The
Steering Committee (SC) of Youth Development and Peace (YDP) Network was held
from June 18 to 20, 2006 in World Bank office at Marseille, France.
The
Committee reviewed the last one-year development/progress of YDP Network around
the world. The meeting started with welcome remark by Ms. Chantal Dejou, Lead
Economist and Head of Office, World Bank MENA region. Mr Pierre Girardier from
External Affairs Vice Presidency office of World Bank presented the progress
report of YDP Network. Mr. J. Bass, Manager,
Dialogue Division, World Bank discussed the future plan to further expansion
and strengthen of the Network.
Through
video conference (vc) from WB Washington, Ms Viviana Mangiaterra, Children
& Youth Advisor of World Bank and Ms Maya Brahmam, Communications, DECVP, World
Bank brief about the launching of WDR 2007 in Singapore and possibilities of
youth participation in launching September 2006.
In another
VC, various countries of Africa region were connected and they updated the SC
about the activities of YDP Network in their countries.
Mr Ingo
Imhoff, Priority Area Manager - Children and Youth Department Health,
Education, Social Security, GTZ, Germany discussed the possible cooperation in
Youth Trust Fund. Mr. Imhoff was the special invitee in the meeting.
Youth Camp held
The
character building is today’s need of nation, said Dr. Subbramaniam Swami, Ex-
Minister, Govt. of India while inaugurating the Youth camp on 11 June 2006 at
Amity School Campus in NOIDA. He further added that gaining the knowledge and
uses it for welfare of the others.
Mr,
Joginder Singh, Former Director, CBI said that we have to work to united the
society, and that’s not possible without fix the target. Therefore every one
have to fix the ultimate target of their life mission.
The Youth
Camp was organized from June 10 to 18, 2006 by Kendriya Arya Yuva Parishad and
under the guidance of it president Mr. Anil Arya. The camp was attended by 175
youth.
Mr. Anil Arya said he
believed that such camps help to character and moral building in the young
generation.
In the
week long camp, consultations, yoga, games, other physical exercises, cultural
activities were held.
According
the Mr D. K. Bhagat, the Arya Yuvak Parishad camp was the opportunity for youth
to get the exposer while they met with other youth and exchange the ideas and
talent.
Commission of Social Development (CSD)
adopts
New Youth Employment Resolution
The 44th
Session of United Nations, which was held from 8 – 17 February 2006 in UN
Headquarters in New York, reviewed 'the first United Nations Decade for the
Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006)'. Member states agreed upon a draft
resolution on, 'Promoting Youth Employment' tabled by YEN (Youth Employment
Network) Lead Country Senegal which emphasized the importance of developing and
implementing NAPs, and coordination and partnerships towards that objective
between groups such as national governments, youth organizations, the private
sectors, and civil society. The resolution included:
- Asking
Governments to support the creation of new policy-oriented indicators to better
monitor and evaluate progress in implementing their NAPs.
- Inviting
the YEN to contribute to this process through a global analysis and evaluation
of progress made by countries.
- Calling on new countries and partner
organizations to join the YEN and encouraging the Lead Countries to strengthen
the work of the Network as a peer exchange, support and review mechanism.
- Inviting
all Member States and NGOs to contribute to the Network in support of NAP
developments.
- Calling
on Member States to support the strengthening of the YENs Youth Consultative
Group.
5th MENA Development Forum (MDF5) includes
"Youth Promoting Good Governance"
The series of workshops held on
April 8, 2006 in Beirut on 'Youth Promoting Good Governance: Best Practices
& Models of Change' (theme 10 of the MDF5), This programme encouraged youth
to play a more active role in political and public arenas. MDF5 was organized
by the World Bank, UNDP and hosted by Lebanese Center for Policy Studies,
attended by over 500 leaders from MENA (countries in the Middle East and North
Africa), Iran and Turkey together. Youth, both from MENA and around the globe,
shared their good governance experiences and practices through in-depth case
studies.
Report:
Youth and Violent Conflict: Society and
Development in Crisis?
The United
Nations Development Programme's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery
(BCPR) released its report "Youth and Violent Conflict: Society and
Development in Crisis?". The report represents a first step to build
substantial knowledge on this issue as a basis for policy development and
programmatic responses. It reviews existing analytical and policy frameworks,
provides an initial mapping of relevant programming efforts put in place by
UNDP and partner organizations, and advances preliminary recommendations for
the way forward.
Youth
Employment Summit Officially Launched
H.E. Mwai Kibaki, Kenyan
President, officially launched the 3rd global Youth Employment Summit on March
15, 2006 in Nairobi. The YES Summit 2006 will take place in September 2006. In
his speech he addresses issues such as job creation for youth, he said “job
creation remained the Government's top priority. It is because of the
importance that my Government attaches to new employment generation for youth
that Kenya offered to host the 3rd Global Youth Employment Summit
Earlier, the torch was present to president by Ms. Poonam
Ahluwalia, Executive Director, YES Campaign, Education Development Center, Inc,
USA.
Ms. Ahluwalia said; the agenda at the “YES Kenya 2006” would
discuss rural entrepreneurship through the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’ model,
attracting Foreign Direct Investment, building core competencies for trade, and
capacity building of youth. Innovative policies, best practices and ideas will
be shared drawn from all parts of the world and will be used to develop future
collaborative action for employment generation.
New Publication on UN Youth Delegates
A new publication called “A Brief Guide to Youth Delegates to the United
Nations General Assembly” is now available online.
The purpose of the guide is to provide
information regarding the role of national youth delegates to the General
Assembly and to other relevant meetings of the United Nations. To view the new
publication, log on www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/youthrep.htm
Indian
Government Bans Child Labor in Restaurant, Homes
A law was passed by Indian Parliament and notified the
banning the employment of children as domestic servants or servants or in dhabas (roadside eateries),
restaurants, hotels, motels, teashops, resorts, spas or in other recreational
centers, effective from 10 October 2006.
The government - which earlier banned the employment of
children under 14 in factories, mines as well as other hazardous jobs - later
also prohibited government workers from employing children as domestic help.
"With this notification, the government has extended
these restrictions to everyone," a statement issued by the Labour Ministry
said of the latest restrictions.
The extended ban, which also applies to children under 14,
is to be implemented October 10, said the ministry. Spas, motels and other
recreational centres have also been barred from employing children.
The
penalty for flouting the law is a jail term ranging from three months to two
years with or without a fine of up to INR 20,000.
South and
Far East Asia Conference for Peace held in Hyderabad
The South
and Far East Asia Conference for Peace under the auspices World Youth Council
Against Terrorism, the WYCAT, was held from 26th May to 27th May at Hyderabad,
India. 50 delegates from around the world attended the conference.
Shri Rajiv
Pratap Rudi, former Union Minister, Government of India, in his inaugural
speech appealed to the youth to fight terrorism tooth and nail. He emphasized
the need to debunk the word terrorism and use new word cowardism, for the
terrorists do not display any bravery but display only cowardice by targeting
the innocents. He also appealed to the South and Far East Asian nations to
forge an alliance to extend logistic support in tackling the issues of terror.
Mr. G. Kishan Reddy, International Chairman, WYCAT in his welcome address
emphasized the need to effect a change in the mindset of the terrorists by way
of organizing sustained debate over the repercussions of terrorism. He said
that the ideology based terrorism or religion based terrorism which has been
prevalent in South and Far East Asian nations have in fact been pretext to
spread narrow-mindedness. He said terrorism hasn't achieved anything and will
not achieve anything concrete.
Incoming
Events
Youth camps in
India
National
Youth Project (NYP) announced the series of Youth camps and children festival.
Here is some detail as follows:
1.
National Integration Youth Camp will be held at Sala Guri in Sibsagar District
of Assam from October 25 to 29, 2006. The camp is for 1000 youths from all
over India.
2. Jal
Sadbhavna Youth Camp
The National Integration Jal (water)
Sadbhavna Youth camp will be held in Daulla (near Meerut), Uttar Pradesh from
October 11 – 18, 2006. It is expected the 500 youth from all over India and 200
local people will participate in the camp.
The main purpose of the camp is to
promote the nationalism amongs the youth by using the water conservation as a
tool.
3. Children Festival
Children
Festival is the annual event of NYP, This year the children camp will be held
in Babina, Uttar Pradesh from September 29 to October 3, 2006. The camp is open
for children of age 8 to 12 year. All the participating children will be the
guests of local children and they will stay with them at their home.
For more detail and participation in NYP events, contact ICYO.
Global Prize for IT Benefiting
Youth in Developing Countries
The
Development Gateway Foundation is calling for nominations for its US$100,000
prize for outstanding achievement in the use of information and communication
technologies to improve lives in developing countries. Sponsored in part by
Intel Corporation, this year's Development Gateway Award is focusing on
initiatives that empower or improve the conditions of youth.
World
Assembly of Youth will organize the Global Youth Entrepreneurship Forum (GYEF)
from September 6-9, 2006 at Jogja Expo Centre in Sleman, Jogjakarta, Indonesia.
The theme
selected for GYEF is ICT and Small Business Development. This theme has been
selected in realization of the need to develop the capacities and capabilities
of young people to enhance and utilize their entrepreneurship skills and
creates more job opportunities through ICT and small business. The GYEF will
therefore address issues such as entrepreneurship, ICT training and education,
skills development and international collaboration. For more information contact ICYO.
Tunza International
Children's Conference
The 2006
International Children's Conference on the Environment will be held in
Putrajaya, Malaysia from August 26-30, 2006. Approximately 250 child delegates
(age between 10-14 years) from around the world are expected to participate.
This is
expected that the children will share their views and concerns about the
environment and will prepare individual commitments and a petition to world
leaders expressing their concerns and vision.
UN Global Youth
Leadership Summit
UN Office
for Sport for Development and Peace will organize the UN Global Youth
Leadership Summit with the aims to link youth with the MDGs, using sport,
peacebuilding, and culture as entry points. The event will include two youth
delegates – one male, one female – from each of the 191 Member States of the UN
and event will be held from October 31 – November 1, 2006.
The Sports
Authority of India (SAI), on behalf of the Ministry of Youth Affairs &
Sports,
Government of India, will award national and state level scholarship for the
year 2006-07 to sports persons who have secured first, second or third position
in individual events or winners/ runners-up position in team events in
recognized international national or state level competitions.
Special
scholarships are also available for unemployed woman champions on above
categories. The application form can be download from website: http://www.nis.org. The last date to apply is
September 30, 2006.
Commonwealth Essay
Competition
The 2007 Commonwealth Essay Competition organized by the Royal Commonwealth
Society (RCS) is now inviting entries from students aged between 8 and 18 for
the annual writing contest.
One of the topics includes the theme for next year's Commonwealth Day to be
celebrated on 12 March, which is 'The Commonwealth -- Respecting Difference,
Promoting Understanding'.
Younger entrants have been asked to write about topics such as 'You are the
ruler of your country for a week. What would you do?'; 'Write about an event
that shocked your country or community. Describe your own reactions and those
of other people'; and 'Write a story or poem called "Colours"'.
The complete list of topics -- there are a total of 24 over four age classes --
is available on the RCS website, www.rcsint.org/essay.
The closing date for entries is 1 March 2007.
World Congress on Communication for
Development (WCCD)
WCCD event
is organized by the World Bank's Development Communication Division, The Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and The Communication
Initiative and will be held from October 25 – 27, 2006 in Rome, Italy.The WCCD aims to analyze and evaluate
new developments in the field of Communication for Development and to develop
recommendations for consideration by policy and decision-makers, practitioners
and researchers on how to make communication for development recognized as a
central pillar of development.
This 3-day
Congress will bring together communication professionals engaged in development
initiatives, policymakers, development practitioners, donor and non-governmental
organization (NGO) representatives, community representatives, and academics
from around the world to share experiences and best practices in this growing
field for a common understanding of what works, what doesn't, and how best to
measure impact.
For more
detail contact Lucia Gernna, Unit Head, Communication for Development in
Operation, World Bank, email lgrenna@...
UNESCO Forum on Higher Education ...
The Global Colloquium of
the UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge will be held at
UNESCO, Paris from November 29 – December 1, 2006 with the theme of
‘Universities as centres of research and knowledge creation: an endangered
species?’.
The
main purposes of the Colloquium are: to examine the current issues facing
universities, notably those in the developing world, in relation to their
research function, which is vital for the formulation of national development
policies; to propose effective strategies for the development and reinforcement
of this function.
The
Committee for Asian Women together with the IRENE network is organizing the
above seminar on legal protection of migrant domestic workers in Europe. The
seminar will be held from November 8-10, 2006 Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The aim of the Seminar is to debate on the situation of domestic workers, most
of which are women and children, and the formulation of common strategies to
provide them with legal protection.
Based on
the theme "Sexuality: No East No West", the conference will
facilitate interactive, open, in-depth, and across-cultural discussion,
bringing together experts from medical and paramedical fields, from East and
West of the world from November 1-4, 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand.
The
purpose of the conference is to facilitate the sexual health promotion, as
multi dimensional and multi- sectoral approaches to sexuality issues, including
STI/ HIV/ AIDS. For more detail contact: tmsstd@...
or tmsstd@...
Int. Consultation for helplines
The third International Consultation for helplines will take place in
Stockholm, Sweden from October 1-4, 2006 and will be hosted by the Swedish
helpline BRIS. Her Majesty the Queen of Sweden will inaugurate the
Consultation. The workshops will be organized on themes around reaching out to
children and on the training needs that resulted from the PSP Checklist.
Leadership Programme on Environment for
Sustainable Development
The third Asia Pacific
Leadership Programme on Environment for Sustainable Development will be held
from September 18-24, 2006 at Tongji Uinversity in Shanghai, China and
organized by Regional office for Asia Pacific of UNEP. The weeklong programme
targets mid to senior level officials interested in sustainable development
issues in the Asia Pacific region, and integrates the three dimensions of
human, environment and sustainable development.
India
Social Forum (ISF), to be organized at Delhi in November 2006, will be the
third event to be organized by WSF-India after the Asian Social Forum in
Hyderabad in January 2003 and the World Social Forum in Mumbai in January 2004.
The theme
for the India Social Forum is proposed to be: ‘Building another world: Visions
for the future’. It focuses on engendering dialogue; optimism and hope, by
creating a space that will enable a greater mobilization of resources for an
alternative future.
The Youth
Forum also planned with the main event site.
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 Orgs
spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.
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.
'Interest in Combating HIV/AIDS Flagging' Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK, Jul 18 (IPS) - An independent
commission launched in New Delhi aims to get leaders of Asia-Pacific countries
to stand up and take note of the daunting challenge posed by the spread of
HIV/AIDS --including increased poverty and development setbacks.
''The political leadership in this region is not alive to the
fact that a large number of people are infected and that will have
socio-economic consequences,'' J.V.R. Prasada Rao, director of the Joint United
Nations Programme of HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Asia-Pacific office, told IPS. ''We have
to find new ways of dealing with this issue and provoking interest.''
For one, smaller countries in the region with a growing
number of people with HIV/AIDS must be told what the socio-economic cost of the
pandemic for each of them is, said Rao. Others, including giants India and
China, must learn about how HIV is ''affecting their health budgets and what
the diversion of resources to fight AIDS will mean to them,'' he said.
The ten-member body, which declared its mission to the
press on the weekend, is headed by Chakravarthy Rangarajan, chief economist to
the Indian prime minister. Included are leading economists, scientists and
civil society actors working on AIDS-related issues.
''(The commission will) generate adequate information to
show to leaders and governments in the region the urgent necessity to invest in
AIDS if they are to maintain their achievements in development,'' Rangarajan
said at the launch of the commission. ''Development experts need to describe in
greater detail the kind of impact AIDS will have on societies and the
development of countries in the region.''
The establishment of this non-U.N. entity, which is
expected to offer its findings and recommendations by December 2007, comes at a
time when the Asia-Pacific region is staring at the rising economic losses due
to the killer disease. In 2001, this region lost some 7.3 billion US dollars to
the pandemic. But by 2010, the economic losses to the region as a result of
AIDS are expected to reach 17.5 billion dollars per year.
And the only way to stall that trend, according to the
Asian Development Bank (AsDB), which supplied the estimates, is a stronger
response in three areas. They are preventive efforts, more information to
vulnerable groups at risk of being infected and better health care for people
with the deadly virus.
''If we invest sufficiently now, the region could save two
billion dollars per year by 2010,'' Dr. Jacques Jeugmans, principle health
specialist at the Manila-based international financial institution, said in an
interview. ''The epidemic is still concentrated in a few high risk groups and
this is where the main investment is needed.''
Failure to respond to the rising number of AIDS cases will
result in an increase in the number of people in poverty and a greater impact
among poor households, he added. ''Most of the vulnerable people are just above
the poverty line and we may see them slipping below this line.''
The inadequate response in the region to AIDS can be gauged
by the limited amount invested to combat it. In 2003, for instance,
Asia-Pacific countries needed some 1.5 billion dollars to fund a comprehensive
programme against AIDS, but ''only 200 million dollars was available from all
sources of public and donor funding,'' states the AsDB. By 2007, it adds, the
region's funding needs for AIDS are expected to reach 5.1 billion dollars.
These twin realities -- lack of political interest and
financial shortfalls -- come at a time when reports reveal that the killer
virus is still on the march through Asian cities, towns and villages. Some 8.3
million people are living with HIV in Asia -- ''more than two-thirds of them in
one country, India,'' UNAIDS revealed in its annual report on the pandemic in
May. Countries where HIV rates have increased, it adds, include China,
Indonesia and Vietnam, while outbreaks have also been reported in Bangladesh
and Pakistan.
Last year, there were 930,000 new infections in the region,
while the toll from AIDS-related deaths in 2005 was 600,000. At the same time,
those receiving anti-AIDS drugs has risen from 70,000 in 2003 to 180,000 in
2005, nearly half of them in Thailand.
In June, the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), a Bangkok-based U.N. regional
body, sounded the alarm on the growing numbers of Asian youth among the newly
infected. ''Young people are the hardest hit -- half of all new
infections have occurred among youth,'' it states in
a brief study, 'Turning The Tide Against HIV/AIDS: Targeting Youth.'
Two South-east Asian countries convey
this pattern, with Vietnam seeing 63 percent
of new HIV cases being below 30 yearsand Thailand
with 50-60 percent of new cases among citizens under 24 years. ''Adolescents and young
people are poorly informed about sexuality, reproductive health and the
consequences of unprotected sex or drug use,'' it adds. ''In a
2004 survey in China, 80 percent of high school students said they had never
participated in a course, or in activities related to HIV prevention.''
Countries must turn their attention to the spread of HIV in
young people as a priority, says the ADB's Jeugmans, since the region's success
or failure in combating AIDS rests with this group. ''They are the most
vulnerable. The youth are not informed. There are lots of gaps in informing the
young in Asia.'' (IPS News Agency)
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 Orgs
spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.
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.
1. Statement by Mrs. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director,
UNFPA
11 July 2006; This year on
World Population Day, the focus is on young people. From a 10-year-old girl to
a young man of 24, their needs are different, their cultures diverse. Yet, all
over the world, young people want to be heard and involved.
They possess the ideas,
determination and energy to accelerate effective action to reduce poverty and
inequality. In every region, young people are taking action on HIV/AIDS and
other issues that threaten their health, education and future opportunities.
Young people want to stay
safe and healthy. They want a chance at a better future. About HIV prevention,
they tell us: "Adults say we are too young to know; we say we are too
young to die." About family planning, young people tell us: "Men
should share responsibility with women." About sexual and reproductive
health, they say: "Young people need this information. It shapes our lives
and affects our future."
Yet today, millions of young
people are threatened by poverty, illiteracy, risks of pregnancy and
childbirth, and HIV/AIDS.Today,
more than 500 million people aged 15 to 24 live on less than $2 per day; 96 million
young women in developing countries do not know how to read or write; and 14
million adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 become mothers every year.
Every day, 6,000 young
people are newly infected with HIV.
These challenges lie at the
heart of goals set by world leaders to reduce poverty and improve health and
well-being. It is clear that the Millennium Development Goals will not be met
unless young people are actively involved in policymaking and programming,
their voices are heard, their needs are met and their human rights are
respected.
UNFPA champions young
people's rights to education, health and employment. We recognize that
investments in young people promote social and economic growth. Key to these
efforts are keeping girls in school, building life skills, delaying marriage
and pregnancy until adulthood, and preventing HIV infection. Young people have
the power to drive development forward. .
