ICYO – YOUTH INFORMATION February 2007/1

                      (E-Newsletter from network of youth organizations in India)

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ICYO - Platform of 356 Youth Organizations in India.       

ICYO - India’s largest network of urban and rural youth.

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President of India Urges Youth to Join Politics

                    

Exhorting the youth to enter politics as a full-time vocation, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam urged them to make a meaningful contribution to the development of the nation.

 

"The youth should take up politics as their career in large numbers. Political science should form part of the curriculum from the secondary to college level for all students with development politics as the focus," Kalam said in his address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day.

 

Referring to India's fast growing population, he said there were over 540 million youth under the age of 25 that would be continuously growing till 2050.

 

"Citizens should proactively cast their votes to select candidates of known performance with honesty as the focus. Legal personalities, experts and professionals should educate citizens about the political process, constitution, procedures and their rights and responsibilities."

 

Outlining some of the other tasks before the country's youth, Kalam said through politics they would need to make education accessible to every citizen, uplift citizens below the poverty level and accelerate agriculture reforms.

 

National Movement of Youth Vital: Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India

 

Highlighting the importance of young Indians in the path to progress, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the country needed a national movement of youth to ensure social development and equality.

 

Addressing the annual Prime Minister's National Cadet Corps rally in New Delhi, he also stressed on the need to move ahead with "greater speed" to sustain the progress and to ensure social justice to all as the country rolls on the path to development.

 

"India needs a national movement of young people engaged actively in social development, sports and the development of personal character. Values like discipline, comradeship, loyalty, dedication to the nation and the cause of social equality are built through such movements," he said.

 

"After six decades of our independence, our Republic today marches forward with confidence. We have to move ahead with greater speed to sustain our progress and ensure social justice and equality to our people," Singh added.

 

Kalam's Agenda for Youth: Work for World Peace

 

President of India address the 12th National Youth Festival

 

Ignited minds of the youth of India are the most powerful resource on the Earth, above the Earth and under the Earth.

 

President of India, A P J Abdul Kalam set the tone for his two-day visit to the Pune city with his words of inspiration as he called upon the youth of the country to work towards achieving world peace.

 

"In the 21st century, one should know one's purpose in life. Human society has been at war from within, and while there have been two World Wars in the last century, terrorism and low intensity warfare are affecting us to a great extent. At this time, when 3 of 6 billion people of the world are youth, this youth force should work towards peace," Kalam said at the valedictory function of the 12th National Youth Festival in Pune.

 

He stressed that the greatest challenge of the country was eradicating poverty where 54 per cent of the population were below poverty line (BPL). "To meet this challenge, the five engines of growth — infrastructure, education, water, energy, and employment generation — need to be accelerated for economic sustainability."

 

Kalam described his Vision 2020, which included energy, security, and transparency of administration through e-governance and 100 per cent literacy. "Every Indian should have a university degree or any employable qualification," he said.

 

"Venture capital system and entrepreneurship training should aim at creating more enterprise so that employment can be generated and there are more givers than seekers," Kalam said. The President also read out his seven-point oath to be repeated by the students, which urged them to "participate in making Vision 2020 a reality". The students took oath to set goals and achieve them, succeed in their tasks and enjoy others' success, keep their surroundings clean, contribute to peace in the world, lead an honest life free of corruption, light the lamp of knowledge, and do the best they can to contribute to the vision of India.

 

 

ASEAN Tourism Ministers Underline the Importance of Youth

 

Youth is the key in tourism. Such viewpoint gained prominence during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tourism Forum 2007 held in Singapore. The tourism ministers from the ASEAN region are counting on youth from across the world as part of their regional tourism drive.

 

Sharing his viewpoint during the "Shaping the Future of Youth Tourism Forum" in Singapore, Robin Yap, Director of Contiki Indonesia Resorts said Singapore is probably the leader of this development and explained why other Asian countries may lag behind when it comes to traveling youths.

 

Upcoming Events:

Regional Network Resource Exchange (RNRE) Workshop for South Asia

ECPAT International will organize the Regional Network Resource Exchange (RNRE) Workshop for South Asia from February 8-10, 2007 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The RNRE includes workshops on ‘Protecting Children from Sexual Exploitation in Emergencies’ and ‘Working with Boys who are Commercially Sexually Exploited’

All the ECPAT affiliates and member organizations are expected to participate including ICYO.

