that the Marquises Islands concealed megalithic ceremonial sets and vestiges and habitats. In her opinion, ‘the population is motivated to take part in the safeguarding of its heritage’, but there is a lack of information and in particular young people are often unaware of it. Christelle Carlier highlighted the importance of Heiva, an annual cultural festival which features traditional dance and traditional sports. While the government of French Polynesia has classified a number of sites and has improved measures aimed at its promotion and preservation, there is a need for the development of specific programmes informing and involving young people.

Tevaiti Pomare insisted on the fact that the AEPF proposed workshops of dance and reo maohi (Tahitian language) in Paris and had thus ‘an important role to play in preserving Tahitian traditions.’ Vaitiare Gilloux pointed out that there is also a need to further sensitize young people about the Tahitian language at school.

The subsequent discussion was centred on exploring concrete opportunities which would contribute to a greater youth involvement in heritage promotion and preservation, in particular in the specific context of French Polynesia and the Pacific region at large. Chief BSP/YTH shared her experience following UNESCO’s contribution to the 1st Pacific youth Festival, organized by the Youth Union of French Polynesia from 17 to 22 July in Tahiti.

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There are three tracks which should be explored further in cooperation with youth and student organizations: 1) the development of an inventory of the Polynesian heritage sites 2) the further association of Polynesian students with the various forums organized by the UNESCO and 3) further discussions with the cultural advisor of UNESCO/Apia.

5. Exhibition held as part of the week

As part of the thematic week, a special exhibition was on display in UNESCO Headquarters: ‘World heritage - Acting with and for youth’ is devoted to the relations between young people and the cultural and natural heritage. It consists of two parts:

The first part entitled ‘World Heritage in young hands’ explains the Convention of UNESCO for the protection of the cultural and natural world heritage and the ‘List of heritage sites’ which gathers the major classified sites of our Planet:

➢ In terms of cultural heritage: archaeological sites like Paphos in Cyprus or Moenjo Daro in Pakistan; monuments, such as the temple of Borobudur in Java, the palate of Versailles in France, pyramids of Gizeh and temples of Abou Simbel in Egypt, or the urban sets such as the town of Venice in Italy, etc...

➢ In terms of natural heritage: large national parks like those of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania or the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, deltas of large rivers like that of the Danube in Romania; lakes like Baïkal lake in the Federation of Russia, etc...

The second part of our exhibition is entitled ‘Young people and World Heritage’; it is devoted to several on-site conservation courses for young people for the safeguard of the cultural heritage in the world: Kampuchea, China, Cuba, Egypt, France, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Mozambique, Ouzbékistan, Senegal, etc...

This exhibition will be exposed in the Futuroscope in Poitiers for several months, from September 2006 onwards. It will be shown there with original pieces of art created by 24 artists of various cultures, gathered for the exhibition devoted to alphabetization.

6. Dedicated website

In order to highlight the activities organized by young people, youth organizations and other partners all around the world to celebrate International Youth Day, a dedicated welcome page on the Section for Youth website was up until the end of August (youth). This operation was a success, since we received many contributions from all regions of the world. Below are a few examples, please consult youth for more information.

➢ INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY IN THE CANARY ISLANDS

On 12 August, International Youth Day for all of Spain was officially commemorated in Fuerteventura (Canary Islands). The International Youth Day was one of the activities developed within the framework of the III Summer School of UDECA (Unión de estudiantes de Canarias, Canarian Students Union) with the collaboration of INJUVE (Instituto de la Juventud, Youth Institute) and CJE (Consejo de Juventud de España, Spanish Youth Council), that was held in Fuerteventura, where more than 5000 young people from all the country met to give recognition to their rights of participation.

The working day offered several activities: conferences (youth situation in Canary Islands through the history, youth policies in Spain, and ‘Youth in the World’), a Youth Fair (Youth Expo Fair), promotion areas and the use of new technologies (Youth Cyber Area), aquatic activities, and different workshops (percussion, elaboration of banners, professional DJs, juggle, marketing).

Finally, a music show was organized featuring young artists and a well-known group in world music to close the International Youth Day.

➢ Celebration of International Youth Day in Uzbekistan

The MDG Youth Network is an initiative set up by students from different universities, which strives to enhance the awareness of a broader young public on the MDGs. On the occasion of International Youth Day, the network launched an internet discussion forum to mobilize youth participation in discussions on various development issues. Apart from the discussion forum, the internet campaign features award winning competitions on 1) best youth presentation; 2) best youth motto; 3) best photo story, the results of which will be announced on August 12th.

➢ International Youth Day in the Philippines

The Grade School Department of Colegio San Agustin from Philippines has prepared activities to promote the year of voluntary social service. This is the department’s way of celebrating International Youth Day not just in one day but during an entire year. Students are involved in the promotion of justice and peace, fraternal communion and simple living through the different programs and services the department offers. 

➢ Fifth European Course in Restoration for Youth, Røros, Norway Norwegian National Commission for UNESCO

The Norwegian National Commission for UNESCO and the UNESCO Associated School, Røros Upper Secondary School, have organized the 5th International Course in Restoration for Youth at the World Heritage Site of Røros, from 8 to 18 August 2006.