On World Population Day, let us focus on
young people and seek new ways to work side-by-side as partners in development.
Although it is often said that young people are the future, it is also true
that young people are the present and their leadership should be supported
today. As a young peer educator said, "We are creating the future and it
is great
-=-=-
2. Message from Mr. Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General,
United Nations
11 July 2006. The theme for
this year’s World Population Day, “Young People”, focuses attention on the
unique challenges faced by the burgeoning ranks of the young in our societies.
Today, nearly half the world’s population—more than 3 billion people—are under
the age of 25. They represent the largest cohort of young people in human
history, and far too many among them confront bleak prospects.
No matter where they are
born, the lives of young people are shaped by forces beyond their control—the
prevalence of poverty, the incidence of crime, the availability of education
and training, opportunities for decent employment, and access to affordable
health services. Yet today’s young men and women are also more aware of the lives
led by their counterparts across the world. As a result, many of them are
demanding action to narrow the gap between rich and poor, and measures to
increase opportunities for all.
There is a clear need answer
their call. After all, providing for youth is not just a moral obligation, it
is a compelling economic necessity. Study after study has shown the benefits—to
the young and to their communities—of investing in education, reproductive
health, job skills and employment opportunities for young people. Such returns
are especially great in the case of girls. Healthy, educated and informed young
women are better prepared to participate fully in society and contribute to the
life of their communities.
Sexual and reproductive
health information and services are a particularly important—though often
neglected—pillar of youth empowerment. Their availability can enable young men
and women to make responsible and informed choices to protect themselves. It
can help the global fight against AIDS, and it can allow the young to make
better decisions about starting families.
The decisions young people
make will shape our world and the prospects of future generations. Yet
under-investment in the young means that they often lack the resources,
training or information to act. Governments must inevitably lead the way in
addressing this failing. But all of us—policy makers, civil society actors, and
ordinary citizens—should contribute in ways both large and small.
On this World Population
Day, let us all reaffirm our determination to promote the human rights and
well-being of young people, and work with them to build a better world for all.
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.
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.
Mock trials held for victims of immoral trafficking
New Delhi, June 27: Sunita
was sure she could recognize the couple who had cheated her and landed her in a
brothel on GB Road. In court, as she took to the witness stand, she saw them
covertly holding up pictures of her two younger sisters. She froze. She was
legally termed a hostile witness.
The conviction figures in
cases under the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA) are abysmally low.
As part of attempts to reverse this trend,
for the first time, victims of trafficking in the Capital are being exposed to
mock trials, a concept introduced by NGO Stop Trafficking and Oppression in
Women and Children (STOP).
In the two-day regional
conference, which concluded today, organizations from Bangladesh and Nepal also
shared their experiences of such mock trials. ''The 14 such trials we held are
already yielding results,'' says Roma Debabrata of STOP.
Roshana, a 15-year-old who
had been brought from Haryana, was one of those who were exposed to these
court-like situations. Initially, she was petrified at the prospect of deposing
before a court but last month Roshana identified those who had brought her to
the Capital, withstanding the cross examination of defence lawyers.
"Most people are under
the misconception that such simulated trials are a means of coaching the
victims. On the contrary, the victim observes the proceedings and learns from
the role play," says Debabrata.
Mock trials help acclimatise
victims to court room situations. "It's scary facing that roomful of
lawyers, who hurl uncomfortable questions at you," says Sunita.
"Often the victim gets so terrified that she ends up turning
hostile," says Sunita recalling her own experience.
Victims are observers in the
trials wherein other survivors enact the roles of judge, lawyers and
prosecuters. Those who may have to depose as witnesses are also invited to
participate in these trials.
Apart from sharing
experience of trials, the workshop also had sessions on trauma counselling to
understand the psychological status of victims.
The workshop saw the
participation of public prosectors, judicial officers, NGOs working for the
rescue and rehabilitation of victims; Nari Unnayan Shakti Kendra, Bangladesh
and Legal Aids council from Nepal. (names of victims have been changed)(India Express)
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.
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.
Stepping
up the fight against obstetric fistula, the United Nations Population Fund has
launched a fund-raising campaign to treat and prevent this little-discussed but
frequent childbirth injury that is wreaking havoc for scores of women in
developing countries. "We're hoping to be able to get commitment from
people and governments to be able to invest in this," UNFPA's Dr. Arletty
Pinel said. "And in the case of Africa specifically, governments must get
to know more about obstetric fistula and maternal health, so even they can
allot from their own budgets, money for this."
The UNFPA says on top of coping with a stillborn baby,
many women hide themselves away because they are so embarrassed by their
condition.
Now the fund is launching a campaign to bring the
problem into the open.It is
estimated there are 20,000 to 50,000 new cases of obstetric fistula each year,
on top of the millions of women, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia,
who already live with the condition.
This creates a hole, leaving the woman incontinent,
often disabled, in great pain, and unable to conceive again.
Along with African countries, obstetric fistula is
common in women in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.
Now, the United Nations Population Fund is hoping to
raise awareness with a new campaign, saying the condition can be both prevented
and treated easily, but more resources must be put into maternal health
care.
Dr Arletty Pinel of the UN Population Fund said
"We're hoping that the campaign will put maternal health into the picture;
obstetric fistula becomes a known entity to show how things can go terribly
wrong when trying to give birth. We're hoping to be able to get commitment from
people and governments to be able to invest in this. And in the case of Africa
specifically, governments must get to know more about obstetric fistula and
maternal health, so even they can allot from their own budgets, money for
this."
Those behind the campaign are aiming to raise US$75
million over five years to help those women whose lives have been blighted by
fistula and to save the lives of their children. (CNA /ct/UNWIRE)
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.
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.
The UNESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific) is urgently calling on Asia-Pacific
governments to target young people in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
"Young people are the hardest hit, half of
all new infections have occurred among youth," warns the report. It says
approximately 60 per cent of new HIV infections in Thailand and Vietnam each
year are among young people.
Poverty, gender discrimination and lack of access to
information and health services have increased youth vulnerability to HIV, the
UNESCAP report says. "Focusing HIV prevention on youth offers the greatest
hope for containing the spread of HIV in Asia and the Pacific."
The
UNESCAP report says the biggest hurdle to providing effective HIV/AIDS
prevention services is lack of cohesive policy. Governments must both
coordinate their HIV prevention efforts across all departments, and they must
actually implement policies.
An Asia-Pacific
regional initiative is critical to stopping the spread of HIV in the region.
UNESCAP is urging major pharmaceutical producers to offer life-saving supplies
at affordable prices. "Major producers of drugs and supplies, such as
China, India and Thailand, could consider the formation of a regional compact
to make them available at prices which vulnerable groups, including youth,
could afford," says the report.
----
Full text of the UNESCAP report:
TURNING THE TIDE
AGAINST HIV/AIDS: TARGETING YOUTH
An
estimated 9 million people are living with HIV in the ESCAP region. While 1
million people in the region were newly infected in 2005, half a million lives
were lost due to AIDS in the same year.
Young
people are the hardest hit – half of all new infections have occurred among
youth. In Viet Nam, 63 per cent of the people infected by HIV are under the age
of 30. In Thailand, 50 to 60 per cent of new infections each year are among
people under 24 years of age. While young people in general are vulnerable to
HIV infection, the most at risk are those engaged in commercial sex and those
injecting illicit drugs – the main drivers of the HIV pandemic in the region.
There
is a high prevalence of HIV among brothel-based sex workers. In Cambodia, HIV
among brothel-based sex workers accounted for 21 per cent of the total in 2003.
In Viet Nam, the average prevalence of HIV
among sex workers is about 16 per cent; in Mumbai, India, it remains
above 50 per cent among female sex workers. Data from a number of Asian
countries reveal that 32 to 74 per cent of female sex workers are below 25
years of age. Young men who have sex with other men (MSM) are also at a high
risk of HIV infection. In Bangkok, studies carried out in 2003 and 2005 found
that the HIV infection rate among this group had increased from 17 to 27 per
cent. Among transgender sex workers in Jakarta, HIV prevalence increased from 6
to 22 per cent in 2002.
HIV
prevalence could rise further among injecting drug users (IDUs), as the sharing
of injection instruments is a very effective way of transmitting HIV. Injecting
drug use accounts for at least 40 per cent of all HIV transmission in China,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Viet Nam. More than 50 per cent of injecting
drug users in India, Thailand and Myanmar are aged 15-24.
Why are youth so vulnerable?
Throughout
the region the face of HIV/AIDS is becoming younger and more feminine. While
most countries in the region have a national HIV prevalence below 1 per cent,
vulnerable groups are much more prone to HIV infection due to globalization,
poverty, gender discrimination and lack of access to information and health
services.
•
Globalization and poverty increase population migration within and across
countries in search of better economic opportunities. The majority of migrant
workers are young people. Isolated from mainstream society and with little
knowledge and few life skills, they are at risk of acquiring HIV as a result of
unprotected casual sex and injecting drugs.
•
Biological and social factors render girls and women more vulnerable to
HIV/AIDS. Young women constitute more than half the young people living with
HIV in Asia and the Pacific. Research shows that, during unprotected sex, the
risk of HIV infection is two to four times higher for women than men.
•
Entrenched gender biases often deprive girls of education; as a result, girls
and women have much less knowledge of HIV/AIDS than men. Also, early marriage
and gender violence increase the risk of HIV infection among them.
•
Adolescents and young people are poorly informed about sexuality, reproductive
health and the consequences of unprotected sex or drug use. In a 2004 survey in
China, 80 per cent of high school students said they had never participated in
a course, or in extracurricular activities, at school related to HIV
prevention.
•
Access to essential health services is lacking in the region. For example, the
coverage of voluntary counselling and testing services was less than 0.1 per
cent of the population (aged 15-49) in Asia and the Pacific in 2003.
How to turn the tide against HIV/AIDS
Focusing
HIV prevention on youth offers the greatest hope for containing the spread of
HIV in Asia and the Pacific. To be effective, prevention efforts should go hand
in hand with treatment and care.
1. Enhancing knowledge,
skills and preventive services
Schools
are the best channels for reaching the majority of teenagers and youth. Merely
incorporating information on HIV/AIDS in the curriculum, however, is not
sufficient. Schools should be encouraged to promote a life-skills approach,
which emphasizes interactive teaching methods to encourage young people to face
health risks and make responsible decisions.
There
is no easy way to reach youth who are out of school. While workplace HIV/AIDS
education can be an efficient way to reach some, community-based peer education
would be more effective for targeting a larger segment of youth. Positive peer
influence and the community approach – engaging parents, teachers, health
workers, village leaders and religious leaders – can foster positive behaviour
among young people.
Life
skills-based education in schools and community settings needs to be
complemented by providing access to youth-friendly health services, including
the availability of condoms, the provision of voluntary and confidential HIV
counselling and testing, and the treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
Youth-friendly
health services can be delivered through hospitals, clinics, community outreach
services, schools, the workplace and youth centres
2. Scaling up comprehensive
services to those at risk
In
September 2005 at the United Nations General Assembly, Governments resolved to
move towards providing universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care.
To achieve this goal, it will be necessary to expand these comprehensive
services for the populations most at risk. Countries that have targeted
vulnerable groups have successfully contained the spread of HIV. For example,
Cambodia and Thailand managed to reverse the spread of HIV through 100 per cent
condom use among sex workers.
Investments
in harm-reduction programmes that target IDUs have proven to be effective.
These programmes typically include substitution therapy, the provision of clean
injection instruments, access to health-care facilities, law enforcement and
prevention education. Australia invested US$ 122 million in a needle-exchange
programme during the late 1980s and 2000. It succeeded in preventing 25,000 HIV
and 210,000 hepatitis C virus infections. More recently, the Government of
China has announced plans to establish 1,400 needle-exchange sites and over
1,500 clinics for the treatment of drug users.
3. Improving policy
coherence
Lack
of policy coherence has been one of the major obstacles to scaling up HIV
prevention services for those most in need of them. While one ministry tries to
promote safe and healthy behaviour among sex workers and drug users, another
may arrest the same sex workers and drug users simply because they are in
possession of a condom or a needle.
To
ensure the effectiveness of HIV prevention programmes, Governments also need to
reform legal and policy frameworks, including decriminalization of HIV-related
risk behaviour.
Where
proactive and coherent policies do exist, there is often a gap between policies
and implementation. Addressing this gap calls for wider engagement of the
ministries of health with the ministries of justice, public security, law
enforcement and other key actors that have not been part of the public health
response to the AIDS pandemic.
4. Closing the resource gap
A
comprehensive response to the AIDS pandemic in Asia and the Pacific will
require an estimated investment of US$ 5.1 billion annually by 2007. It is estimated
that only US$ 1.6 billion would be available. Most of it would come from
bilateral donors, foundations and international institutions, including the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
To
close the resource gap, significantly increased international assistance would
be needed, particularly for the lower-income and the least developed countries.
At the same time, domestic resources would have to be bolstered. Creative
financing mechanisms, such as taxes on alcohol and tobacco, could be considered
by countries. Also, better targeting of funds is needed in order to have a
strategic impact on the AIDS pandemic.
Funding
should be prioritized for programmes and services for vulnerable and
marginalized groups, including youth most at risk.
5. Addressing root causes
of vulnerability
Poverty
and gender discrimination are the root causes that endanger youth and other
vulnerable groups with regard to the spread of HIV. Youth employment should be
placed at the top of the national development agenda. Youth-oriented livelihood
and income-generation projects need to be developed to prevent young people
from seeking survival in the treachery of the streets and from exploitation by
the sex industry.
Eliminating
gender discrimination that subjects young girls and women to health risks
requires strong political will and the full participation of society in order
to change cultural and social norms as well as to do away with laws that
perpetuate gender bias. It is crucial to build enabling environments for girls
and women to fulfil their rights to sexual and reproductive health and to live
a dignified life.
6. Initiating a pro-poor
regional compact to fight HIV/AIDS
A “pro-poor”
regional compact could be developed to ensure that essential commodities are available
for vulnerable and marginalized populations, including young people. Access to
condoms, antiretroviral therapy, treatment of opportunistic and sexually
transmitted infections, and substitution drugs and clean needles at affordable
prices is therefore a priority in scaling up prevention and treatment services.
Furthermore, countries should fully utilize the flexibility and safeguards
allowed under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property
Rights to ensure their access to affordable life-saving medicines. Major
producers of these drugs and supplies, such as China, India and Thailand, could
consider the formation of a regional compact to make them available at prices
which the poor and vulnerable groups, including youth, could afford.
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 Orgs
spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.
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);
New Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment for Commonwealth
countries.
Commonwealth Youth Ministers have recommended that the
upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Uganda next year
endorse the new Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment (PAYE) 2006-2015. The
PAYE, drafted by the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), was presented at the
Sixth Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting in Nassau, The Bahamas, which took
place on 24-26 May 2006.
In a Communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the
ministers said the PAYE, which is aligned to Commonwealth and international
mandates such as the Millennium Development Goals, provides the framework for
Commonwealth youth development work in the fields of poverty eradication,
democracy and good governance, HIV/AIDS and gender equality. They recognized
that PAYE continues to provide a deliberate, transparent and accountable
instrument for CYP's work in youth development to guide the engagement of
member governments, young people and all other stakeholders.
The ministers also commend to CHOGM the CYP Strategic
Plan for 2006-2008, which is focused on youth enterprise and sustainable livelihoods;
governance, development and youth networks; and youth work, education and
training.
The
ministers agreed that governments should integrate youth development and
empowerment in all policy-making, planning and programme delivery in the
political, legal, economic and social spheres to promote sustainable youth
development. They expressed concern over the increased pressures on governments
and the CYP to develop strategic, integrated and sustainable outcomes to
address escalating challenges brought about by a global youth population
growth, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, violence and crime, and other challenges
including globalization.
These factors contribute to greater inequity, dire
poverty, vulnerability and widening social exclusion and marginalization among
young people.
The ministers urged the Commonwealth to redouble
efforts at HIV/AIDS peer education and training which focus on life skills as
well as lifestyles and behaviour change, and to support countries in
implementing youth-centred approaches to counter the HIV/AIDS epidemic. They
acknowledged the need to find more creative approaches to spread positive
messages on healthy living and HIV/AIDS through music and non-traditional media
that will appeal to youth populations.
The ministers noted that substance abuse, the growing
incidences of communicable and preventable illness affecting youth and other
pathological behaviour result from youth alienation and exclusion and from
other challenges of modern-day living.
World Bank’s
YDP Network Update
The steering Committee of the World Bank’s YDP Network
will meet in Marseille, France from June 18-20, 2006. The committee will
discuss the various issues related to young people and further strengthen of
the network.
International Youth Forum in Seoul
The National Council of Youth Organizations in Korea
announces organization of 17th International Youth Forum. The Forum will be
held July 20 - 27, 2006 in Seoul, Korea with the theme ‘A World Without
Borders’.
The purpose of the Forum is to contribute toward
international peace and development by means of providing an opportunity to
recognize the role of youths; to emphasize and acknowledge the importance of
youths in the rapidly changing international society; and to give youths a
proper direction to mutual understanding in sharing the various ideas.
Apart from NCYOK other host of the event are National
Youth Commission, Korea, Asia Europe Foundation. The International Workcamp
Organization, the Asian Youth Council (AYC), World Assembly of Youth (WAY)
supporting the event.
Painting
Competition on the Environment
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with
others organizes the International Children’s Painting Competition on
Environment annually. It has been held since 1991 and has received over 170,000
entries from children in over 100 countries.
This year’s competition is the sixteenth (16th) and
will focus on the theme of Climate Change.UNEP Regional Offices will do preliminary selection and
their partners while the final selection will be done by the Foundation for
Global Peace and Environment, UNEP, Bayer and Nikon.
The children from all over the world can submit their
paintings to the UNEP office in their regions. For addresses of these offices
and other details log on http://www.unep.org/Tunza/paintcomp/default.asp
The last date for receiving the entries is 31 December 2006.
For Asia-Pacific Region, entries must reach to:
Tanawan Sarabuddhi, UNEP Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, United
Nations Bldg., Rajdamnern Avenue, 2nd Floor, B-Block, Bangkok 10200, THAILAND.
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 Orgs
spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.
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.
The Division for Social Policy and Development
(DSPD), UNDESA, organized an Expert Group Meeting, in collaboration with the
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP),
in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting brought together experts and representatives
of universities, United Nations Member States, United Nations agencies and
programmes, and intergovernmental organizations, to identify and discuss major
youth development challenges in Asia in preparation for the World Youth Report
2007. The meeting was held from March 28 to 30, 2006.
The World Youth Report is the biennial major
publication of the United Nations Programme on Youth, DSPD/DESA. The World
Youth Report 2007 will provide a regional overview summarizing the major youth
development trends in the fifteen priority areas of the World Programme of
Action for Youth. Further, for each region, four topics that are highly
affecting the lives of young people are identified for an in-depth discussion.
The four inter-related topics that were identified
for the Asian region are globalization, urbanization, education, and
information and communication technologies.
The objectives of the meeting were thus as follows:
(i) to increase knowledge on the social-economic situation of young people in
Asia by identifying and discussing some of the four challenges facing young
people in the ESCAP region discussed above; (ii) to identify possible policy
and programme interventions; and (iii) to collect inputs to the World Youth
Report 2007.
In his opening remarks, Mr Kitti Samanthai, Director
General of the Office of Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of
Vulnerable Groups, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Thailand,
He highlighted the importance and relevance of the four topics of the Meeting
to young people in Thailand.
In here welcoming remarks by Ms. Thelma Kay, Chief,
Emerging Social Issues Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), highlighted the importance of the ten
priority areas of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and
Beyond to Asian youth. Five additional topics had been agreed upon during the
recent observation of the tenth anniversary of the World Programme of Action by
the General Assembly. She stressed the relevance of those issues, namely
globalization, ICT, HIV/AIDS, youth in armed conflict, and intergenerational
relations, to the situation in the ESCAP region.
Ms Kay reminded participants that there had a been a
call to scale up investments in youth by the General Assembly at that occasion.
In the introductory message by Mr. Johan Schölvinck,
Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, DESA, delivered by Mr.
Joop Theunissen, UN Focal Point on Youth, DESA, deliberated on the four topics
chosen for discussion at the Meeting and their relevance to the preparation of
the World Youth Report 2007.