RHIYA out come Good Practices Dissemination meeting

The UNFPA and European Commission jointly organizing the meeting to dissemination of the Reproductive Health Initiative for Youth in Asia (RHIYA) good practices. The meeting will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from February 7-8, 2007.

ICYO will attend the meeting and represented by Mr Vijay Bharatiya.

Water and Youth

 

The Food and Agricultural Organization and the Pan American Health Organization will join over 300 national and international organizations to convene the first international meeting on "Water and Youth" in Buenos Aires, Argentina from April 12-14, 2007. 

 

The objective of the Meeting is to increase commitment and to initiate action that will contribute to water sustainability, as well as to forge a network of international cooperation. For more information log on http://www.waterandyouth.org 

 

Global Youth Service Day

 

Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is celebrated on a designated weekend every April in more than 115 countries. GYSD also remembers the year-round contributions of young people as assets and resources in their communities. In April 2007 from April 20-22, 2007 millions of young people, in partnership with non-Governmental organizations, faith-based institutions, Governments, schools, media, and businesses will address the most pressing needs in their communities and their countries. For more information log on http://www.GYSD.org

 

TUNZA International Youth Conference

 

The TUNZA International Youth Conference is one of the main platforms for cooperation and interaction between United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and its youth partners. It is the vision of the organization to "foster a generation of environmentally conscious citizens who will better influence decision-making processes and act responsibly to create a sustainable world". Organized for young people (15-24 years), the Conferences provides opportunities for young people to learn from one another, share experiences and ideas on community-based environmental actions and develop joint strategies on promoting environmental protection.

 

The programme will be held in Leverkusen, Germany from 26 - 30th of August 2007.

 

Asia-Europe Young Parliamentarians Meeting

 

The Sixth Asia-Europe Young Parliamentarians Meeting (AEYPM) will be held in the Netherlands, in collaboration with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Institute for Asian Studies, and hosted by the Dutch House of Representatives. The series of Asia-Europe Young Parliamentarians Meetings is a programme of the People-to-People Exchange Department of the Asia-Europe Foundation, which aims to foster a high-level exchange of ideas and intensive networking between young parliamentarians from Asia and Europe.

 

This year theme is "Towards an Asia-Europe Parliamentarian Partnership" and will be held from February 26 – March 2, 2007.

 

Experts to Promote Greater Socio-economic Participation of Persons with Disabilities

 

An 'Expert Group Meeting on the Promotion of Social and Economic Participation of Persons with Disabilities towards the Biwako Plus Five' is scheduled for 27-28 February at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok. At the meeting, experts will review the achievements made in implementing the Biwako Millennium Framework, assess global and regional developments that have taken place over the past five years, and identify key issues. The meeting is taking place in preparation of a mid-point review of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, 2003-2012 to be held in September, at which time Biwako Plus Five will be adopted

 

Asian Parliamentarians Meeting on Population and Development

 

The Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) with support from UNFPA and IPPF will organize " 23rd Asian Parliamentarians Meeting on Population and Development" on February 22nd and 23rd in Tokyo, Japan

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Youth Information is published by

Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)

194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave

New Delhi 110029, India

Phone: 91 9811729093  / 91 11 26183978 Fax 91 11 26198423

Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...

Web:  www.icyo.in

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Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) is a registered non-profit, non-governmental network organization, committed in developing areas of mutual cooperation and understanding among different youth voluntary agencies, youth groups, clubs and individuals working in the field of youth welfare in India. 

ICYO functions as an umbrella organization of youth NGOs in India. It's family consists of
over 356 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.

Our goal:
To improve and extend the youth work and services through Youth Organizations;
To enhance and demonstrate youth work in the society;
To promote effective youth programmmes;
To organize network of civil society organizations working towards the development of youth work;
To organize seminars, conferences, workshops, trainings;
To maintain international relation with organizations promoting young people in their programmes and activities

Affiliation: 

Consultative (Roster) Status with ECOSOC, United Nations;
Consultative Status with Commission on Sustainable Development;
Full Member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY); Asian Youth Council (AYC);
Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN); CRIN, South Asia Youth
Environment Network (SAYEN), Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand;
ATSECE-DELHI, Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with Indian Association of Parliamentarians (IAPPD);
International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia