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Posted: Aug. 30 2006,02:28 by rpitt from
INTERNATIONAL - UNOY - Robin Pitt |
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a)
What changes in youth policies do you think the
government/leadership in
your country should make to promote a
CoP?
Since nearly 50% of the world's population is 25 years of
age or under, those young people need to be present when decisions
on the fate of humanity are at stake. Thus, governments should
include young people, girls and boys in equal numbers, at all levels
of governance, in conferences, and especially within delegations to
the UN and other international organizations. There needs to be a
more sincere effort, not patronizing, to seek out opinions from
young people, to include young people, to make room for voices of
youth. A culture of peace will only happen when the culture of
violence is decisively rejected. It can only happen when young
people are offered alternatives to violence in their education, when
they are offered an understanding of human rights and international
law. In other words., when young people are offered peace education
in their national systems of education they will be in a better
place to participate in democracy.
b) What CoP youth
activities/initiatives do you think the UN should do?
The UN is
only as good as its member states. If there are agencies that can
make decisions without member state intervention/ approval, then
those agencies should reach
out to include young people in their
daily work. For example, young people have been forced, drugged into
being child soldiers and have had to undertake and participate in
inhumane crimes. Those young people should be among the witnesses
and testifiers in trials involving the leaders of those rebel
groups. The environmental organization(s) should include
young people as they assess damage from major disasters ( tsunami's
and
earthquakes) and be engaged in the recovery programs. In so
doing, they will discover that they are working side by side
with young people from opposition groups because thje
disasters did not distinguish between ethnic or political groups
when they struck. The can be a powerful road to
reconciliation.
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OPTIONAL
QUESTIONS
3. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for
improving youth participation in CoP activities on any levels (UN,
government, civil society)? see above
4. What could be done
to improve/ensure transparency and flow of information in promoting
the CoP? There could be a naming and shaming program in the General
Assembly to report on what every country has done that voted for the
C o P, and of course, what they have not done....
5. To
ensure the best possible return of a voluntary fund for youth and
CoP, how should it be managed/administered?
young people should
be among the administrators and accountants....
6. How can
youth not yet involved in CoP activities be reached and motivated?
Has there ever been a meeting of leaders of all the
international youhth organizations? From Seeds of Peace to YM/WCA to
all the organizations that have youth in their title or work with
youth...have they come together, regionally, for participatory
meetings on what more they can and should do?
Name of
organization: ____Hague Appeal for Peace
777 United Nations
Plaza, NYC, NY 10017 USA |