It was argued that while young people had too often
been seen as a social and demographic group at risk, they were also key agents
for social change, development and innovation. They were contributing every day
to the creation of not only more competitive societies, as often emphasized in
the region, but also to more just, open and democratic societies.
Ms Charlotte van Hees, UN Programme on Youth, made a
presentation on the global situation of young people on the basis of the
findings of the World Youth Report 2003 and 2005. She discussed developments in
some of the fifteen priority areas of the World Programme of Action for Youth
and resolution 60/2 on youth policy adopted by the General Assembly in October
2005. It had been estimated that some 130 million young people in Asia lived
below the poverty threshold of $1 per day. From this background, some global
trends in education, employment, HIV/AIDS, and in information and communication
technology and its impact on young people, were discussed.
Ms Keiko Osaki, Chief, and Ms Kim Xuan Nguyen, ESCAP
Focal Point and Social Affairs Officer, Population and Social Integration
Section, Emerging Social Issues Division, made regional overview presentation
on youth development in Asia. Topics discussed included the changing share of
the youth population in the demographic compositions of the countries of the
region; the general postponement of first marriage across the region over the
past three decades; changing family and social support structures that affect
the current generation of Asian youth; the high level of youth unemployment in
the region; adolescent reproductive health issues; young people experiencing
poverty; and the development of national youth policies by the Governments of
the region
.
Globalization
In his keynote address on globalization and its
effects on young people in Asia, Mr Graeme Hugo, Professor and Director, the
National Centre for Social Applications of Geographic Information Systems,
University of Adelaide, Australia, depicted some profound changes in Asia’s
changing youth population, including the reduction of their share in the population,
and the fact that while there were still differences among the countries of the
region, the “youth bulge” had generally subsided in the region. The region had
made an apparent benefit of enjoying globalization and a large growth in the
youth population at the same time. Mr Hugo also described some trends in
mobility of young people, to be distinguished from migration, within and
outside the region, including the various economic and social effects of
greater mobility on young people as individuals, on their relations within the
changing family, their community, their nation and even within the region.
In her presentation on the effects of globalization
on the situation of girls and young women in Asia, Ms Rashila Ramli, Associate
Professor, School of History, Politics and Strategic Studies, FSSK, Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia, discussed a number of gender issues and topics of
relevance to girls and young women. The influence of economic development and
changes in education on changes in youth culture was discussed, particularly in
relation to the situation of girls and young women.
In a presentation on globalization and its effects
on youth employment trends in China, Dr. Zhang Libin, Senior Research Fellow
and Deputy Director, Labour Market and Employment Department, Institute for
Labor Studies (ILS), Ministry of Labor and Social Security, People’s Republic
of China, highlighted the youth employment situation in China from the
background of globalization. She also discussed social partners’ challenges and
measures taken in response to the impact of globalization on the youth
employment situation in China.
Ms Elizabeth Morris, Senior Labour Market and Human
Resources Policies Specialist, ILO Subregional Office for East Asia, made a
presentation on globalization and its effects on youth employment trends in
Asia. She introduced some trends in the Asian labour force, the importance of
employment for young people in Asia, some of the factors explaining current
labour force trends, and strategies to create decent and productive work for
young people.
In a presentation on globalization and its impact on
youth health in Asia, Ms Cai Cai, Health and Development Section, Emerging
Social Issues Division, UNESCAP, a framework of globalization on health was
presented. A number of trends related to changing values and lifestyles were
presented, which included a general drop in the age of initiation of sex and
drug use. At the interplay of globalization and poverty, issues related to
migrant workers, human trafficking and transactional sex were discussed. At the
interplay of globalization and non-communicable diseases, some trends in
obesity and smoking among Asian youth were highlighted.
Finally, a brief discussion was held on trade
agreements and trade liberalization on health and health-related services for
young people.
The debate on globalization focused on a number of
issues, such as the increased mobility of young people to review a number of
options for employment within their community, the city, or temporary
relocation abroad. It was thus observed that traditional measurements of
migration may not adequately capture the increased mobility of Asian youth.
There was also a debate on the perceived growth in youth populations, also
known as the “youth bulge.” While the youth bulge had clearly passed in some
parts of the region, some other countries were still experiencing large groups
of young people in their demographic composition, which provided different
challenges on the education system and the employment situation.
Urbanization
In a keynote presentation on urbanization and its
effects on youth development in Asia by Mr. Om Prakash Mathur, Professor Urban
Economics and Finance, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, India,
for subthemes that would be included in the draft chapter were discussed. These
included the nature and structure of the urbanization process in Asian
countries, the impact of urbanization on cities, the risks faced by urban
youth, and policy options and alternatives for addressing problems related to
urbanization.
Mr Deibel Effendi, Special Envoy for International
Cooperation for the State Minister for Youth and Sports, discussed some major
trends in the urbanization process in Indonesia and the role of young people therein.
He highlighted some demographic trends, trends in education, youth
unemployment, and urbanization in Indonesia, and discussed the impact of the
investment climate on youth employment. An assessment of young people’s
livelihoods in urban centers was also presented.
Mr Malcolm Hazelman, Senior Extension, Education and
Communications Officer, FAO, made a presentation on the topic of rural youth
development alternatives to urbanization. He reminded participants of the fact
that the majority of Asia's poor, including the youth, live in rural areas.
Despite the fact that urban migration will continue in Asia, providing
alternatives for youth will enable those that choose to stay in rural areas to
live fruitful and sustained livelihoods. This, however, requires investments in
creating a favourable environment for rural youth, including removal of social
constraints, providing market access and higher productivity through use of
appropriate technologies and practices including learning from the many examples
of innovative practices being followed by successful projects and activities of
rural youth organizations and agencies in the region.
Ms Nguyen Thi Hoang Van, Director-General,
International Department, Vietnam Youth Federation, made a presentation on youth
promotion and development through the recent adoption of a new, comprehensive,
Vietnam Youth Law. The new law defined rights and obligations of youth, as well
as the responsibilities of Government, family and society for young people.
The discussion on urbanization included a debate on
the continued relevance of the traditional dichotomy between rural and urban
areas, given the many observed trends in mobility of young people, as well as
the general decreased growth of urban centres in Asia. Another topic of
discussion was the perceived social networks of young people who migrated to
the city. While in earlier periods, the extended family had been an important
feature of rural life, and families in the city were more nuclear in nature,
current and past trends in urbanization and mobility had created a more mixed
picture of the family structure in rural and urban areas, with an emergence of
single households in cities in some countries.
Education
In a keynote presentation on educational challenges
for young people in Asia, by Professor Siri Hettige, Department of Sociology,
University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, the following topics were discussed: basic
education and progress in literacy in the region; infrastructure barriers to
education; the impact of globalization and trade liberation on education;
changing directions in education; developments in science and technology and
research and development; the relationship between migration and education; and
potential role of education on national integration.
In the discussion on education, it was observed that
while very often, education has been seen as a competitive tool for Governments
in their quest for economic development and international competition,
education as a means to achieve sustainable livelihoods for young people as
individuals continued to be of foremost importance. The role of education
towards healthier life styles, combating crime and violence and to promote
democratic values was also discussed.
Dr Roosmalawati Rusman, Assistant Deputy Minister
for Social Sciences and Humanities of Indonesia, made a presentation on
educational challenges in Indonesia. Issues of accessibility to education;
limited household resources for education; quality and relevance of education;
challenges of the vocational education system; the rapid increase in labor
market entrants with higher educational attainment; and the limited number of
job opportunities for better educated youth were presented as some of the
pressing issues related to education in Indonesia.
In his presentation on the role of non-formal
education for young people in Asia, Mr Shahnewaz Khan, Dhaka Ahsania Mission,
Bangladesh, highlighted the educational needs of young people in some countries
in Asia in relation to non-formal education (NFE) and technical and vocational
education. Non-formal education provided the missing link between the formal
system and the needs of the labour market. The majority of client groups of NFE
were young people with particular educational needs that would enable them to
facilitate their entry in the labour market. Validation of NFE by both
employers and by the government were still a challenge.
Ms Saipan Sripongpankal, Ministry of Education,
Thailand, presented some recent developments on curriculum reform in Thailand.
A national youth council had been established that facilitated feedback from
young learners towards the Government on the educational system.It also provided the Government with a
way to learn of other aspects of importance to young people in Thailand. The
results of a survey from health and social problems, as well as educational
challenges were presented.
Information
and Communication Technology
Mr. Jonathan Zhu, Professor in the Department of
English and Communication, City University of Hong Kong, presented the use of
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) among youth in East Asia. Due
to the unavailability of reliable data, he was not able to make firm statements
on the impact of ICT on youth development. Included in his analysis are the
usage patterns of Internet, cell phones, and audio-video media. The available
data from Hong Kong showed that youth generally ma ke more use of ICT than
adults, but showed no significant difference between young men and young women.
Mr. Zhu believed that the existing digital divide in East Asia is a temporal
issue and will disappear in a few years.
Mr. Sang Min Whang, Professor of Psychology, Yonsei
University, Republic of Korea, presented the developmental challenges of youth
in Korea, the impacts of Internet and IT. He discussed the increased usage of
internet in Korea and its effects on youth culture. The Internet was used by
young people to create their own identity, they present themselves via
mini-homepages to each other on the Internet, often creating their own reality.
As such, virtual experiences are not virtual only, as they directly impact on
self-esteem and community formation. He further presented data on the usage of
online games and the Internet.
Mr. Rajendra Mulmi, Founding President of the
Association of Youth Organizations Nepal, presented his views on the effects of
youth activism in Asia based on his extensive contacts with youth around the
world. He presented the huge differences between Internet usage in Asia. Due to
ICT young people are more actively involved in the social, political and
economic arena, and they have increased access to information, resources and
the international community. Some of the positive effects are capacity
building, global brotherhood, an increase in youth-led initiatives, and a
change from youth volunteering to participation in decision-making. He
concluded naming several challenges to be tackled, including the digital
divide, language of the Internet, the weakening social ties with family, the
increase in spam and fraud.
In the discussion the feeling was expressed that a
lack of data should not prevent the report writers from describing general
trends. Also, the chapter on ICT in the World Youth Report 2007 should also
include an analysis of ICT use in the other Asian regions. A suggestion was
made to include an analysis of the linkages between migration and ICT. Because
of ICT, young migrants maintain close ties with their family back home, making
the decision to migrate easier. It was stated that the usage of Internet in
India is very cheap, enabling many people to access the Internet, either at
home or in the Internet cafes. Concern is expressed about sexual exploitation
via the Internet, which should be included in the report.
Ms Jenivie Anne Ramirez-Salmo, Assistant
Division Chief in the Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Division, National Youth
Commission, Philippines, presented the Influence of Information and
Communication Technologies on Youth Development in the Philippines. She
introduced the Medium-Term Youth Development Plan (MTYDP) 2005-2010 focusing on
health risk behaviour, education and employment. Data on the usage of ICT in
the Philippines were shared, indicating that young people are the main users of
the Internet and the majority of them belong to the upper and middle classes
thereby creating a digital divide. There is a need for the development of more
policies for youth protection and promotion of cyber wellness.
Mr. Benjamin Vergel de Dios, Assistant Project
Officer, ICT in Education Unit, UNESCO Bangkok, presented the main figures of
education and youth in Asia. Asia and Africa are the two regions in the world
where access to computers and Internet and the least established. ICT can
assist in reaching some of the other educational goals, including the expansion
of educational opportunities by providing distance education, increasing the
quality of learning and teaching and ensuring life-long learning. UNESCO has
set the goal to ensure that by 2008, all member states in the Asia-Pacific region
will have: a national ICT in education policy; ICT as a component of
pres-service teacher training; a process of developing relevant, multilingual
and appropriate educational content; networks for sharing knowledge and
experiences; and key indicators to monitor development and to form strategies.
(report by UN Programme on Youth, DESA)
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.
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.
-Regional Youth
Expert Group Meeting to discuss World Youth Report 2007.
-Underweight
children in India are among the highest in the world: World Bank Reports.
-‘Political will’
could slash child mortality in Asia-Pacific: UN.
-Follow-up
Meeting of UNGASS on HIV/AIDS.
-WHO releases new
Child Growth Standards: Standards confirm that all children worldwide have the
potential to grow the same.
-The
ActionAids released report “Positive
Voices, Passive States-HIV & AIDS and Emerging Issues of Governance in
Asia”
Upcoming
events:
-Youth Camps in
Jaipur and Varanasi.
-Youth Development Forum.
-Conference on
"Children and Young People in Every day Environment"
-ECPAT Int.: Regional Consultation Workshop on the
Prostitution of Boys.
-Regional
Conference on Experience sharing and Learning from the Best Practices of Mock
Trials
-South Asian
Fundraising Workshop on Resource Mobilization.
-Consultation on
Male Sexual Health and HIV in Asia & Pacific.
-CIVICUS World
Assembly: Acting Together For a Just World.
-Annual
Conference for NGOs associated with the UNDPI.
-6th Asia Europe
People's Forum (AEPF).
-International
Salon for Peace Initiative.
-International Essay Contest for Young People
-THIMUN Youth
Assembly.
-World Bank accepting application for Young
Professionals Programme.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
World
Youth Report 2007:
Regional Youth
Expert Group discussed the Asian Prospect
“There had a been a call to
scale up investments in youth by the General Assembly (of United Nations) at
that occasion” reminded Ms. Thelma Kay, Chief, Emerging Social Issues Division,
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(UNESCAP) in her welcome remark during the opening session of ‘Regional Youth
Expert Group Meeting’ held from March 28 to 30, 2006. The meeting was in
Bangkok and organized by Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD),
UNDESA in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Ms Kay highlighted the
importance of the ten priority areas of the World Programme of Action for Youth
to the Year 2000 and Beyond to Asian youth. Five additional topics had been
agreed upon during the recent observation of the tenth anniversary of the World
Programme of Action by the General Assembly. She stressed the relevance of
those issues, namely globalization, ICT, HIV/AIDS, youth in armed conflict, and
intergenerational relations, to the situation in the ESCAP region.
Earlier, Mr. Kitti
Samanthai, Director General, Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of
Vulnerable Groups, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Thailand,
indicated his Government’s appreciation to ESCAP for hosting the Meeting in
Thailand. He also highlighted the importance and relevance of the four topics
of the Meeting to young people in Thailand in opening remarks of the meeting.
Mr.
Joop Theunissen, UN Focal Point on Youth, DESA, read out the message of Mr.
Johan Schölvinck, Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, DESA,
deliberated on the four topics chosen for discussion at the Meeting and their
relevance to the preparation of the World Youth Report 2007. It was argued that
while young people had too often been seen as a social and demographic group at
risk, they were also key agents for social change, development and innovation.
They were contributing every day to the creation of not only more competitive
societies, as often emphasized in the region, but also to more just, open and
democratic societies.
The objectives of the EGM
include 1. to increase knowledge on the social-economic situation of young
people in Asia by identifying and discussing some of the four challenges
(Globalization, Urbanization, Education, Information and communication
technology) facing young people in the Asia Pacific region; 2. to identify
possible policy and programme interventions; and 3. to collect inputs for
forthcoming World Youth Report 2007.
In beginning, Ms Charlotte van Hees, Programme on Youth, UNDESA presented the
Global youth development trends.Ms Keiko Osaki, Section Chief, and Ms Kim Xuan Nguyen, Focal Point on
Youth, Population and Social Integration Section, Emerging Social Issues
Division, UNESCAP presented the Regional Overview: Youth Development in Asia.
The
two-day meeting discussed the all four issues including the framework for the
Asia chapter of World Youth Report 2007 and youth experts from Asian contribute
with valuable suggestions. Mr. Joop Theunissen, Focal Point on Youth,
DESA, United Nations coordinates the meeting.
Indian Committee of Youth
Organizations (ICYO) represented by Secretary General Mr. Ravi Narayan.(Detail report in next issue of
ICYO-Youth Information)
Underweight children in India are among the highest in the
world: World Bank Reports
India’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
needs to undergo significant changes to address the current malnutrition crisis
in India, according to a new World Bank report released recently.
The prevalence of underweight children in India is
among the highest in the world, the report says. It also observes that
malnutrition in India is a concentrated phenomenon. A relatively small number
of states, districts, and villages account for a large share of the burden - 5
states and 50 percent of villages account for about 80 percent of the
malnutrition cases.
The report - India’s Undernourished Children: a Call
for Reform and Action - analyzes the effectiveness of the ICDS program in
overcoming malnutrition, and proposes several reforms of the program.
"The
need to re-examine the functioning of ICDS is an urgent one,"
said Meera Shekar, World Bank Senior Nutrition Specialist
and co-author of the report "The prevalence of underweight among children in India is among the
highest in the world, and most children suffer from at least one micronutrient
deficiency."
States with the highest
levels of malnutrition have the lowest levels of ICDS program funding and a
smaller percentage of their villages covered by ICDS centers than states with
less malnutrition - The five states with the highest underweight prevalence,
namely Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, all rank in
the bottom ten in terms of ICDS coverage.
‘Political will’
could slash child mortality in Asia-Pacific: UN
Child mortality in the Asia-Pacific region could be
significantly reduced if governments showed enough political will, United
Nations' agencies said in a statement. The occasion was the opening session of
three-day regional workshop regional "Child Survival Strategy", held
recently in Laos.
Some 3,000 children under five years of age die each
day, according to the World Health Organization and the UN Children's Fund
(UNICEF)."Most of these
deaths, often associated with under-nutrition, are from preventable and
treatable conditions," they said.
Interventions to address these conditions, such as
pneumonia and diarrhoea, are widely known and their cost-effectiveness proven
but they often do not reach those in greatest need."With simple medical interventions, many of these child
deaths could be averted," said Shigeru Omi, WHO Regional Director for the
Western Pacific. Omi called for long-term commitment, investment and
cooperation, and urged governments to place the issue higher on their agenda.
"For that to happen, we must make sure that
there is political will at all levels of the government, starting from the very
top," he said.
The United Nations' goal is to reduce by two thirds
the under-five mortality rate between 1990 and 2015.
Follow-up Meeting of UNGASS on
HIV/AIDS
The 2006 follow-up meeting
to the twenty-sixth special session of the General Assembly on the
implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS takes place from 31
May – 2 June at the United Nations. The main focus of this High-level
meeting is to review progress achieved in realizing the commitments set out in
the Declaration and how its targets may be reached. Specific parts recognize
the vulnerability of young people to HIV infection and establish time-bound
targets for 2005 and 2010. Preceding the 2006 UNGASS +5 Review Meeting, youth
will participate in a two-day capacity-building workshop to prepare delegates
to contribute meaningfully to the proceedings.
WHO
releases New Child Growth Standards
Standards confirm
that all children worldwide have the potential to grow the same
New international Child Growth Standards for infants
and young children released by the World Health Organization (WHO) provide
evidence and guidance for the first time about how every child in the world
should grow.
The new WHO Child Growth Standards confirm that
children born anywhere in the world and given the optimum start in life have
the potential to develop to within the same range of height and weight.
Naturally there are
individual differences among children, but across large populations, regionally
and globally, the average growth is remarkably similar. For example, children
from India, Norway and Brazil all show similar growth patterns when provided
healthy growth conditions in early life. The new standards prove that
differences in children's growth to age five are more influenced by nutrition,
feeding practices, environment, and healthcare than genetics or ethnicity.
With these new standards, parents, doctors,
policymakers and child advocates will know when the nutrition and healthcare
needs of children are not being met. Under-nutrition, overweight and obesity,
and other growth-related conditions can then be detected and addressed at an
early stage.
The first of this set of new growth charts to be
released includes growth indicators such as weight-for-age,
length/height-for-age, and weight-for-length/height. For the first time, there
now exists a Body Mass Index (BMI) standard for children up to age five, as
well as the Windows of Achievement standard for six key motor development
milestones such as sitting, standing and walking.
ActionAids
released the report ‘Positive Voices………’
The ActionAids released the its report titled “Positive Voices, Passive States-HIV & AIDS and Emerging
Issues of Governance in Asia” in New Delhi on April 7, 2006.
The
report examines the campaigns of the national governments, organs of civil
society and focus on the policy efforts made at the international level
includes Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper’s (PRSP) and Millennium Development
Goal’s (MDG). The report also discussed the issues like Trade Related Aspect Of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the contradictions it can pose for the
accessibility of Anti Retro Viral (ARV’s). The researchers believe that report
and its findings can complement the policy initiatives of the governments of
Asian countries.
