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|  | Liaison Newsletter > LIAISON Vol. 2, No. 5, September 1998 - Articles
World Action on Youth: Portual, August 1998 Although I returned from Portugal some time ago, I still feel the excitement after attending the Third World Youth Forum of the United Nations System, held in Braga from August 2-8 and the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, held in Lisbon from August 8 -12, 1998. It was a remarkable experience where I met people from around the world while working on youth rights and the development of ideas for a national youth body in Canada.
Third World youth Forum of the United Nations system The opening plenary was an impressive event since there were many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from 150 countries at the meeting initiated by the United Nations. All were there to further the forum’s theme of "youth participation for human development" in cooperation with the UN system. As I have a passion for human rights, I participated in the working group on youth rights. At the Second World Forum in Vienna in 1996, the group recommended the development of an international youth charter to define the rights of youth people. Due to my work on youth participation, I know that an advocacy tool is needed to articulate the fights of young people. It was quite a surprise that the group decided to reject the idea of a youth charter after some preliminary discussion. There was a strong argument against this proposed international charter in favour of prioritizing the implementation of youth rights. It was a stimulation debate consistent with many UN human rights discussions about the merits of universality versus particularity. Ultimately the group supported the development of regional youth charters in Latin America, Africa and Europe but prioritized implementation of youth rights, defined in several existing international human rights treaties. To encourage better implementation of youth rights, I spent the next several working sessions in a sub-group developing a recommendation to appoint a UN Special Rapporteur on Youth Rights. According to Bill Angel of the UN Youth Unit, we revolutionized the appointments process in our terms of reference for the position. We insisted that the individual be young, no older than 35 years of age, with appropriate experience in human rights and NGOs. Furthermore, we stated that nominations through regional NGO consultations should be completed by August 1999, one year after the Forum. Then the UN Secretary-General should appoint the individual from these candidates before the end of 1999. Since a main goal of the conference was to improve the relationship between the UN system and youth NGOs, we felt that this concrete recommendation would ensure a dynamic and responsive connection between them. Despite rumours throughout the week that UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan could not attend the closing plenary due to the troubles in Iraq, he thrilled us all with his appearance. Forum participants clapped wildly, whistled and yelled their appreciation; it was clear that for youth, Mr. Anna was bigger than any rock star! In accepting the Braga Action Plan, made up of all the recommendations from all the Form’s working groups, he called for cooperation between the UN system and NGOs serving youth for both action and results. His words were inspiring to many of us committed to youth advocacy.
World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth: 8-12 August, 1998 The Ministers Conference was a much larger and more formal event. There were over 1000 participants from around the world, including many government ministers. Encounters with youth ministers from Mali, Gabon and Jordan transpired very easily, whether it was in the cafeteria line-up or on the conference shuttle bus. It was quite remarkable to meet Canadian politicians who are so often quoted and photographed in the newspapers. At both the Forum and the Minister’s Conference, Secretary of State Ethel Blondin-Andrew made a very positive impression on me and the other participants, due to her obvious commitment to youth and her warm smile. My contact with Human Resources Minister Pierre Pettigrew at the conference was similarly notable as he is very thoughtful and dedicated to his work. The participation of the two ministers contributed significantly to the achievement of all Canadian objectives at the event. There were many Forum participants at the Ministers conference as NGO delegates. Heavy negotiation between the states about various clauses in the draft Lisbon Declaration meant that there was not much communication between the state delegations and NGO representatives. As a result, many felt superfluous and out of place for a time there due to the lack of a NGO role. consequently, a strong point was made by several NGO delegates that the next conference should encourage meaningful communication between governmental delegations and the NGO representatives. Despite these challenges, I spoke on behalf of the UNA in the working group about the importance of meaningful youth participation. I emphasized the relevance of the Braga Action Plan developed largely by youth, and the important recommendation calling for the appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur on Youth Rights. On the last day of the conference, I was thrilled that this point came out as a recommendation of the working group at the end of the conference. The forum and the conference offered important international opportunities to advance issues concerning youth but the momentum should not be lost. These events must be a catalyst for concerted action on youth both internationally and domestically. Yet it is clear that Canadians are missing and needed from both international youth fora and youth bodies. In contrast to many other countries throughout the world, Canada lacks a national youth council to organize the various youth voices. to this end, Canadian NGO representatives from across the country held meetings in Lisbon in order to coordinate action. We believe that youth should be organized to advocate our domestic concerns and to ensure Canada maintains its commitment to youth as defined in: the Lisbon Declaration; in the Braga Action Plan; and the recommendations developed at the national NGO consultation, Youth Café Jeunesse. We are committed to making this international experience have national implications. for example, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the international Covenant on Economic, Social and cultural Rights. |