➢ Southern Africa Youth Festival in Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe (10-14 August 2006)

To commemorate the International Youth Day, the Ministry of Youth Development and Employment Creation through the Zimbabwe Youth Council and in collaboration with other partners such as Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and Youth organisations in Zimbabwe is organising a Southern Africa Youth Festival (SAYF).

➢ INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY IN JORDAN

In Jordan, the UNESCO Office in Amman is making the Youth Day commemoration stretch throughout the year! The Amman Office has been in touch with the Ministry of Education in Jordan about International Youth Day and plans to work together on implementing various seminars for students related to issues facing young people during the school year 2006-2007.

These seminars are aimed at helping students deal with the stress experienced in school and family life, while also enabling them to solve problems and be a greater asset to their schools and communities.

➢ The UNESCO Office in Ramallah has published an article in early August in ‘This Week In Palestine’ in celebration of International Youth Day. Written by UNESCO youth focal points it focuses on youth mainstreaming in UNESCO's programmes and specific activities. 

Annexe

Message from Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of International Youth Day 2006

This year, International Youth Day will be celebrated under the theme ‘Tackling Poverty Together’. An estimated 515 million young people (aged 15-24) live on less than two dollars a day – that is, nearly 45 per cent of all youth. This is a wake-up call for the international community to do more to meet its commitment to building a world of inclusion, justice, mutual trust and prosperity. In particular, it demands that we work harder to improve the social and economic opportunities of the younger generation.

The goals and objectives of the Millennium Declaration, reaffirmed by the 2005 World Summit, are galvanizing the international community’s efforts towards the eradication of poverty. Indeed, the fight against poverty has become the undisputed, overarching goal of the entire UN system, if not the entire international community. Given the fact that young people constitute a large and growing proportion of the population of developing countries, and given the prominence of questions affecting youth within the millennium development agenda, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) can be seen in essence as “youth development goals”. Yet, the gap between the vision inherent in the MDGs and the current reality for young people in many countries is widening.

Poverty in all its various dimensions – hunger, ill health, inadequate access to education and other basic services –, combined with a lack of participation in decision-making processes, greatly impedes the development and well-being of young people. Particularly disquieting is the fact that girls and young women are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the pernicious effects of poverty. Poverty is not only a violation of basic human rights; it is also a denial of opportunity. Governments and international organizations have an obligation to respond to the hopes of young people for a fulfilling life and a chance to realize their potential.

UNESCO has made considerable efforts to address the urgent needs of young people suffering from poverty. We have designated the eradication of poverty, in particular extreme poverty, as a cross-cutting theme for the whole Organization, and have at the same time ensured that the needs of youth and young people are mainstreamed by all Programme Sectors. UNESCO has also launched innovative intersectoral pilot projects in all regions of the world, aimed at targeting the needs of young people and strengthening youth leadership. As we move closer to 2015, the target date set for many of the MDGs, it is imperative for UNESCO – as for the international community at large – to work in a more focused and effective manner to meet the challenge of eradicating poverty among youth.

The lessons learnt in our work confirm that tackling the conditions of youth poverty requires a sustained and integrated approach, which promotes awareness of human rights and educates young people on the availability of health and legal support. Above all, concerted efforts are needed to empower young people as actors and partners in development. Young people need to acquire the encouragement, skills and knowledge that will enable them to join hands and lead initiatives to combat poverty.

On the occasion of International Youth Day 2006, I therefore call upon leaders in all walks of life to come together to raise awareness of youth poverty, to scale up investments in tackling this problem, and to develop integrated policies and programmes that engage young people and their organizations as key partners in development efforts. I also urge young people to make their voices heard and to take action towards our common goal of a better life for young people today, and for all of humanity in the future.

Koïchiro Matsuura

QUIZZ ON WORLD HERITAGE

1 How many countries ratified the World Heritage Convention?

A - 101

B - 36

C - 182

2. What is OUV?

A - Outstanding Universal Value

B - Organization of Universal Variety

C - Organization of Urban Veterans

3. How many sites are listed on the World Heritage List to date?

A - 830

B - 100

C - 7

4. How many World Heritage sites are there in France?

A - 5

B - 107

C - 30

Please give some examples:

5. What is a trans-boundary site?

A - A site located in the sea?

B - A site shared between two countries?

C - A site whose boundaries are fluctuating?

6. Where is Chan Chan World Heritage site located?

A - China

B - Peru

C - United Republic of Tanzania

7. The World Heritage emblem: What does it symbolize?

A - Nature and Culture

B - Mountain and globe

C - A cube and a circle

8. How many white rhinos are to be found in the Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo?

A - 100

B - 500

C - 4

9. What are the main threats to World Heritage sites?

A - Natural disasters

B - Conflicts and civil unrest

C - Development

10. What is sustainable development?

A - A development which lasts forever

B - Long-lasting tourism infrastructures

C - A development which is respectful of environment and

local communities and beneficial to future generations

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