Upcoming events:
Youth Camps in Jaipur and
Varanasi
The violence in different
part of India disturbed many young people. Same time the concern about the
restlessness amongs the youth on various issues, which concern them most.
To keep this in mind and promote
the healthy lifestyle among the youth, National Youth Project (NYP) will
conduct the series of youth camps, so youth can train to serve the Mother India
in better way.
1. Youth Camp in Jaipur:
National Integration Youth Camp will be held from June 18 –24, 2006 in pink
city Jaipur, Rajasthan.
2. Youth Camp in Varanasi:
National Integration Youth Camp will be held in Hindu holy city Varanasi which
suffered bomb blasts. The camp will be held from June 29 –July 4, 2006.,
The camp is open for young people age between 16 to 30 years. The registration
fee is Rs 100. Some assistance for travel is available for the camp in Jaipur
and Varanasi. Youth traveling in-group of five or more can avail fifty per cent
concession in rail fare.
For participation, write to
ICYO secretariat at icyo@...
Youth Development Forum
Plan will organize the Youth
Development Forum (YMDF’06) and will be held in Bamako, Mali, from June 4 – 8,
2006. The aim of this Forum is to produce more quality media projects with
children, using all technologies and art forms available. YMDF’06 is a unique
event that will bring together media professionals from developing countries to
share their experiences and learn about media productions with children and
youth. The Forum will include interactive plenary sessions, focused workshops,
exhibits of the best child and youth media from around the world.
Conference on "Children & Young
People in Everyday Environment"
The "Children and young people in everyday
environment", the 1st International multi-disciplinary
conference will be held from November 16 -17, 2006 in Rennes, France.
The main themes for the conference are:
-Children and young people in everyday places: realities, representations,
practices and behaviours;
-The children and the ‘others’ within relations to everyday space;
-‘Others’ and children within relations to everyday
space.
Regional Consultation
Workshop on the Prostitution of Boys
ECPAT International is going to organize the Regional Consultation
Workshop on the Prostitution of Boys that will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on
8 and 9 June 2006 and INCIDIN
Bangladesh will host the event in collaboration with Aino Salish Kendra and
Association for Community Development.
International Model UN
The 12th Vienna International Model United Nations
(VIMUN) will be held from August 6 –10, 2006 in Vienna, Austria. This is open
for the young people aged between 18 and 35.
Regional Conference on Mock Trials by trafficked survivors
‘STOP’ is organizing the Regional Conference on Experience sharing and
Learning from the Best Practices of Mock Trials”. This conference will held in Behror, Distt
Alwar (Rajasthan) near New Delhi from June 26-27, 2006.
The purpose the conference to sharing the best practices in mock trials
which is ongoing in some countries and which can be replicated in others. The
organizer is expecting the government representatives,
judiciary and civil society organisations both national and international in
the Conference. The participation of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
Nepal are expected.
The focus of
deliberations and discussion will be defining parameters and developing best
learnt practice models that can also be adopted by the other countries in the
region facing similar situations.
South Asian
Fundraising Workshop on Resource Mobilization
South Asian
Fundraising Group will organize the South Asian Fundraising Workshop on Resource
Mobilization from September 5-7, 2006 in Agra, India.
The theme workshop
will be "Building Relationships for Sustainability" is most timely
and appropriate. Over the last decade, civil society has grown fast with more
and more groups forming to try to address social and environmental challenges
faced by society. But many NGOs needs fund, skill and professional training to
garner this support.
The
speaker includes over 20 world's leading fundraising
experts will address the workshop.
Consultation on Male Sexual Health and HIV in
Asia & Pacific
International Consultation on
Male Sexual Health and HIV in Asia & Pacific will be held in New Delhi from
September 23-26, 2006.
This regional consultation will bring together governments, policy-makers,
donors, researchers, grassroots and community based organizations across the Asia-Pacific
region to provide a space for dialogue, learning, networking, and skills
building, to enable expansion, strengthening and scaling up of strategies
addressing male sexual health and related HIV vulnerabilities.
CIVICUS World
Assembly: Acting Together For a Just World
The World
Assembly of CIVICUS will be held form June 21-25, 2006 in Glasgow, Scotland.
The theme of the Assembly will be ‘Acting Together For a Just World’. For more
detail visit www.civicusassembly.org
Annual
Conference for NGOs associated with the UNDPI
The 59th Annual Conference for NGOs associated with
the UNDPI will be held from September 6-8, 2006 (please note that this year
dates are advance). This year theme is 'Unfinished Business: Effective
partnerships for human security and sustainable development'. For more
information log on www.un.org/dpi/ngosection
6th Asia Europe People's
Forum (AEPF)
The 6th Asia Europe People's Forum (AEPF) will be
held from September 3-6, 2006 in Helsinki, Finland.The main themes of the 6th Asia Europe People's Forum are:
'Peace and Security', 'Economic Security and Social Rights', and 'Democracy and
Human Rights'. For more information log on www.aepf.net
International Salon for Peace Initiative
International
Salon for Peace Initiative will be held from June 2-4, 2006 in Paris, France.
The conference is part of the UN’s International decade for the promotion of a
culture of peace and non-violence for the children of the world.There is possibility to over 150
exhibitors will present their peace initiatives through animation, exhibitions,
films and workshops to participants. For more detail visit www.decennie.org
Int. Essay Contest
for Young People
The Goi Peace Foundation and
the World Peace Prayer Society announced the International Essay Contest for
Young People.
The themes are
divided in two categories, one for children and other for youth.
Children's
Category
"Learning to live
together: promoting tolerance and diversity in globalized societies" -- In
our modern world, people of different nationality, race or religion often find
themselves living and working side by side. How can peoples of diverse cultures
and backgrounds live together peacefully? How can young people contribute to
the creation of dynamic and harmonious multicultural societies? What kind of
projects can you start to achieve this goal?
Youth
Category
"Learning to live
together: promoting tolerance and diversity in globalized societies" --
Ignorance, exclusion, discrimination, and a lack of social integration of
foreigners and immigrants within the main society may become causes of deep
frustration and explosive violent clashes among young people as seen in
different parts of the world. How can peoples of diverse cultures and backgrounds
live together peacefully? How can young people contribute to the creation of
dynamic and harmonious multicultural societies? Formulate your ideas for a
project or initiative to achieve.
The 8th THIMUN Youth Assembly will be held from July
5 – 9, 2006, in Hague, Netherlands.
World
Bank accepting application for Young Professionals Programme
Highly qualified and
motivated young people skilled in areas relevant to the World Bank's operations
such as Economics, Finance, Education, Public Health, Social Sciences,
Engineering, Urban Planning, and Natural Resource Management are encouraged to
submit applications to the Young Professionals Programme by August 31, 2006.
Among other criteria, applicants must be citizens of a Bank member country, 32
years of age or younger at the time of application. Those selected spend 18 to
20 months as Young Professionals before they are confirmed into regular
positions in the WB. For more detail log on:
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 programmes;
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.
-Regional Youth
Expert Group Meeting to discuss World Youth Report 2007.
-Underweight
children in India are among the highest in the world: World Bank Reports.
-‘Political will’
could slash child mortality in Asia-Pacific: UN.
-Follow-up
Meeting of UNGASS on HIV/AIDS.
-WHO releases new
Child Growth Standards: Standards confirm that all children worldwide have the
potential to grow the same.
-The
ActionAids released report “Positive
Voices, Passive States-HIV & AIDS and Emerging Issues of Governance in
Asia”
Upcoming events:
-Youth Camps in
Jaipur and Varanasi.
-Youth Development Forum.
-Conference on
"Children and Young People in Every day Environment"
-ECPAT Int.: Regional Consultation Workshop on the
Prostitution of Boys.
-Regional
Conference on Experience sharing and Learning from the Best Practices of Mock
Trials
-South Asian
Fundraising Workshop on Resource Mobilization.
-Consultation on
Male Sexual Health and HIV in Asia & Pacific.
-CIVICUS World
Assembly: Acting Together For a Just World.
-Annual
Conference for NGOs associated with the UNDPI.
-6th Asia Europe
People's Forum (AEPF).
-International
Salon for Peace Initiative.
-International Essay Contest for Young People
-THIMUN Youth
Assembly.
-World Bank accepting application for Young
Professionals Programme.
World
Youth Report 2007:
Regional Youth
Expert Group discussed the Asian Prospect
“There had a been a call to
scale up investments in youth by the General Assembly (of United Nations) at
that occasion” reminded Ms. Thelma Kay, Chief, Emerging Social Issues Division,
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(UNESCAP) in her welcome remark during the opening session of ‘Regional Youth
Expert Group Meeting’ held from March 28 to 30, 2006. The meeting was in
Bangkok and organized by Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD),
UNDESA in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Ms Kay highlighted the
importance of the ten priority areas of the World Programme of Action for Youth
to the Year 2000 and Beyond to Asian youth. Five additional topics had been
agreed upon during the recent observation of the tenth anniversary of the World
Programme of Action by the General Assembly. She stressed the relevance of
those issues, namely globalization, ICT, HIV/AIDS, youth in armed conflict, and
intergenerational relations, to the situation in the ESCAP region.
Earlier, Mr. Kitti
Samanthai, Director General, Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of
Vulnerable Groups, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Thailand,
indicated his Government’s appreciation to ESCAP for hosting the Meeting in
Thailand. He also highlighted the importance and relevance of the four topics
of the Meeting to young people in Thailand in opening remarks of the meeting.
Mr.
Joop Theunissen, UN Focal Point on Youth, DESA, read out the message of Mr.
Johan Schölvinck, Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, DESA,
deliberated on the four topics chosen for discussion at the Meeting and their
relevance to the preparation of the World Youth Report 2007. It was argued that
while young people had too often been seen as a social and demographic group at
risk, they were also key agents for social change, development and innovation.
They were contributing every day to the creation of not only more competitive
societies, as often emphasized in the region, but also to more just, open and
democratic societies.
The objectives of the EGM
include 1. to increase knowledge on the social-economic situation of young
people in Asia by identifying and discussing some of the four challenges
(Globalization, Urbanization, Education, Information and communication
technology) facing young people in the Asia Pacific region; 2. to identify
possible policy and programme interventions; and 3. to collect inputs for
forthcoming World Youth Report 2007.
In beginning, Ms Charlotte van Hees, Programme on Youth, UNDESA presented the
Global youth development trends.Ms Keiko Osaki, Section Chief, and Ms Kim Xuan Nguyen, Focal Point on
Youth, Population and Social Integration Section, Emerging Social Issues
Division, UNESCAP presented the Regional Overview: Youth Development in Asia.
The
two-day meeting discussed the all four issues including the framework for the
Asia chapter of World Youth Report 2007 and youth experts from Asian contribute
with valuable suggestions. Mr. Joop Theunissen, Focal Point on Youth,
DESA, United Nations coordinates the meeting.
Indian Committee of Youth
Organizations (ICYO) represented by Secretary General Mr. Ravi Narayan.(Detail report in next issue of
ICYO-Youth Information)
Underweight children in India are among the highest in the
world: World Bank Reports
India’s Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
needs to undergo significant changes to address the current malnutrition crisis
in India, according to a new World Bank report released recently.
The prevalence of underweight children in India is
among the highest in the world, the report says. It also observes that
malnutrition in India is a concentrated phenomenon. A relatively small number
of states, districts, and villages account for a large share of the burden - 5
states and 50 percent of villages account for about 80 percent of the
malnutrition cases.
The report - India’s Undernourished Children: a Call
for Reform and Action - analyzes the effectiveness of the ICDS program in
overcoming malnutrition, and proposes several reforms of the program.
"The
need to re-examine the functioning of ICDS is an urgent one,"
said Meera Shekar, World Bank Senior Nutrition Specialist
and co-author of the report "The prevalence of underweight among children in India is among the
highest in the world, and most children suffer from at least one micronutrient
deficiency."
States with the highest
levels of malnutrition have the lowest levels of ICDS program funding and a
smaller percentage of their villages covered by ICDS centers than states with
less malnutrition - The five states with the highest underweight prevalence,
namely Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh, all rank in
the bottom ten in terms of ICDS coverage.
‘Political will’
could slash child mortality in Asia-Pacific: UN
Child mortality in the Asia-Pacific region could be
significantly reduced if governments showed enough political will, United
Nations' agencies said in a statement. The occasion was the opening session of
three-day regional workshop regional "Child Survival Strategy", held
recently in Laos.
Some 3,000 children under five years of age die each
day, according to the World Health Organization and the UN Children's Fund
(UNICEF)."Most of these
deaths, often associated with under-nutrition, are from preventable and
treatable conditions," they said.
Interventions to address these conditions, such as
pneumonia and diarrhoea, are widely known and their cost-effectiveness proven
but they often do not reach those in greatest need."With simple medical interventions, many of these child
deaths could be averted," said Shigeru Omi, WHO Regional Director for the
Western Pacific. Omi called for long-term commitment, investment and
cooperation, and urged governments to place the issue higher on their agenda.
"For that to happen, we must make sure that there
is political will at all levels of the government, starting from the very
top," he said.
The United Nations' goal is to reduce by two thirds
the under-five mortality rate between 1990 and 2015.
Follow-up Meeting of UNGASS on
HIV/AIDS
The 2006 follow-up meeting
to the twenty-sixth special session of the General Assembly on the
implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS takes place from 31
May – 2 June at the United Nations. The main focus of this High-level
meeting is to review progress achieved in realizing the commitments set out in
the Declaration and how its targets may be reached. Specific parts recognize
the vulnerability of young people to HIV infection and establish time-bound
targets for 2005 and 2010. Preceding the 2006 UNGASS +5 Review Meeting, youth
will participate in a two-day capacity-building workshop to prepare delegates
to contribute meaningfully to the proceedings.
WHO
releases New Child Growth Standards
Standards confirm
that all children worldwide have the potential to grow the same
New international Child Growth Standards for infants
and young children released by the World Health Organization (WHO) provide
evidence and guidance for the first time about how every child in the world
should grow.
The new WHO Child Growth Standards confirm that
children born anywhere in the world and given the optimum start in life have
the potential to develop to within the same range of height and weight.
Naturally there are
individual differences among children, but across large populations, regionally
and globally, the average growth is remarkably similar. For example, children
from India, Norway and Brazil all show similar growth patterns when provided
healthy growth conditions in early life. The new standards prove that differences
in children's growth to age five are more influenced by nutrition, feeding
practices, environment, and healthcare than genetics or ethnicity.
With these new standards, parents, doctors,
policymakers and child advocates will know when the nutrition and healthcare
needs of children are not being met. Under-nutrition, overweight and obesity,
and other growth-related conditions can then be detected and addressed at an
early stage.
The first of this set of new growth charts to be
released includes growth indicators such as weight-for-age,
length/height-for-age, and weight-for-length/height. For the first time, there
now exists a Body Mass Index (BMI) standard for children up to age five, as
well as the Windows of Achievement standard for six key motor development
milestones such as sitting, standing and walking.
ActionAids
released the report ‘Positive Voices………’
TC \l2 "
The ActionAids released the its report titled “Positive Voices, Passive States-HIV & AIDS and Emerging
Issues of Governance in Asia” in New Delhi on April 7, 2006.
The
report examines the campaigns of the national governments, organs of civil
society and focus on the policy efforts made at the international level
includes Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper’s (PRSP) and Millennium Development
Goal’s (MDG). The report also discussed the issues like Trade Related Aspect Of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the contradictions it can pose for the
accessibility of Anti Retro Viral (ARV’s). The researchers believe that report
and its findings can complement the policy initiatives of the governments of
Asian countries.
Upcoming events:
Youth Camps in Jaipur and
Varanasi
The violence in different
part of India disturbed many young people. Same time the concern about the
restlessness amongs the youth on various issues, which concern them most.
To keep this in mind and
promote the healthy lifestyle among the youth, National Youth Project (NYP)
will conduct the series of youth camps, so youth can train to serve the Mother
India in better way.
1. Youth Camp in Jaipur:
National Integration Youth Camp will be held from June 18 –24, 2006 in pink
city Jaipur, Rajasthan.
2. Youth Camp in Varanasi:
National Integration Youth Camp will be held in Hindu holy city Varanasi which
suffered bomb blasts. The camp will be held from June 29 –July 4, 2006.,
The camp is open for young people age between 16 to 30 years. The registration
fee is Rs 100. Some assistance for travel is available for the camp in Jaipur
and Varanasi. Youth traveling in-group of five or more can avail fifty per cent
concession in rail fare.
For participation, write to
ICYO secretariat at icyo@...
Youth Development Forum
Plan will organize the Youth
Development Forum (YMDF’06) and will be held in Bamako, Mali, from June 4 – 8,
2006. The aim of this Forum is to produce more quality media projects with
children, using all technologies and art forms available. YMDF’06 is a unique
event that will bring together media professionals from developing countries to
share their experiences and learn about media productions with children and
youth. The Forum will include interactive plenary sessions, focused workshops,
exhibits of the best child and youth media from around the world.
Conference on "Children & Young
People in Everyday Environment"
The "Children and young people in everyday
environment", the 1st International multi-disciplinary
conference will be held from November 16 -17, 2006 in Rennes, France.
The main themes for the conference are:
-Children and young people in everyday places: realities, representations,
practices and behaviours;
-The children and the ‘others’ within relations to everyday space;
-‘Others’ and children within relations to everyday
space.
Regional Consultation
Workshop on the Prostitution of Boys
ECPAT International is going to organize the Regional Consultation
Workshop on the Prostitution of Boys that will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on
8 and 9 June 2006 and INCIDIN
Bangladesh will host the event in collaboration with Aino Salish Kendra and
Association for Community Development.
International Model UN
The 12th Vienna International Model United Nations
(VIMUN) will be held from August 6 –10, 2006 in Vienna, Austria. This is open
for the young people aged between 18 and 35.
Regional Conference on Mock Trials by trafficked survivors
‘STOP’ is organizing the Regional Conference on Experience sharing and
Learning from the Best Practices of Mock Trials”. This conference will held in Behror, Distt
Alwar (Rajasthan) near New Delhi from June 26-27, 2006.
The purpose the conference to sharing the best practices in mock trials
which is ongoing in some countries and which can be replicated in others. The
organizer is expecting the government representatives,
judiciary and civil society organisations both national and international in
the Conference. The participation of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
Nepal are expected.
The focus of
deliberations and discussion will be defining parameters and developing best
learnt practice models that can also be adopted by the other countries in the
region facing similar situations.
South Asian
Fundraising Workshop on Resource Mobilization
South Asian
Fundraising Group will organize the South Asian Fundraising Workshop on Resource
Mobilization from September 5-7, 2006 in Agra, India.
The theme workshop
will be "Building Relationships for Sustainability" is most timely
and appropriate. Over the last decade, civil society has grown fast with more
and more groups forming to try to address social and environmental challenges
faced by society. But many NGOs needs fund, skill and professional training to
garner this support.
The
speaker includes over 20 world's leading fundraising
experts will address the workshop.
Consultation on Male Sexual Health and HIV in
Asia & Pacific
International Consultation
on Male Sexual Health and HIV in Asia & Pacific will be held in New Delhi
from September 23-26, 2006.
This regional consultation will bring together governments, policy-makers,
donors, researchers, grassroots and community based organizations across the
Asia-Pacific region to provide a space for dialogue, learning, networking, and
skills building, to enable expansion, strengthening and scaling up of
strategies addressing male sexual health and related HIV vulnerabilities.
CIVICUS World
Assembly: Acting Together For a Just World
The World Assembly of CIVICUS will be held form June 21-25, 2006 in
Glasgow, Scotland. The theme of the Assembly will be ‘Acting Together For a Just
World’. For more detail visit www.civicusassembly.org
Annual
Conference for NGOs associated with the UNDPI
The 59th Annual Conference for NGOs associated with
the UNDPI will be held from September 6-8, 2006 (please note that this year
dates are advance). This year theme is 'Unfinished Business: Effective
partnerships for human security and sustainable development'. For more
information log on www.un.org/dpi/ngosection
6th Asia Europe People's
Forum (AEPF)
The 6th Asia Europe People's Forum (AEPF) will be
held from September 3-6, 2006 in Helsinki, Finland.The main themes of the 6th Asia Europe People's Forum are:
'Peace and Security', 'Economic Security and Social Rights', and 'Democracy and
Human Rights'. For more information log on www.aepf.net
International Salon for Peace Initiative
International Salon for Peace Initiative will be held from June 2-4, 2006
in Paris, France. The conference is part of the UN’s International decade for
the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence for the children of the
world.There is possibility to
over 150 exhibitors will present their peace initiatives through animation,
exhibitions, films and workshops to participants. For more detail visit www.decennie.org
Int. Essay Contest
for Young People
The Goi Peace Foundation and
the World Peace Prayer Society announced the International Essay Contest for
Young People.
The themes are
divided in two categories, one for children and other for youth.
Children's
Category
"Learning to live
together: promoting tolerance and diversity in globalized societies" -- In
our modern world, people of different nationality, race or religion often find
themselves living and working side by side. How can peoples of diverse cultures
and backgrounds live together peacefully? How can young people contribute to
the creation of dynamic and harmonious multicultural societies? What kind of
projects can you start to achieve this goal?
Youth
Category
"Learning to live
together: promoting tolerance and diversity in globalized societies" --
Ignorance, exclusion, discrimination, and a lack of social integration of
foreigners and immigrants within the main society may become causes of deep
frustration and explosive violent clashes among young people as seen in
different parts of the world. How can peoples of diverse cultures and
backgrounds live together peacefully? How can young people contribute to the
creation of dynamic and harmonious multicultural societies? Formulate your
ideas for a project or initiative to achieve.
The 8th THIMUN Youth Assembly will be held from July
5 – 9, 2006, in Hague, Netherlands.
World
Bank accepting application for Young Professionals Programme
Highly qualified and motivated young people skilled in areas relevant to
the World Bank's operations such as Economics, Finance, Education, Public
Health, Social Sciences, Engineering, Urban Planning, and Natural Resource
Management are encouraged to submit applications to the Young Professionals
Programme by August 31, 2006. Among other criteria, applicants must be citizens
of a Bank member country, 32 years of age or younger at the time of
application. Those selected spend 18 to 20 months as Young Professionals before
they are confirmed into regular positions in the WB. For more detail log on:
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 programmes;
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.
Regional Conference on Experience sharing and Learning from the Best Practices of
Mock Trials.
The trafficking for sexual purpose is concern for all specially the trafficking of children and young. But equally concern the trial of offender in court.
Many NGOs are at present involved in running the workshop of mock trials with involvement of trafficked survivors for education and capacity building to flight themselves in court of law. This also provided provide an insight into the existing laws and loopholes and how one can ensure justice in the existing system and scenario.
Now ‘STOP’ is organizing the Regional Conference on Experience sharing and Learning from the Best Practices of Mock Trials”. This conference will held in Delhi from June 26-27, 2006.
The purpose the conference to sharing the best practices in mock trials which is ongoing in some countries and which can be replicated in others. The organizer is expecting the government representatives, judiciary and civil society organisations both national and international in the Conference. The participation of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal are expected.
The focus of deliberations and discussion will be defining parameters and developing best learnt practice models that can also be adopted by the other countries in the region facing similar situations.
This conference will look forward to strengthen ties and increase regional co-operation between the civil society organisations, Judiciary system and the survivors of trafficking.
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.
Opinion Leaders Can Help to Educate the Masses about the Adverse Impact of POPULATION Growth
–Speaker Lok Sabha
At the time of Independence India had a substantial percentage of our population living below the poverty line. With the rapid increase of our population, successive Governments attempted to implement various programmes with mixed results. Now, the priorities have shifted from family planning to family welfare and from family welfare and population control to population stabilization. According to the Planning Commission projection, the total population of India will exceed 1.3 billion by 2020, said Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker, Indian Parliament while addressing in the inaugural function of 22nd Asian Parliamentary Meeting on Population and Development held in New Delhi on April 23-24, 2006. The theme of the Meeting was ‘Population in the Globalizing Society -focusing on Asia and the Pacific.
Indian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (IAPPD) and Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) jointly organized the conference in collaboration with the United Nations population fund (UNFPA) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
He further added that the numerical magnitude of population has caused various political, social and economic changes, which have to be addressed. The lack of safe drinking water, electricity, food, problems related to pollution, sanitation, hygiene and waste management, certainly pose a grave challenge to many of the countries of the region.
“I believe that the people's representatives, as opinion leaders and opinion moulders, can help in sensitizing the government on the issue and at the same time educate the masses about the adverse impact of unbridled population growth. In our country, we have in place the National Population Policy, which is one such step in the direction of achieving the national socio-economic goals set for 2010” he informed the participants of the Meeting.
Speaking on the need to factor our population policies into economic and developmental strategies, Mr. Chatterjee described education as a key factor in this context. 'Our goal should be universal education with special emphasis on girls' education.Women's education will lead to economic independence and will work as a tool for empowering them to decide on issues like spacing childbirth and in making gender sensitive choices. Education has, in fact, been rightly identified as the best contraceptive' – he added.
In her address, Chief Minister of Delhi, Mrs. Sheila Dikshit said that development must have a human face. She emphasized the role of youth and women in the process of development and suggested that they be empowered.
Mrs. Panabaka Lakshmi, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare said that rapid growth in population combined with rising living standards are placing unsustainable pressure on natural resources. This has led to an increase in pollution, degradation of waterways, farmlands, forests, coastal areas, climate change and loss of bio-diversity.
Dr Wasim Zaman, Director, Regional Country Support Team (CST) for South and West Asia, said, "Globalization is certainly on. The dichotomy is that even though we are connected as never before through trade, finance, travel and communication and yet the world is greatly divided. Today, one person in six, lives in extreme poverty or earns less than one dollar a day while 20 per cent of people — mostly from wealthy countries— consume close to 86 per cent of the resources of the world."
“In past 25 year, the population of the Asian region has risen form 2.63 billion to 2.9 billion. The figure of 3.9 billion is equalivalent to the entire population of the world in 1974. It is self-evident that the earth cannot support an endlessly increasing population,” said Mr. Yasuo Fukuda, Chairman of Asian Form of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD). If population continues to increase indefinitely, a point will be reached where life worthy of human beings will become impossible and humankind will no longer be able to enjoy the fruits of social and economic development, he added.
“Poverty has to be acknowledged as a serious thereat to humanity. Not knowing where the next meal will come from, the fact that one’s children and their children will be condemned to a life of abject poverty, starvation, illiteracy and ill health, is inhumane, unjust and unacceptable” said Mr K Rahman Khan, M.P. (Upper House, India) in his valedictory speech on April 24, 2006.
Mr. Manmohan Sharma, Executive Secretary of IAPPD and coordinator of the Meeting told ‘Youth Information’ that this is one of the many international meetings organized by IAPPD to fulfill their commitment to sensitizing the elected representatives on the implications of the growth of population and of its consequences.
Parliamentarians, population experts from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Japan, Kazakstan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Phillipines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are attending the conference. (ICYO-Youth Information)
Hindustan Latex Ltd (HLL), the state-owned condom-manufacturing firm, recently launched Confidom passion rings, the first female condom in India. This product is not manufactured by Hindustan Latex Ltd but they are importing it.
"The female condom is being introduced in India for the first time after two years of research and test marketing. As a brand, Confidom is primarily targeted at the upwards mobile consumers," said HLL chairman and managing director M. Ayyappan.
Though the condom is bought 90 Rupees per pack of two and HLL will sell it at Rs.250 per pack. The Confidoms will also be available to sex workers and others of high risk population of society at Rs. 5 each, through government agencies and non-government organizations. (from Push Journal)
Up-coming events:
World Health Assembly:
WHO will organize the fifty-ninth World Health Assembly from 22 to 27 May 2006, at the United Nations, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.
Int. Parliamentarians Conference on ICPD progress:
The AFPPD and UNFPA will organize the the third International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action (IPCI/ICPD) from November 21-22, 2006 at United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. The two previous conferences in the IPCI/ICPD series were held in Ottawa and Strasbourg in 2002 and 2004 respectively.
The Bangkok conference will focus on taking stock of the progress made since Cairo and agreed on a common strategy towards meeting the 2015 deadline set for achieving the ICPD goals and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Asia Oceania Congress of Sexology Sexuality
The 9th Asia Oceania Congress of Sexology Sexuality will be held from November 1 –4, 2006 in Bangkok, Thailand. Theme of the conference will be "Sexuality: No East No West".
The purpose of the conference is to facilitate the sexual health promotion, as multidimensional and multi- sectoral approaches to sexuality issues, including STI/ HIV/ AIDS. For more detail contact: Email: tmsstd@...
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.
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.
Youth Participation as the Key Element to Solve Unemployment.
The
Convention on Globalization and Rural Development was held from February 24 to
26, 2006 in Nagpur, India organized by India Institute of Youth Welfare (IIYW).
The convention was to understand the Globalization and rural development in
proper perspective. Globalization has different meanings in different context.
Some parts of the world see it as a process that can boost economies, improve
living standards, reduce economic disparity and create more understanding by
integrating different cultures under one roof-World. Other part of the world
believes it as an instrument of destruction making the least developing and
developing countries economically weak.
Among the main themes of the Convention were Rural
poverty and economic reforms-Opportunities and constraints, Globalization and
the Indian rural milieu, Rural poverty and economic reforms, Globalization and
environment issues, Globalization and its effects on health, Ecology and health
Impact, Intellectual Property rights and WTO, Globalization: its impact on farm
export. etc.
From
youth point of view there were presentations one Mr.Godeshwar of Indian
Institute of Youth Welfare, Nagpur made presentation on Globalization and
changing Value among the younger generation. M.Islam Barbaruah technical
advisor of Farmer organization made the other interesting presentation. His
shared his experience of working with concept “Common Interest
Group” (CIG) of Small holder farms. This group has made small enterprise models
self-sustainable has potentiality of promoting youth employment in the rural
areas.
Mr Ravi
Narayan, Secretary General of Indian Committee of Youth Organizaitons (ICYO)
spoke on Employment and unemployment of youth in the Convention. He
gave an overview of the youth situation in the globalize world and highlighted
the fact that over 200 million young people, or 18 per cent of all youth, live
on less than one dollar a day, and 515 million on less than two dollars a day.
It is unclear if the poverty situation of young people worldwide has improved
or deteriorated since 1995. Despite the fact that youth are receiving more
education, youth unemployment in the world has increased to record levels.
There is increased pressure on young people to compete in a globalizing labour
market.
At the global level,Youth unemployment
increased from 11.7% in 1993 to 14.4% in 2003. In South Asia- youth Population
grew by 22% whereas employment grew only by 11.6 %. India- Total unemployed
rose from 20.13 million to 26.58 million during 1993-2000
Approximately half of the youth are unemployed. The unemployment
rate is 2 to 3 times higher for youth than adult. The youth lack the necessary
skills to earn a livelihood; highly educated young are unable to find jobs;
many of employed youth are working under precarious conditions and may not
obtain an income enough to cover basic needs.
Youth unemployment has become the biggest
developmental challenges in almost every country in the world. On Facing
The Challenge Of Youth Unemployment the paper looked at Youth
Participation as the key element to solve Unemployment. The past decade has
seen a growing recognition of the importance of youth participation in
decision-making. New efforts to include youth in decision-making must recognize
the changing patterns and structures presently occurring in youth movements.
Need Is Empower Rural Youth
And Give Community Natural Resources To People
Ravi Narayan also touch the problem of rural
unemployment, He said that Globalization and marginalization
go hand in hand. What prospects are there for the millions of poor peasants,
rural labourers, millions displaced by so
call developmental projects. These causes the migration to urban
localities where already has the pressure of slum-dwellers, millions of
refugees, and thousands of street children. In the south Asian rural context if
we are to address the poverty issue it is only possible by providing youth with
employment opportunities.
If the employment opportunities is to increase in the
rural areas than natural resources distribution needs to be addressed
effectively. There is need for new vision to implement the Land reforms
agenda. Need is empower rural youth and give community natural
resources to people. A mass level awareness and advocacy is needed to realize
this for greater impact at the macro and micro level. There is growing
awareness among poor people are now standing up for a cause and organizing
themselves. We believe that policies alone will not do. The young people will
have to put a common programme of advocacy, which will work towards the poor
people interest.
Further he called for Employment strategies of
Creating Youth Employment through Entrepreneurship development. The development models should be such that what can be
made by the hand should be made by the hand, what can be made in the village
should be made in the village and what can be produced in the small industries
should be produced and whatever cannot be made by the hand, in the village or
in the small cottage industries should be started which can make machines and
machines tools, thereby creating employment.
The
increased access to education in many countries has led to a second
generational problem, a growing pool of educated young individuals are entering
the labour market many of whom are face limited or no job prospects. Skills
mismatch between the skills demanded by employers and the skills acquired in
school could be a reason. This lack of formal and productive employment
opportunities for young people reduces the return on society’s investment in
human capital and constrains economic growth.
To promote Rural Employment among young people
following steps are important
Grooming
Social Entrepreneurs among youth
Developing
youth employment Strategy and Plan
Piloting
Youth Employment projects
Sharing
effective practices
Building
partnerships among young people
Fostering
leadership and capacity building
Innovative
Training and ongoing support to nurture small enterprises
The
support system should be consistent and also there should be a good
follow-up;
There
should be a youth representative in the local self government to push
youth agenda;
Mr. Ravi emphasized that at the local level the need
of, creation of youth resource centers; revive traditional and the ethnic
works; identify and train local youth mentors as well as facilitating agencies
and networking among organizations.
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.
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.
Last many issue of ICYO-Youth Information devoted to to Population, Reproductive Health and Development. This is another issue covering the event held on Maternal ad child health (issues and Perspectives).
––Editorial Team, Youth Information, Indian Committee of Youth Organizations.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
India is still far from the achievement of the MDGs target:
Focus Group Meeting on Maternal and Child Health held in Delhi
Women are still not treated as human beings, said Dr Girija Vyas, Chairperson of National Commission for Women while delivering the keynote speech focusing MCH. She referred to the MDGs 4 (Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate) and 5 (Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio) with the help of data and highlighted the fact that India is still far from the achievement of the MDGs target. She highlighted some of the programme and policies for maternal and child health in India particularly the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). She emphasized upon the four strategies – strong law and sensitization of laws, strong enforcement of law, women commission, participation of NGOs and civil societies and role of media in mass awareness generation. She also mentioned several other issues pertaining to MCH like high prevalence of anaemia, malnutrition, gender budgeting, reproductive tract infection (RTI), sexually transmitted infection (STI), female education, declining sex-ratios etc. She pointed out the need of awareness generation from women themselves as well as incorporating the different laws on women in the syllabus.
She emphasized on the interactions between parliamentarians and civil society and the significance of gender education, especially in the rural area. She said that political commitment was crucial in the efforts to improve the situation. As the bill enactment alone could not guarantee that the desired policy would be in practice, parliamentarians should also monitor the implementation of the law, she concluded.
Dr Vyas presented her view in South Asian Parliamentarians’ Focus Group Meeting on Maternal and Child Health held in New Delhi from December 27-29, 2005.
Indian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (IAPPD) and AFPPD organized this Focus Group Meeting in collaboration with UNFPA and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India.
Mr. Wasim Zaman, Director, UNFPA Regional Team for South and West Asia, UNFPA/CST, talked on the ‘Major Issues in South Asia in Relation to Achievement of ICPD + MDGs (including Maternal Health and RCH)’. He described the problems in tow sets in South Asia, one is traditional and the other is of recent origin. In traditional, he talked about three delays model of MMR, poor quality of care in emergency obstetric care (EOC), gender based violence etc. In the recent set of problems he dealt with the abortion, HIV/AIDS, ageing, issues related with the conflicts and disasters.
He further explains there were three delays that contribute to maternal morbidity and mortality. The first one is that women might not seek maternal-health services, as they do not have the information about the services. The second one is that the women or the couples could not get to the place where such services are available because of lack of transport. The last one is attributed to lack of quality services for maternal health. He emphasized that the political commitment is crucial to these matters.
Dr. Shanti Ghosh, MCH Consultant presented the paper on ‘Role of MCH Programme in Healthy and Happy Family’. The theme of her paper was malnutrition and breastfeeding. She began with the goals of ICDS to reduce the malnutrition. She attempted to highlight the fact that poverty is not the sole cause behind the malnutrition of the children. Instead the ignorance about the breastfeeding is a major cause. With the help of the data from different sources, she analyzed the fact that the level of malnutrition is highest among the newly born child.
Dr. (Mrs.) Saramma Mithai, Advisor CST-UNFPA, Nepal spoke on ‘Maternal Mortality and Morbidity in South Asia-How to Deal persistent problems’.
In the session of ‘Sharing the ideas and experiences from the member countries participating in the meeting from south, east and west Asia’ all the participating countries share the experiences. Bhutan touched upon the political as well as social issues. Social commitments of the government are health and education. Both of these two are provided free of cost in the entire nation.
Iran mentioned that education programme should be monitored by the UN. He mentioned that parliamentarians should put attention on MCH. The delegates form Iran pointed out social and demographic indicators in Iran. In Iran for instance the female literacy ratio of 15-24 years of age is 95%, the MMR is 37 per 100000, IMR is 37/1000 etc. Similarly, he talked about the performance of many other indicators in his country. He finally stressed that the education should be spread all around with the help of media.
Pakistan delegate talked about the MCH programme in the country. She stressed the need to add the MCH issues in the curriculum of schools and colleges. The delegate from Pakistan also took note of the reproductive health particularly that of the adolescent. Then she stressed on the need to strengthen the management of reproductive health of women and men.
Sri Lanka’s parliamentarian talked in detail about the various social and demographic indicators of their country.
Mr. Deepender Hooda, Indian Parliamentarian also talked about the various social and demographic indicators of India with the help of data from NFHS I (1992-93) and II (1998-99). He expressed his anxiousness on the issue of MMR on the fact that there was no improvement in it during both the NFHS surveys. He informed that three-fourth of the delivery can be saved only if the safe delivery process takes place. One-third of women still do not receive any pre natal check up. There are large differentials within the countries particularly between north and south states. He pointed towards the target that has been set in the National Population Policy, 2000 and showed how far we still are to achieve those goals.
Thailand’s Senator talked about the progress that has taken place in their country in social and demographic indicators in general and MCH in particular.
Vietnam’s Parliamentarian gave a very informative presentation on ‘Some of the Information on MCH in Vietnam, Experiences and Challenges’.
Mrs. Chitra Lekha Yadav, honourable parliamentarian from Nepal chaired session.
The paper on “Child Survival Strategy and Partnership: Global perspective” was presented by Dr. K. Suresh, Project Officer, UNICEF who went into details of dealing with the MDGs goals and objectives. He highlighted that consequences and benefits of not achieving and achieving the MDGs. He described the current situation in regard to the under five mortality, IMR, measles coverage, average annual reduction rate (between 1970-90 & 1990-2005), skilled birth attendant etc.
Dr. V.K. Manchanda, Deputy Commissioner, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India spoke on ‘Maternal Health in India’, where the goals, facts by evidence, correlates and strategies taken to achieve the goals were picked up. India, as s signatory of ICPD and MDG declaration, has launched comprehensive programme (RCH) to improve maternal health by setting national goal on MMR, Institutional delivery etc.But the fact shows that MMR has not yet reduced significantly so far.
Dr. Vinod Paul, AIIMS, New Delhi presented the paper on “Child Health”. He focused under-5 child mortality in global as well as Indian perspective. The speaker pointed out that the most of the U-5 children die in South Asian and African countries with leading causes like pneumonia, diarrhoea, neonatal causes, malaria etc. The present rate of reduction of U-5 child mortality is not at the desired level. It is required to accelerate the rate of reduction to reach the MDG-4 goal by 2015.
In a concluding session Mr. Shiv Khare, Executive Director, Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) suggested that action should be visible through achievement of positive result from each and every region. He urged that the knowledge and experiences, which every parliamentarian has shared and the resolutions that have been made here should be followed up in their respective constituencies and countries.
Mr. Manmohan Sharma, Secretary, IAPPD moderated the meeting.
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.
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.
Asian
and Pacific nations must focus on Young People
"It
is the youth that is most at risk," said UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Regional
Director Ms Anupama Rao Singh, speaking on the Regional Conference on AIDS and
Children held from 22 to 25 March in Hanoi. More than 200 experts from 20
countries attended the meeting,
She
further added, "If we don't contain it now, given the population base of
Asia, it's going to have a devastating impact".
In
Asia, including South Asia, 8.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS according
to UNAIDS figures. While that figure is still far lower than sub-Saharan
Africa's 25.8 million people, experts warn that HIV/AIDS is now growing faster
in Asia than in any other region of the world.
"In
the whole of Asia and the Pacific, we're talking about (a total population of)
three billion people," said Singh. "One per cent prevalence in that
would be phenomenal."
The
focus in the AIDS battle must shift toward children and youths, experts said,
through better education, prevention and treatment, fewer mother-to-child
transmissions, and campaigns to reduce the stigma associated with the disease.
At
the moment "children are notably absent from the response agenda" of
most regional countries, said a briefing paper jointly prepared by organizers.
"We're
just seeing the beginning of a very big problem," said UNAIDS advisor
Swarup Sarkar. "In Thailand, 10 per cent of infections are now
mother-child transmissions," he said, a level similar to those in
sub-Saharan Africa.
UNICEF
says children are especially vulnerable to infection because of poverty,
violence, human trafficking and the breakdown of families in an economically
dynamic region that is rapidly industrializing and urbanizing.
Singh
said increased migration across Asia meant that more men have multiple sexual
partners and more children are being separated from their parents, making them
more prone to high-risk behaviour.
Despite
the threat, cultural taboos and gaps in education mean that "there is
generally very poor knowledge about the details of transmission," said
Lindsay Daines, who oversew an Asian youth survey for Save the Children.
East
Asian and Pacific nations must focus on young people in their efforts to
control the spread of HIV/AIDS or face devastating epidemics of the killer
virus, health experts warned.
<<<<<<<<<<<<~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>>>>>>>>>>>
Youth Information 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 116198423
Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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 23 states from different corners of India.
In last few months, many activities related to Population, Reproductive Health and Development were held and ICYO involved in some of the activities. ICYO-Youth Information is now releasing information/reports of these events to update our readers. This is the second issue in series.
.–Editorial Team, Youth Information, Indian Committee of Youth Organizations.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Role of Generic Drug products in meeting reproductive health commodity
– Consultative Meeting by PPD & MOHFW
The consultative meeting on “The Role of Generic Products in Meeting Reproductive Health Commodity Needs in Lower and Middle Income Countries” was held in New Delhi on November 19, 2005. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss contraceptive commodity gap and how it is being addressed, to assess the impact of Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on generic pharmaceuticals and to consider what actions are required to address the constraints and obstacles to international supply. In addition to the participants from the two sponsoring organizations, the meeting comprised representatives of several generic drug manufacturers as well several experts and resource persons.The meeting organized by Partners in Population and Development (PPD) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Republic of India
The meeting began with a welcome address and opening statement by Mr. A P Singh, Director, International Cooperation, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Mentioning that the participants for the meeting were from several countries like India, Thailand, China, United States etc, he expressed his wish that the discussions following the meeting would be on wide ranging and global issues and that the participants would be able to share and formulate strategies to address the present issues of concern.
Mr. Timothee Gandaho, Executive Director, Partners in Population and Development, in detail about the objectives of the meeting.He informed that the main objectives are to ascertain what role can generic drug manufacturers play in assuring the availability of contraceptives; discuss how the gap between the demand and the supply can be bridged and how these two can be mixed to arrive at an affordable price; discuss how South - South initiative can play a role in assuring the constant supply of good quality contraceptives to the countries where it is most needed at an affordable price; promote South-South learning and exchange of information.
Mr. Jyoti Singh, Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Partners in Population and Development mentioned that need was recognized for the generic drug manufacturers to meet in a consultative manner to see what kind of cooperation and coordination would be needed among them in future. Apart from the above objectives, it was important to discuss issues of improving quality, promoting new research, identifying emerging needs etc. It was recognized that the generic drug manufacturers could play a very important role in meeting all these challenges. He mentioned that. He expressed his hope that if the manufacturers found this meeting useful, they could express their needs and PPD and UNFPA together can help them in meeting the required needs of reproductive health commodities.
The first session was devoted to discuss the “Contraceptive Commodity Gap and how is it being addressed’.Mr David Smith, Chief, Procurement Services of UNFPA was the key speaker in the session. He explained the out of UNFPA’s total procurement pattern; country level procurement was as high as 25 %. The largest procurement area is that of contraceptives which accounts for procurement as high as 44% as compared to the rest of the areas which are services, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals etc.
He gave the detail information about the UNFPA procurement of contraceptives.
Talking about prequalification, Mr Smith mentioned that UNFPA has been delegated the lead in condoms and IUDs and it aims to inspect all condoms and IUD suppliers that express an interest to supply.
Mr Jyoti Singh, Partners in Population and Development summarised the discussion by mentioning that various issues raised needed further discussion. It was accepted that though international efforts are expanding, the demands for contraceptives will go on increasing further. There is a high degree of volatility in the funding available for this. While it is accepted that the public sector will indeed remain in the market, the role of private manufacturers will not be of less importance in meeting the growing demands of contraceptives. They need to come together to meet these challenges. He expressed his hope that with time the role of UNFPA and WHO too in this sector would become more refined.
The session two discussed on ‘Hormonal contraception- what products are being manufactured in Asia and what are the constraints and obstacles to international supply’. Mr Peter Hall presented his study the topic.
Mr Peter Hall started by mentioning that in most developing countries, the public sector remains the principal supplier of contraceptionand it is intended to supply to the poorest clients. Social marketing programmes are also supplying condoms and hormonal contraceptives. The ccontraceptive commodity crisis is increasing because there are more people of reproductive age and there is Increased demand for contraceptives, there is insufficient donor funding, and inadequate management capacity. In 2004 Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition was loosely structured to foster collaborative activities and information sharing. It comprises representatives of organizations and constituencies that have significant financial and/or programmatic sake in RH supply security and provides a forum for sharing information, data, and research findings to advance its priorities; and address RH supply security at country level.
Mr. R Narayanaswamy, Deputy Drugs Controller (India), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India gave the information on ‘Drug Regulation in India’.
Sophie Logez WHO/ HQ, Geneva discussed about Health Organizations’ Prequalification Project.He informed that there are many problems with the quality of medicines used in HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria treatment. The experience in past years of prequalification project suggests that 70% of manufacturing sites did not pass in first inspection and 80% dossiers evaluated did not meet requirements. Such failures can lead to treatment failure, development of resistance, avoidable deaths, wasted resources etc.
The current WHO activities linked to production are: Development, dissemination and promotion of international norms and standards in the area of quality, safety and efficacy of medicines, Input into regional and interregional harmonization efforts, Training and technical support for regulatory agencies, Training in good manufacturing practices, Support to national medicines control laboratories, provision of information on prices for active ingredients etc.
The objectives of prequalification are: Propose list of prequalified products linked to manufacturing site for quality, efficacy and safety, Give assurance that international norms and standards are applied at all the steps of the prequalification and at the process itself, Enable and speed up access to good quality of medicines.
‘The impact of Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on generic pharmaceuticals in India’ was the next issue which was discussed in the meeting. MrDilip Shah of Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance was the main speaker.
He said that in the absence of any price regulation or compulsory licensing the total annual welfare losses to the Indian economy from the withdrawal of all four domestic product groups in the quinolone sub-segment would be on the order of Rs. 32 billion in 2000.At the then prevailing exchange rate this translates into a figure of US $ 713 million.Of this amount, foregone profits of domestic producers constitute roughly Rs. 2.3 billion or US $50 million.The overwhelming portion of the total welfare loss therefore derives from the loss of consumer welfare.”
Mr. Peter Hall emphasized in concluding session, that ultimately there is a need to provide products for poor people and the funds to ensure the sustainability of products are lacking. It will be useful if a projected budget line on reproductive health commodities can be provided to the donors so that they can anticipate the budget. More advocacy and resource generation for contraceptives commodities needs to be done. The projection skills of organizations are not very strong at the moment, and these need to be developed. People should have a choice in the commodities available and that is the ultimate goal of the entire exercise. And finally there is a broader issue of public education to remove the myths about contraceptives usage.
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.
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.
Gujarat Social Forum 2006 (GSF-2006)
held from 10th to 12th March at Ahmedabad. Over 8000
people from 150 organizations from all over Gujarat participated. In the
GSF-2006 all together 130 seminars/workshops and four plenary were held on the
issues of women and marginalized communities like Dalits, adivasis etc. Youth
issues like unemployment, communalism was also taken up.
In GSF-2006 the Indian Committee of
Youth Organizations (ICYO) had organized workshop on “Understanding and
Exploring: Youth & Media” on March 12, 2006.
In workshop the participants tried
to understand youth and media and there influence on the present generation. It
was generally felt that the mainstream media ignored the critical youth issues
like unemployment and also gave less space for younger generation. Media
focused more on the glamour and taking youth away from the realities. 50 youth
participated from different youth organizations were attended the workshop. The
participants felt that media can play important role in bringing awareness
through dissemination of information. There is need for more attempts for
developing and strengthening alternative media like Magazine, Newsletter etc to
reach out to large number of youth so that the present generation can be
empowered to take advantage of the opportunities that are available to them. Mr. Vijay Bharatiya conducted the workshop.
The ICYO is a coordinating body of
356 Youth Organizations in India, working for capacity building of Youth Organizations,
advocacy of and for Youth and Child Right issues. ICYO provides the
platform to youth to discuss and share their concern. Main focus subjects are
Youth Health (including HIV/AIDS), Population, Environment, Commercial Sexual
Abuse/ Exploitation of Child and Youth, Trafficking, Habitat, Peace, Poverty
Elevation, rights of Indigenous People etc
University student Debate Competition on Population and Environment held
Indian Association on Population and Development organized the Debate Competition on Population and Environment. The final round of competition was held in Delhi on 26 November 2005. The event covered the northern region on India in the year 2005. The participating universities were organized the first phase at their university level competition and winner of that round were qualify for the second and final phase of competition.
The subject of the National level debate was “Rapid Population Growth Leads to environmental Degradation and Slow National Development”. Overall, the performance of participating teams was excellent.
The Minister of Health and Family Welfare of Delhi Govt. Dr. Yoganand Shastri inaugurated the debate; he shows concern for environmental exploitation and degradation as a result of rapid population growth.The environmental degradation has its global repercussions like ozone depletion.The environmental degradation has its repercussions from global level to local level.
He expressed hope in the youth of today and gave a call to them to realize the implications of this scenario and overcome the present situations with their responsible behaviour towards environment and population so that India can achieve its goal of population stabilization and sustainable development.
The team prizes won by Punjab Technical University, Jallandhar; (first prize) and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi was the Runner-up.
In individual category the first prizes went to Mr.Jagnoor Singh of Punjab Technical University, Jallandhar; second prize won by Ms.Mahima Subhramani, G.G.S. Indraprastha University, Delhi and third prize by Mr. Varun Garg, Punjab Technical University, Jallandhar.
Dr.S.S. Sisodia, Former Union Minister and Vice-Chairman, IAPPD presided and Mr. Manmohan Sharma coordinated the event. (Further information may be obtain from iappd@... )
Janadesh 2007 Launched: Movement for Rights on Land
The constitutional rights of the people which about to delivered to the citizens by the government are only centered and limited to influential and to the limited section of the society” said Dr S. N. Subba Rao,Gandhian, leader of Bhudan movement (chairman of ICYO), while inaugurating the ‘Vanchito Ki Sansad’ (Assembly of Deprived), he further added “whereas majority are still deprived of it”.
On 10th December 2005 (the Human Right Day), the Gwalior city in Madhya Pradesh was witness of unique Parliament which not only discussed the issues faced by deprived mass of India (including the indigenous people), also took some serious decisions to fight for their rights over Land, Water and Forest. Over than 1000 community leaders, representatives from tribals and social activists across the country gathered to discuss multi-sided exploitation, its causes and possible solutions of deprived society of India, in this Assembly.
The Assembly unanimously decided to launch the ‘Janadesh 2007’ (People’s Verdict 2007) and discussed detailed programme and agenda of ‘Janadesh’.The Assembly decided that on 2nd October 2007, twenty five thousand deprived people from all over India will reached Delhi by Foot March (Pad Yatra) from Gwalior.
(Detail report on all three events will release in coming issue of ICYO-Youth Information)
Cultural Factor: Constraint in ICPD Goals
– Dr Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA
UNFPA global survey on the progress of ICPD Programme of Action, indicated that most countries considered cultural factors to be a constraint in implementing the Cairo Programme of Action for gender equality reproductive health and rights, adolescent reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, said Dr. Thoraya A. Obaid, Executive Director, UNFPA in her statement in 8th triennial AFPPD General Assembly. The GA was attended by 130 parliamentarians from Asia, Pacific, and Central Asia and held from 12 and 13 November 2005 in Jakata, Indonesia.
As per Dr Obaid, the survey demonstrated that such negative factor included taboo on talking about sexual health, patriarchal and male-centered attitudes, stigma for people living with HIV/AIDS, certain practices related to marriage, prenatal sex selection, and female infanticide,
Youth Participation for advancement of ICPD and MDGs:
--Mr sultan Aziz, Director, APD, UNFPA
Mr. sultan Aziz, Director, Asia Pacific Division, UNFPA gave the keynote address in 8th triennial AFPPD General Assembly held in Jakarta from November 12-13, 2005. He stressed to focus for population policy in Asia and the Pacific had shifted from population increase and size to population distribution and structure, which encompass various aspects of population and development.
He emphasized on three issues to which parliamentarians in the region should pay attention. These issues included women’s representative and political participation; the support for the advancement of ICPD and the MDGs from elected representatives at every level, and the participation of young people.
(Detail report will release in coming issue of ICYO-Youth Information)
Step up AIDS Prevention Campaign: CYP Consultation on AIDS
The Commonwealth Youth Centre organized the Asian Consultation on youth, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights in Pune, India from February 13-18, 2006 in collaboration with Ministry of Youth & Sport, Government of India.
Experts at the consultation have called for strengthening HIV/AIDS prevention programmes in Asia Region through dissemination of information for young people. The five-day Asia Regional Consultation on youth, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights recommended addressing the special needs of the youths and ensuring their social security. It is also recommended ensuring the right to life, right to equality, right to freedom, right to property and right to access to remedies.
World Youth Data
The Population Reference Bureau has released the 2006 World Youth Data Sheet, which provides a comprehensive portrait of the well-being of youth (people ages 10-24) across the globe, shows that many are at great risk for health problems ranging from sexually transmitted infections to complications from smoking. Just a minority of young people can correctly identify two ways to avoid getting HIV/AIDS, and adolescents are less likely than young adults worldwide to use contraceptives.
Small Grants for Youth-led Projects
Peace Child International has announced the small grant for youth-led projects named "Be the Change!"
This grants is available to youth below 25 years and have a project that concentrates on the development of their community at a local level.The last date to apply is March 31, 2006.
For more detail contact for Africa region: Africa@...
- Legal Reform (trafficking and CESC) Partners Planning Meeting held by ECPAT International in New Delhi from March 4-5, 2006 New Delhi, India.
- South Asian Parliamentarians’ Focus Group Meeting on Maternal and Child Health held in New Delhi from December 27-28, 2005.
- World Social Forum will be held in Karachi, Pakistan from March 24 to 28, 2996
- National Integration Youth Camp held in Ratlam, M. P. from February 6 to 9, 2006.
Upcoming events:
Development Challenges for Young People: Asian Regional Expert Group meeting
The United Nations Programme on Youth will organize the regional (Asia) expert group meeting on Development Challenges for Young People, in Thailand from March 28-30, 2006. The meeting will be hosted by UNESCAP.
The meeting is organized to feed into the World Youth Report 2007, which - distinct from the 2003 and 2005 editions - will have a regional focus. The 2007 Report will discuss four inter-related topics in-depth for the Asian region: globalization, urbanization, education, and information and communication technologies, which also form the topics for the meeting.
Children Baisakhi Festival
National Youth Project will host the Baisakhi Festival for children at Amritsar, Punjab from April 18 to 23, 2006.The event is open for children and adolescents from age of 10 to 15.For more detail contact: nypindia@...
International Essay Competition 2006
The World Bank and its partners are inviting young people 18 to 25 years old to participate in the International Essay Competition 2006 to share their experiences and ideas on community work and participation in public life. The deadline for submission of essays is April 2, 2006. For more detail log on www.essaycompetition.org
Int. Essay Contest for Young People
The Goi Peace Foundation and the World Peace Prayer Society sponsored this year’s International Essay Contest for Young People.
The theme of this year's International Essay Contest is "Learning to live together: promoting tolerance and diversity in globalized societies." The contest is open for young people from childhood to age of 24 years.
The theme further divided in tow categories one for children and other for youth.
The last date to reach entry is June 30, 2006. The selected will awarded with the certificate and cash prizes. The first prizewinner will be invited to the award ceremony and the International Youth Forum to be held in Tokyo, Japan in November 2006 (Travel expenses will be covered by the sponsor). Fore more detail contact: essay@...
Global Youth Service Day
The Global Youth Service Day is an annual global event organized by Youth Service America and the Global Youth Action Network.
On 21 April 2006, millions of young people in countries everywhere will highlight and carry out thousands of community improvement projects. This day will be a way for local, national, and international organizations to:
-BUILD the capacity of an international network of organizations that promotes youth participation, service, and learning;
-EDUCATE the public, the media, and policy-makers about the year-round contributions of young people as community leaders around the world;
-MOBILIZE youth and adults to meet the needs of their communities through volunteering; and
-LEARN and share effective practices in youth service, youth voice, and civic engagement in the world today.
To get involved log on and learn at web: www.gysd.org
Global Junior Challenge 2006
The Digital Youth Consortium promotes the Global Junior Challenge award. The intention of the award, dedicated to young people and to schools, is to identify and reward best practices on the use of new technologies in education and training of youngsters.
The Global Junior Challenge is the world's premier contest of projects pioneering the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education and training. The contest is the "tip of the iceberg" of a range of activities aimed at celebrating ICT-based educational innovation and promoting co-operation, shared learning, and e-inclusion in the build up of a knowledge society for all
The young people, from school children to teenagers can participate in the competition.
The last date is July 30, 2006. For more detail contact: info@...
World Urban Youth Forum
The World Urban Youth Forum will be held in Vancouver, Canada from June 16th-18th, 2006 and organized by UN Habitat.
This is the parallel programme with the World Urban Forum III organized by the UN Habitat. The participation is open for youth age 14 to 29. The selected participants have to take care of their international travel, visa other expenses. The closing date to apply is April 15, 2006.
Int. AIDS Conference: Young people’s Participation
The International AIDS Conference will be held from August 13-18 2006 in Toronto, Canada. The conference theme ‘Time to Deliver’ will focus on the promises and progress made to scale-up treatment, care and prevention.
The number of youth events are plan to encourage to ensure that young people will have the opportunity to make their voices heard at all stages of this international conference and can connect with each other over common goals.
A three-day Youth Pre-conference will take place prior to the event.
For more information about both conferences, log on: www.aids2006.org
International Symposium
International Symposium will be held at United Nations, Geneva from April 25-27, 2006 and organized by ATHGO International, co-sponsored by the United Nations University.
400 young professionals, diplomats, and students from world Universities and Colleges are expected to participate. The three-day event will discuss the proposed UN reform and its importance for meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For registration and other detail contact: symposium@...
“Youth of Asia and Europe Working Together for a Sustainable World”
- Asia Europe Youth for Sustainable Development Festival
The Asia Europe Youth Network for Sustainable Development will be organizing the Asia Europe Youth for sustainable Development Festival. The theme of the festival will be Youth of Asia and Europe working together for a sustainable world an will be held in Manila, Philippines from July 24-28, 2006.
The main aim of the festival, to strengthen and emphasized the role of the youth as the main stakeholder of sustainable development by facilitating and enhancing further collaborations to highlight positive contributions of youth. For more information contact: rior_nsantos@...
Int. Workshop on Sexuality and Migration in Asia Asian Meta Centre for Population and Sustainable Development Analysis, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore and Royal Holloway, University of London will jointly organize the International Workshop on Sexuality and Migration in Asia from April 10-11, 2006 in Singapore.For more detail contact popnasia@...
Int. Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm
The main objectives of International Conference on the Reduction of Drug Related Harm are to facilitate the exchange of practical tools and resources to reduce drug-related harm; provide an opportunity for ongoing and future collaborations; and provide a forum for peer-reviewed, quality research.
The Conference will be held in Vancouver, Canada from April 30 to May 4, 2006. For more detail, log on http://www.harmreduction2006.ca
Convention on Children’s Right to Food
The Right to Food Campaign will organize the Convention on Children's Right to Food and to be held in Hyderabad, India from April 7-9, 2006.
The main focus of this convention will be on Integrated Child Development Services, mid-day meals and other means of protecting children's right to food, including maternity entitlements. For more information contact: righttofood@...
International Conference on Conflict Resolution
The Common Bond Instituteand Harmony Institute will organize the 14th Annual International Conference on Conflict Resolution from May 5-15, 2006 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The conference will explore conflict transformation within diverse contexts, including: arts/creativity, cross-cultural/ethnic, ecology/environment, economics/business, education, gender, global/regional conflict, health/healing arts, human rights, organizational/ community, psychotherapy and transpersonal/spiritual.
In
last few months, many activities related to Population, Reproductive Health and
Development were held and ICYO involved in some of the activities. ICYO-Youth
Information now releasing the series to update our readers by carryout the news
story/ edited reports of these events, in this issue and some special issues in
future.
–Editorial Team, Youth
Information, Indian Committee of Youth Organizations.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MDGs are closely related to
ICPD goals and two complement each other.
- Dr A Ramdoss, Health and Family Welfare of India
“The government of India has taken steps
to reinvigorate its Reproductive and Child Health (RCH II) programme and is
committed to achieving MDGs” said theMrs
Panabaka Lakshmi, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Government
of India,
while delivering the inaugural speech In the ‘International Forum on
Integration of ICPD and MDGs jointly organized by Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, Government of India and Partners
in Population and Development (PPD) and held Jaypee Palace Hotel, in Agra,
India from November 21-22, 2005. The event was supported by UNFPA.
She emphasised the importance of integration of ICPD
(International Conference on Population and Development) and MDGs (Millennium
Development Goals), and of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS programmes. PPD
aims at promoting transfer of knowledge and expertise in population and
development and since the signing of Cairo Conference; countries have taken
steps to integrate these into their policies. She further said that the ten
years ahead of the internationally agreed time- period of 2015, it is time to
review future strategies.
She informed the delegates of the Forum that by launching
the National Rural Health Mission Programme (NRHM), the Government of India
aims to provide accessible, reliable and effective health care to poor and
vulnerable population in all parts of the country. The key aspect of this
highly ambitious programme is the provision of Accredited Social Health
Activist (ASHA), or a community health worker to provide health care to the
village community at their doorstep.
The Forum was started on November 21. 2005. In the
beginning Mr A. P. Singh,
Director, International Cooperation, and Mr S. S Brar, Joint Secretary,
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India welcome participants.
Dr Timothee Gandaho, Executive Director, PPD, said that the greatest challenge of
the international community is to share their knowledge and wisdom on key
issues of concern like HIV/AIDS and commodity security. South -South
collaboration is the most effective modality to improve each other’s programmes
in population. He cautioned that South-South collaboration is a not a
substitute to North-South collaboration, but an additional mechanism to
accelerate development process in these countries.
Mr Kunio Waki, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA believed that it a unique moment of
opportunity for the member countries to express their commitment to work
towards internally agreed goals of making reproductive health services and
products accessible to all. Mr Waki suggested documenting competent strategies,
facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity building among countries and
re-examining policy and support to South –South collaboration as ways for up
scaling social programmes. It is important to link the HIV/AIDS programme with
other reproductive health programmes, provide
leadership training for young people, working towards making treatment
accessible to all. He stressed the need for better-disaggregated data,
indicators, robust MDG monitoring mechanisms, and sector- wise approach to be
able to deal with these issues of concern. He reiterated UNFPA’s commitment to
support activities relating to these issues.
The two day Forum had focus three major
themes, includes the ‘Integration of ICPD Goals & MDGs’; ‘Integration of
Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS Services’; and ‘Reproductive Health Commodity
Security’.
While speaking as key note speaker on theme ‘Integration of
ICPD Goals & MDGs’Prof. Dr.
Haryono Suyono from Indonesiapresented statistics indicating the world population growth, especially
increases in the numbers of youth and old age population in Indonesia. He also
pointed out the demographic transition that had taken place from an “agrarian
community” characterised by high birth rate, and low status of women to
“technological development” characterised by an urban community, declining
fertility and mortality and a lower population growth. Pointing out the rapid
population growth in India and China whom he called ‘the two giants’, he
compared their development indicators from 1950- until now.
Dr. S.L.N Rao, Senior Adviser, Partners New York Liaison Office presented the background paper on theme
“Integration of ICPD Goals and MDGs”. He highlighted in presentation about the
lessons learned by the PPD member countries in implementing the ICPD Programme
of Action and MDGs, present scenario in Integration of ICPD goals and MDGs. He
also made some recommendations for future action by PPD.
In continuation of theme country experience shared by
Indonesia, Pakistan,
Mr Jyoti S Singh, Permanent Observer, Partner’s New York Liaison
Office
said that ‘Learning from the example provided by various country and to
translate it into action, researchers and NGOs should explore this relationship
further to increase gender equality and broadening choices for women, reducing
IMR and maternal mortality, and alleviating povertyso that the general prosperity of population can be ensured.
He further stress that the policy
dialogue needs to strengthen at the level of the national governments. Higher
the level of participation, more people will accept the integration of ICPD and
MDGs.
He further added that resource
mobilization still remains a challenge. Although consistent demands are being
made, to make sure that these yield results, it is necessary to make higher
level representations to bilateral and multilateral donors, and to provide them
with data that will attract their attention. Demands made by the countries and
organizations need to be better articulated. We must also aim at generating
more resources at local level and not always depend on external aid.
The second theme for the day was “Integration of
Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS Services”. Dr Nafis Sadik, United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy
for HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific gave the keynote speech on this theme.
Integrating reproductive heath and HIV/AIDS services will
help to end the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS and encourage everyone to see
prevention and treatment as a mainstream public health problem; it will apply
expertise, human and financial resources efficiently, said Dr Sadik.
Dr A Ramdoss, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare,
Government of India
was not able to attend the first day of the forum be make it on second and
spend whole day with the participants
In his special address Dr Ramdoss,
express for greater efforts at all levels are essential to achieve the MDGs.
MDGs are closely related to ICPD goals and the two complement each other.
He was hopeful with the new National Rural Health Mission
(NRHM) of the Government of India. It includes programmes related to safe
drinking water, sanitation, reproductive health and many other components. The
aim is to achieve 2.2 % GDP spending on health than the present 0.9%.
Decentralised health delivery systems, management at the level of the district,
community ownership, induction of village level personnel are the key
components of the NRHM.
The focus of the government is to address the regional
inequities within the country for which time- bound action plans are needed.
The way ahead is a shared vision to reach every child and mother, to address
poverty and gender iniquity. The vision is that of a world free of diseases and
takes bolder steps that can transfer knowledge into actions.
While discussing on ‘Commodity Security’ Dr Zhao Baige, Vice Minister, NPFPC, China had delivered the keynote speech on the
issue.
She started with defining Reproductive Health Commodity
Security as ensuring a secure supply and choice of quality contraceptives and
other reproductive health commodities to meet every person’s need at the right
time and in the right place.
Reviewing the Global Programme to enhance RHCS, she
suggested advocacy to build a global political commitment to supply
commodities, building national capacity to deliver reliable supplies, financing
for enduring sustainable flow of material and coordination of procedures to
simplify them as methods to attain commodity security.
Recommending South-South collaboration, she suggested
establishment of South -South coordination mechanism, forming technical
requirements and products, establishing licensing criteria, sharing
experiences, promoting development of related intellectual property and
establishing international market as strategies for future action.
The challenges in ensuring commodity security have been
mentioned in ICPD Programme of Action. Pointing out the interrelations between
Reproductive Health Commodity Security (RHCS) and RH goals, she mentioned that
RHCS is essential to achieve the goals of universal access to reproductive
health by 2015.
Dr Anmubani Ramadoss, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare,
India
chaired the panel IndiaIt
was co- chaired by Mr Jyoti Singh,
Permanent Observer to the UN, Partners Liaison Office, New York
In this theme Bangladesh, china, India shares their country
experience.
Mr B P Sharma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, Government of India said that the reproductive health commodities under the
Reproductive and Child Health (RCH II) programme are basic contraceptives,
family planning supplies, maternal health commodities, and diagnostic kits for
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and drugs.
Dr Ramadoss responded on the comment about traditional medicines by
mentioning that traditional medicine, though popular till now in India, is now
being integrated with modern medicine. India will try its best to share
commodities, technology and research, especially within the South countries.
AGRA DECLARATION
Mr Jyoti Shankar Singh presented the Agra Declaration, which was discussed in
detail and after several suggestions incorporated in the Agra Declaration.
The Declaration urged to developed countries to increase
their Official Development Assistance (ODA) so as to reach the internally
agreed target of 0.7 per cent of GDP of OECD countries by 2015, while
acknowledging our appreciation to those countries that have already reached the
target and to those that have recently agreed to reach it in the near future.
The Declaration seeks from multilateral and bilateral
donors to continue funding for HIV/AIDS programmes and to support initiatives
that promote linkages between reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.
Call on governments and international donors, as a matter
of urgency, to secure firm political commitment for ensuring the availability
and accessibility of affordable and quality reproductive health commodities,
especially for the poor, the disadvantaged and underserved groups.
The forum ended with comment made by Dr. Khander Mosharraf Houssain, Minister from Bangladesh,
Mr Kunio Wako, Dy. Executive Director, UNFPA, HEZhao Baige, Vice Minister from China, Ms. Jalaja, Add.
Secretary, Ministry of H & FW from India.
Mr Waki expressed his confidence that there is a clear direction
that this forum has shown towards which the Partners should be heading,
following the Forum. Many countries are moving towards spending almost 7% of
health budget on HIV/AIDS and there is enough funding to support these
programmes. However, there is a resource crunch in the field of reproductive
health. The challenge is to be able to successfully integrate the two.
Integrating the two has also proved to be cost effective at
a time when the resources are few. Migrants and young people need special
attention in the fast globalising world. There is a need to provide integrated
mother and child health care, care for HIV/AIDS infected mother and child, and
low- cost reproductive health services.He said that UNFPA’s constant
supported to PPD all its initiatives.
Ms. Jalaja reiterated India’s commitment to provide improved health
status for India’s people, to provide a sensitive health system, strive towards
greater gender equity and mobilizing more resources for health sector. She also
emphasised the importance of building valuable partnerships with PPD and
reaffirm India’s commitment.
The International Forum followed by the tenth Annual Board Meeting of PPD on 23 November 2005 in Agra. The
meeting discussed on various agenda including appointing the new executive director
and elected new officer bearers of PPD.(ICYO-Youth
Information)
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& This is the newsletter of: ICYO, If you are interested to receive it
regularly please send the email to join the listserve:YouthInformation-subscribe@...
For more information contact:
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations
(ICYO) Khare Apart. 194-A, Safdarjang Enclave
The ICYO is a coordinating
body of 356 Youth Organizations in India, working for capacity building of
Youth Organizations, advocacy of and for Youth and Child Right
issues. ICYO provides the platform to youth to discuss and share their
concern. Main focus subjects are Youth Health (including HIV/AIDS), Population,
Environment, Commercial Sexual Abuse/ Exploitation of Child and Youth,
Trafficking, Habitat, Peace, Poverty Elevation, rights of Indigenous People
etc. ICYO is member of World Assembly of Youth (WAY), Asian Youth Council
(AYC), Youth for Habitat International Network (YFHIN), International Youth
Cooperation (IYOCO), affiliate with ECPAT International, Steering Committee
member of World Bank’s Youth, Development and Peace (YDP) Network and Roster
status in ECOSOC of United Nations.
UNFPA is currently receiving applications for
its Special Youth Programme for 2006. This programme seeks to recruit young
people aged 20-24 from eveloping countries with some programme experience in
development issues to join UNFPA for a 9-month remunerated fellowship.
Background: The Special Youth Programme fellowship is divided into two
sections: an initial 6-month fellowship in UNFPA Headquarters, New York,
followed –upon satisfactory performance- by a continued fellowship of up to 3
months in the UNFPA Country Office in the country that the fellow comes from.
This programme is designed to give youth from
developing countries opportunities at appropriate levels of the organization to
engage in policy development and programming; to help build the capacity of
young people; and to sensitize both the young people and UNFPA staff on
partnering to address adolescent and youth issues.
During
the fellowship in Headquarters (HQ), the fellows will undertake assignments
both with the Geographic Divisions and the Technical Support Division
(Adolescent & Youth Cluster or other unit). A significant part of the
fellows' assignment concerns getting involved in existing activities, projects
or programmes, while the remainder will focus on developing a concrete work
plan or project proposal relevant to her/his own context and country to be
considered for potential implementation during the subsequent 3-month Country
Office fellowship.
Further, fellows will:
-Attend
and participate in UNFPA and UN events and meetings as appropriate
- Organize a final presentation to UNFPA HQ staff on their projects and
fellowships in Headquarters
--
Interact with the New York local youth community on at least one occasion
- Develop a relationship with the Country Office and provide updates on their
activities during the HQ fellowship
- Provide updates to HQ during fellowship at Country Office
In addition to development opportunities to experience working with a UN agency
such as UNFPA, all qualified candidates will be provided the following
benefits:
- Cost of return travel from country of origin
- Assistance with travel documents and visa requirements
- Health insurance
- Housing arrangements
- Subsistence allowance (for meals and other basic needs)
- A workstation and internet access
- Opportunities to be mentored by UNFPA staff members on various issues
of interest to the fellows
- Administrative assistance as required on a daily basis
Criteria:
Candidates must have some programme experience in any or all of the following
areas:
Young people's sexual and reproductive health
Reproductive rights
Population issues
Gender issues
HIV prevention
Poverty reduction
Human rights
Sustainable livelihoods
Millennium Development Goals, and similar topics
The criteria for selection of candidates include:
Youth who will be aged 20-24 years old during
the fellowship (Please
note that youwill be required to show proof of
age before you are
selected to the programme)
Applicants should currently be residing in
developing countries
(Applicants residing in developed countries will
not be considered
for this programme, but are invited to apply for
UNFPA's internship
programme)
Established interest and dedication to
development issues through
previous experiences or affiliation with a youth
network or NGO
working on development issues
Basic leadership and advocacy skills
Basic understanding of issues of importance to
UNFPA and what the
organization stands for
Basic English language skills
Commitment to return to home country to
undertake follow up work with
young people
Fellowship Term:
UNFPA is currently recruiting for the whole of 2006, meaning 2 groups of
fellows. The first group will start their fellowships this May, whereas the
second group will start in November 2006. Applicants must indicate in their
application their availability for either or for both of these terms.
Instructions for Submitting Application:
Applicants should send their CV, cover letter, and UN-P11 form in one e-mail,
following the specifications below. Due to the large volume of applicants,
applications that do not follow these specifications will NOT be considered.
A. The e-mail message must include the following pre-screening
information:
Date of Birth
Nationality
Current Residential Address
Indicate availability:
Starting May
2006
Starting
November 2006
Both May and
November 2006
A brief description of your experience working
in or contributing to
development programmes or projects (100 words or
less)
A brief description of your expectation for this
fellowship and how
will it further your work (100 words or less)
B. The attachments to your e-mail must include:
- Current Resume (or C.V.)
- A Cover Letter identifying technical skills and interests with an
explanation of how the fellowship matches your career goals or why you should
be considered for the internship (maximum one page)
- UN P-11 form with indicated references
The application e-mail with attachments can be sent to one of the following
e-mail addresses:
Application from Asia Pacific:
Applicants from the countries listed under the country list for the Asia and
Pacific region should send their applications to: APDSYP@...
The screening of candidates will include various stages. Kindly note that UNFPA
will NOT respond to any queries on the status of applications, as only
top-ranking short-listed candidates will be notified and interviewed by
teleconference by a special committee, composed of three representatives from
various units of the Fund.
Deadline for receipt of applications is February 17, 2006. No applications will
be accepted after the deadline has passed.
àààààààààààààààà
Youth Information issued by: Indian
Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)
194-A, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi 110029, India
Phone: 91 9811729093 /Phone/Fax: 91 11 26183978
Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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 354 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different
corners of India.
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.
ICYO is a coordinating body of 354 Youth Organizations in India.
ICYO – Commitment to strengthen the Youth Organization Movement in South Asia
----------------------------------------
Peer Monitoring Is Emerging
As An Effective Concept For Youth Organizations
- ICYO-UNESCO Training Workshop on M&E
The ICYO and UNESCO organized the Sub-Regional Training Workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation for Youth NGOs from December 16-21, 2005 in New Delhi and Kota, India.
Dr. Huma Masood, UNESCO India gave brief background information of UNESCO CCT project “Breaking the Poverty Cycle of Women” in India while speaking at inauguration of the training workshop on 16 December 2005 at International Youth Centre in New Delhi, India. She emphasized that the specialty of the project was the inter-sectoral approach. It was the cross cutting approach combining education, communication, science, and non-formal education plays important role in empowerment of adolescent girls’.
Dr. Maria Helena Henriques Mueller, Chief, Section for Youth, UNESCO appreciated the ICYO for hosting the workshop which is much needed for youth organizations as the peer monitoring is emerging as an effective concept.
Dr. S. N. Subba Rao, Chairman, ICYO, said about the first thought that struck him upon being invited to this training and workshop was that 2000-2010 AD, a decade, has been announced as a Decade of Cultural Peace by the United Nations. His expectation is that, if cultural peace is to come then youth will have to be active and that only five years are left to this decade. Dr. Rao said that absence of war is not peace. To emphasize this he made spiritual statement, “wars is born in the minds of men”. He reiterated that, we do not want war, we want peace. Peace is very important for happiness. As Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi said that happiness can come only through non-violence and peace. He gave an instance to explain what he meant by violence, that if one person lives in luxury and has a neighbour who cannot feed his child, then it is violence. Richness and poverty existing next door is a form of violence, he said. This implies that Peace has to be supported by justice. A fourth of the population of the world is below poverty line, how can peace come to the whole world, he asked? It is a big task to eradicate poverty; governments are of the view that paying more money will help eradicate poverty, But Dr Subba Rao recommended instead of giving money we should focus on empowering people to make money, as aptly said, “Charity destroys, work builds”. India has more manpower therefore; we do ‘not need mass production but production by masses’. Lastly, to eradicate the poverty jobs must go to the villages.
He hoped that when the participants would go from the training and workshop they would not only be knowledgeable but also more humanistic in their outlook.
Earlier Mr. Ravi Narayan, Secretary General of ICYO give brief introduction of Indian Committee of Youth organizations. And Dr Ran Singh Parmar, Treasure gave the vote of thanks.
The six-day long training workshop covered the various methodologies of peer monitoring and evaluation including the methodological framework, indicators, tools for data collection, preparation for field visit and reporting. The workshop also focused on implications of peer monitoring.
Mr Ravi Narayan told Youth Information that peer monitoring is challenging and very effective tool for monitoring the youth programmes. It not only provides more accurate finding/indicators but also accelerate the process of implementation of project in community.
During the workshop, participants from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and India shared their experience of UNESCO Project ‘Breaking the Poverty Cycle of Women’ in their respective countries and representatives of youth organizations share the finding of peer monitoring of the similar project.
The participants also visited the above project in India implemented by Doosra Dashak in Bhawargarh of Baran district in Rajasthan.
The workshop also chalks of plan of action for future course of action.
The training workshop attended by 25 participants from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and India and jointly organized by Indian Committee of Youth Organizations, UNESCO, Delhi office, Section for Youth, UNESCO, Paris.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Youth Information is published by Indian Committee of Youth Organizations.
For more information and collaboration in Youth programme contact
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 354 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.
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.
ICYO - India’s largest network of Youth Organizations
International Convention on Globalization and Rural Development
India Institute of Youth Welfare will organize the International Convention on Globalization and Rural Development from February 24 to 26, 2006 in Nagpur, India.
Globalization has different meanings in different context. Some parts of the world see it as a process that can boost economies, improve living standards, reduce economic disparity and create more understanding by integrating different cultures under one roof-World. Other part of the world believes it as an instrument of destruction making the least developing and developing countries economically weak.
The main themes of the Convention includes:
* Globalization and Rural development * Globalization and its effects on common person. * New Economic Policy on rural Industrialization. * Globalization: its impact on farm export. * Agro Industry: the changing dimension of Agro economy. * Structural adjustment and rural development. * Social security and structural adjustment. * New economic policy and rural Industrial employment. * Rural poverty and economic reforms: opportunities and Constraints. * Employment and unemployment of youth. * Unorganized sector and public policy (in the context of structural adjustment). * Globalization and New Value Systems. * Globalization and population issues in rural sectors. * Globalization and environment issues. * Globalization and water resources management. * Globalization and its effects on health
The organizer believe that sharing of the problems in the areas of rural development would go a long way in identifying the challenges and help to come out with solutions to overcome those hindrances posed in the way of developing rural sectors. An International Convention on Globalization and Rural Development would be a platform to spread the message of combining the essence of globalization and bringing self-sufficiency among the rural segment. After all Globalization must create opportunities, jobs and hopes for everyone.
For the collaboration with the event contact; Mr. Manohar Golpelwar, Convenor ICGRD 2006 email: youthwel@... or log on for more information at www.icgrd2006.org
For registration information contact: icgrd@... / info@...
------------------------------------ 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. Its family consists of over 354 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.
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); S A Youth Environment Network (SAYEN), CRIN
Affiliate group of ECPAT International, Thailand; Member - ATSECE-DELHI,
Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign; Steering Committee Member of World Bank's YDP Network; Working relation with International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations (IMPO); Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD); World Youth Foundation, Malaysia.
For launching a Non-violent Civil Disobedience Campaign in India
Ekta Parishad is the mass movement, which originated in seventies of last century, with the fundamental philosophy of “water, forest and land should be put within the control of the masses”, is now asking after three decades for the answers of the same basic questions from the society and the Government, which were internal manifestation of the people’s opinion. The interests of the deprived were always marginalized in this biggest democracy of the world. The mass movements operating for last three decades have always raised the voice of the deprived but fundamental question still exists as to how much sensitive is the democracy on the issue of the rights ofthose sections of the society which depends solely on forest, water and land. Mahatma Gandhi used to say that economic autonomy would be achieved by making the tillers of the land the owners of the land. He treated the economic autonomy as the basic element of non-violent freedom. The issue is still alive in the context of 350,000,000 deprives in Indian society.
Dr.Ransingh Parmar, Convenor of Ekta Parishad spoke to Youth Information about the forthcoming Assembly of Deprived which being organized on the occasion of Human Rights Day 10-11 December and People’s verdict meeting on 12th December 05 at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, India. This Assembly is seen as a call of deprives for their rights on the resources of livelihood. The objective of this assembly is to put the rights of livelihood as a new verdict of the deprived masses in front of the State and the society through people’s representatives. This verdict is to be used as a tool to find out the answers to the questions of the deprived masses. Now, the new chapter on the rights on water, land and forest has to be written through the deprives starting from Paharias of Santhal Paraganas in the east of India to Rabbaries of Kutch to the west ofIndia and Saber of Kalinga to Baigas of Mahakosal of the central India, this Assembly of Deprived is an open platform for their calls and declarations. In this assembly about 1000 marginalized and deprived people will be participating. This campaigned is being supported by many youth organizations in India.
The organizer will provide simple lodging and boarding facility if informed in advance. The solidarity messages are also welcomed.
For more information contact: Mahatma Gandhi Sewa Ashram, Near Purani Chavni Police Station, Gwalior -462002 (M.P) India Tel & Fax: 91 751 2491653 E-mail: gandhiashram_joura@... / janadesh2007@...
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Youth Information is Newsletter of
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) 194-A, Arjun Nagar, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi 110029, India Phone: 91 9811729093 /Phone/Fax: 91 11 26183978 Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@... ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 354 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.
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.
ICYO - India’s largest network of Youth Organizations
Sub – Regional Training
Workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation for Youth NGOs
UNESCO
- ICYO Sub–Regional Training Workshop on Monitoring and Evaluation for Youth
NGOs will be held in New Delhi from December 16 to 21, 2005 organized by Youth
Section, UNESCO, Paris and ICYO India. The organizers are expecting
participation from Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and India.
The
main objective of the training workshop is to Strengthen youth NGOs' capacity to raise
awareness of national policy-makers on thelearning needs of out-of-school
adolescent girls and marginalized young people and on the importance of youth
participation in development strategies and programmes and further
enhance the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity of Youth NGOs and
other partner NGOs of UNESCO pilot project on non-formal education for
out-of-school adolescent girls.
The
forth-coming training will focus on concepts of 'empowerment' and how to measure it;
Participatory methods of Monitoring& Evaluation; M & E tools:interview techniques, running focus group discussions, planning of field
work; drafting of reports, analysis and presentation of findings.
------------------------------------
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. Its family
consists of over 354 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from
different corners of India.
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); S A Youth Environment Network
(SAYEN), CRIN
Affiliate group of ECPAT International,
Thailand;
Member - ATSECE-DELHI,
Indian Partner of AIDS Care Watch Campaign;
Steering Committee Member of World Bank's YDP Network;
Working relation with International Medical Parliamentarians Organizations
(IMPO);
Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD);
World Youth Foundation, Malaysia.
The Partners in Population and
Development (PPD) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government
of the Republic of India will
jointly organize the International Forum on Integration of ICPD Goals &
MDGs in Agra, India to share and exchange the knowledge, information and
experiences achieved so far in the integration of the ICPD & Millennium
Development Goals. The Forum will also discuss the integration of Reproductive
Health and HIV/AIDS Services.
The main themes of discussion includes:
1: Integration of ICPD Goals & MDGs
2: Integration of Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS Services
3: Commodity Security
The organizer invites the eminent
personalities as key speakers includes:
- H E Dr.
Ambumani Ramadoss, Minister of Health and Family Welfare,
Government of India
- H E Mr.
Zhang Weiqing, Chair, PPD Board
- Dr.
Timothee Gandaho, Executive Director, PPD Secretariat
-
Mr. Kunio Waki, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA, New York
- Dr.
Steven Sinding, Director General, IPPF
- Mr.
Geoffrey Sachs
- Mr. S. L. N. Rao
- H E Dr
Khandaker M Hossain, Minister, Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh
- Ms.
Nafis Sadik
- Ms.
Angela Akol (Uganda)
- H
E Ms. Zhao Baige
- Dr.
Peter Hall.
- Mr.
Jyoti Shanker Singh, PPD Permanent Representative to United Nations.
The Forum will be held from November
21-22, 2005 in Agra, India.
Annual Board Meeting of PPD
The Tenth Annual Board Meeting of
Partners in Population and Development (PPD) will be held in Agra, India from
November 22 – 23, 2005.
Consultative
Meeting on Generic Drug
Manufacturers held in Delhi
The PPD
and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare jointly hosted a Consultative Meeting of the Generic Drug Manufacturers on 19 November
2005 at Hotel Park in New Delhi.
The Meeting started with welcome notes from Mr. A P Singh, Director,
International Cooperation, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Govt. of India; Mr
Timothee Gandaho, Executive Director, PPD, Mr. Jyoti Singh, PPD Permanent
Representative to United Nations, New York, USA.
Mr David Smith of UNFPA and Peter Hall spoke on the ‘contraceptive
commodity gap and how is it being addressed’. Mr. B.P. Sharma JS, Ministry of
Health and Welfare, Govt of India chaired the session.
Mr Peer Hall also presented the PPD study on ‘Hormonal contraception –
what products are being manufactured in Asia and what are the constraints and
obstacles to international supply?’
Total Market Approaches also discussed. Lester Chinery of IPPF/ICON was
the speaker while Mr Jyoti Singh, PPD on chair.
The meeting also decided some action points to address the constraints
and obstacles in international supply.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Youth Information is Newsletter of
Indian Committee of Youth
Organizations (ICYO) 194-A, Arjun Nagar,
Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi 110029, India
Phone: 91 9811729093 /Phone/Fax: 91 11 26183978
Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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 354 organizations spread in 122
districts
of 22 states from different corners of India.
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.
The Millennium Campaign in undertaking a mapping of the key youth groups/ networks in all the regions of the world. The project would entail creating a database of the most important youth groups/networks in the MDG priority countries with an aim of laying the grounds for creating a true youth movement within the region.
At this stage, the mapping process has 7 priority countries in the Asia and the Pacific namely Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines. Therefore this form is to be completed bykey youth groups/ networks (whose membership and leadership are composed of mostly young people based on the age range of youth in your respective countries/culture/region) in these respective countries. The form can also be submitted by regional youth groups/networks which are connected/ associated with these countries or youth group of these countries.
The form is divided in Part I and Part II. Part I is about organisational information which is mandatory and Part II is about the situation of youth in your country which is optional. However, we would really appreciate if you could also fill up the part II which will assist Millennium Campaign to design its strategies in your respective countries.
Please fill out this form in clear, block letters. Please submit only one application to Rajendra Mulmi (either through email at rmulmi@... or via fax at +977-1-4497073). The completed form must be received by 15th of November 2005.
Invitation to Participate in National Youth Meet in J.N.U., New Delhi
Dear Friends,
2000 young men and women from more than 20 states of India will participate in the National Integration Youth Camp at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi on November 11, 2005. Prof. B.B. Bhattacharya, Vice-Chancellor of JNU, has agreed to grace the occasion as Chief Guest. Shri S. N. Subba Rao, Chairman, Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) and Director of NYP will commence the programme with Prarthana Sabha (Prayer Meeting).
Programme Schedule:
5:00 PM
Peace March from Administrative Block to Open Air Theatre, behind Kamal Complex, JNU.
6:00 PM
Prarthana Sabha (Prayer Meeting)
6:10 PM
Inaugural Address by Prof. B.B. Bhattacharya, Vice-Chancellor, JNU, New Delhi
6:20 PM
Prof. V.K. Tripathi, President, Sadbhav Mission, IIT, New Delhi, will speak on role of youth on nation building.
6:30 PM
Cultural Programme by youth from different states.
8:00 PM
Vote of Thanks
All are cordially invited to attend the National Youth Meet
Date:November 11, 2005
Time: 5.00 PM
Venue:Open Air Theatre, Behind Kamal Complex, JNU, New Delhi.
ICYO-Youth Information October 2005 – Second issue
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Upcoming events
Workshop on
‘Child Trafficking in India’
Prachodana is organizing the
Workshop on ‘Child Trafficking in India’ at Karl Kübel Institute for Development
Education(KKID), in
Coimbatore from 24th
– 26th Oct. 2005. The workshop is supported by KKID Germany.
The workshop objectives are:
Understand the concept of Child Trafficking from a
Human/Child rights perspective,
Analyze the Government and NGO responses to the issue
of Child Trafficking in India,
Evolve appropriate strategies and plan of action to
combat Child trafficking.
The
cost per person for the 3 days workshop will be Rs.1000/- inclusive of food,
accommodation as well as workshop materials.
For more detail and registration
contact: Email: prachodana@...
or Tel. (08172) 256113
-----------------------------------------
Youth Information
is the newsletter of
Indian Committee
of Youth Organizations
Working to
enhance the capacity of Youth and children organizations.
Indian Committee of Youth
Organizations (ICYO)
194-A, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi 110029, India
Phone: 91 9811729093 /Phone/Fax: 91 11 26183978
Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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. Its family consists of over 354 organizations spread in 122 districts
of 22 states from different corners of India.
When the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were conceived by the United Nations about five years ago, the world body failed to single out the importance of a crucial socioeconomic factor in battling poverty and hunger: population growth.
"Population fell off the radar screen," says an Asian diplomat, although he conceded that maternal mortality and gender equality, two of the eight-millennium goals, do have a bearing on people and reproductive rights.
"The omission of a direct reference to population and family planning in the U.N. Millennium Development Goals was not an oversight, but rather a deliberate calculation," Werner Fornos, President of the Washington-based Population Institute, told IPS.
He said the reasons were both religious and political -- "an effort to placate voodoo evangelists and rightwing politicians in the United States".
The conspicuous absence of these "vital interventions" is the result of a compromise to win the support of the George W. Bush administration in Washington and the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy in the Vatican, Fornos said.
The MDGs include a 50 percent reduction in poverty and hunger; universal primary education; reduction of child mortality by two-thirds; cutbacks in maternal mortality by three-quarters; the promotion of gender equality; ensuring environmental sustainability; the reversal of the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; and a global partnership for development between the rich and the poor. The deadline to achieve these goals is 2015.
The United Nations is hosting a summit meeting of some 170 world leaders to review the progress made so far in implementing the MDGs. The summit takes place Wednesday through Friday.
"But none of these millennium goals will be achieved," warned Fornos, "unless we accelerate efforts to reduce rapid population growth in the poorest countries of the world."
Least developed countries (LDCs) will account for virtually the entire 2.6 billion increase as the earth's human numbers soar from 6.5 billion today to 9.1 billion by mid-century, Fornos told IPS.
He also pointed out that population stabilization should not only have been included in the MDGs, it should have been emphasized.
"Any rational individual would reach the conclusion that meaningfully reducing extreme poverty, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring primary education for all, eradicating hunger, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and promoting gender equality and empowerment of women cannot be achieved unless and until rapid population growth is adequately and urgently addressed in the world's poorest countries," he said.
In a new report released last week, the Population Division of the U.N.'s Department of Economic and Social Affairs said the group of 50 LDCs -- ranging from Angola and Afghanistan to Yemen and Zambia -- account for 12 percent of the world population, or 759 million people.
"But this is expected to absorb a quarter of all population growth between 2005 and 2015," it added.
The study, titled "Population Challenges and Development Goals", points out that high fertility levels characterize the majority of the LDCs. "In addition, they exhibit high levels of extreme poverty, with 20 percent of their combined population living on less than one a dollar a day."
In 10 of the 50 countries, extreme poverty levels are higher than 40 percent. At the global level, however, extreme poverty may be halved because of the advances being made by China and India, which together account for 2.4 billion of the world's 6.5 billion people.
Speaking of the latest U.N. study, Under-Secretary-General Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), said that world leaders, who will be in New York for the U.N. summit, have yet another piece of expert evidence that investing in the rights and health of men, women and youth, will reap significant rewards in prosperity, peace and security.
"I am confident our leaders will show that they have heard the experts, and, most importantly, the cry of the world's poor and vulnerable women, men and young people. I am confident that the largest gathering of world leaders in history will respond: We Hear You All," Obaid told IPS.
She also said: "We should come away from the 2005 World Summit emboldened to take more urgent action to promote access to reproductive health and to fight HIV/AIDS to save millions of lives from AIDS and maternal death."
The world's leaders have the power to make decisions to achieve the development goals by 2015. And the issues of population, gender, and reproductive health are critical to the Summit's larger development, security and human rights agenda, Obaid added.
Fornos of the Population Institute said that evidence that the MDGs should include a strong commitment to voluntary fertility reduction is contained within the U.N.-sponsored Millennium Ecosystems Assessment.
Compiled by 1,360 scientists from 95 countries, the report released earlier this year was the largest study ever undertaken to determine the consequences of human industriousness and indulgence on the planet's natural bounty.
"The most unsettling finding of this assessment is that over the past 50 years, as world population doubled, human activity depleted 60 percent of the world's grasslands, forests, farmlands, rivers and lakes," Fornos said.
Some 1.1 billion people throughout the world still cannot rely on clean drinking water and 3-4 million people die each year from waterborne diseases.
The consensus of the scientists contributing to the report is that over the next 50 years there will be increased demands for food, clean water and fuel, hastening the loss of forests, fish and fresh water reserves and leading to more frequent disease outbreaks.
The study shows that fully one-third of all existing animal and plant species are at risk of extinction. "Allowing these grave warnings to go unheeded would amount to unparalleled and inexcusable human folly, with the very real possibility of placing homo sapiens at the top of the 21st century's endangered species list," Fornos added.
Obaid said the most important aspect of gender empowerment is for women to be able to determine the size of their family: the timing of their pregnancy and the spacing of their children. "How can you talk of poverty if you don't know your population dynamics -- age, income, size of family, and institutions?"
"You need all these information to determine poverty and devise programmes to overcome them," she added.
She also said that if "women are the face of HIV/AIDS, if women continue to die because they give birth, and if women are the poorest of the poor -- then you can empower women only if you have succeeded in eradicating these."
"We must increase financial, human and institutional resources for women's empowerment, education and health, and gender equality. Nationally, countries need to make the necessary allocations in their budgets to turn their commitments and policies into concrete programmes and services," Obaid said.
Internationally, reaching the agreed target of allocating 0.7 per cent of gross national income for official development assistance (ODA), and increased debt forgiveness will benefit the poorest countries, and enable them to move forward faster. (Thalif Deen , IPS New Agencies/16 September 2005)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Re-posted by:
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO) 194-A, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi 110029, India Phone: 91 9811729093 /Phone/Fax: 91 11 26183978 Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@... ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 354 organizations spread in 122 districts of 22 states from different corners of India.
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.
From the Campaign Trail From ACW secretariat- (To speak out about your government's
progress in fulfilling its promises to HIV/AIDS care and treatment, click here.)
.
Recently,
all governments were requested by the United Nations (UN) to urgently compile a
report on progress they have made towards fulfilling promises detailed in the
landmark Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS signed by all member states of
the UN in 2001.
The
progress review began last month, and as required by the Declaration of
Commitment, governments should “ensure a participatory and transparent approach
throughout the reporting process”. This means that civil society groups,
including people living with HIV/AIDS networks, must be included in the
national review and reporting processes.
However,
last week, an Indian newspaper reported that civil society groups in India had
not yet been consulted, despite assurances from the National AIDS Control
society that they had already been asked for their input. more...
Feature Story
3.8 million Africans
need ARVs
By
Georgina Cranston, The East African (IRIN), 26 Sept 2005
With just four months to go, it
seems unlikely that the WHO campaign target of putting three million people in
the developing world on anti-Aids drugs by the end of 2005 will be met. more...
Frontline Kenya: HIV/TB co-infection and
challenges
HDN
Key Correspondent
KENYA - In the past decade, there
have been increasing campaigns geared towards TB treatment and many Kenyans
have been treated under the free medical scheme (for TB patients). But the rise
in number of TB patients has also coincided with the rise in HIV infection
rates. more...
KK
Abraham is the president of the Indian Network of people living with HIV/AIDS
based in Chennai, India.
ACW: The vast
majority of people living with HIV/AIDS do not have access to
antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. Can you comment on current progress in scaling up
of ARV provision in India?
KK: India has over 5.3 million people estimated to be HIV
positive out of which only five percent know their HIV status. World AIDS Day
2003, the Government of India (GOI) announced a strong policy commitment to
provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) to 100,000 people with HIV/AIDS, with
implementation starting on 1st April 2004. The global fund grant for the
government is for enabling 137,000 people living with HIV be put on ARV in the
next five years. more...
Spotlight Namibia: Get rid of stigma in battle
against AIDS pandemic
By Surihe
GaomasWindhoek , New Era (Windhoek), 14 Sept 2005
NAMIBIA- "The trouble we have
here is stigma. Stigma kills the person before the disease, making stigma the
number one enemy." This was the view if facilitator of Home Based Care
Training Ben Motinga when he addressed peer graduates in Windhoek last Friday. more...
Positively Alive
AIDS treatment,
nutrition and food supplements
World
Health Organization Fact Sheet
HIV progressively damages the immune
system, which can make a person susceptible to a range of opportunistic
infections and lead to conditions such as weight loss, fever and diarrhoea.
These HIV-related conditions can lower food intake by reducing appetite and
interfering with the body's ability to absorb food. HIV also alters metabolism
which can often lead to increased energy and nutrient requirements for people
with HIV-infection. more...
Partner Highlight
Bangladesh AIDS
Information and Dissemination Services (BAIDS)
BAIDS is a network of five major civil society organizations working on
HIV/AIDS, which includes CCD (Centre for Communication and Development),
Communication for AIDS Prevention project (CAP), Anti-AIDS Journalist Alliance
(AJA), Bangladesh Anti-AIDS Students' Alliance (BASA) and CARE Bangladesh. more..
=-=-=-=-
Reposted by:
Indian Committee of Youth Organizations (ICYO)
194-A, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi 110029, India
Phone: 91 9811729093 /Phone/Fax: 91 11 26183978
Email: icyoindia@... / icyo@...
Offline 
Send Email
