‘UNESCO Acting with and for Youth’
Report of the thematic week on youth
organized at UNESCO Headquarters (Paris)
16-17 August 2006
Prepared by
the Section for Youth (BSP)
www.unesco.org/youth
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements 1
Executive Summary 2
1. The Treasure Hunt – an interactive visit to explore ‘UNESCO’ 3
2. Session ‘60 Minutes to Convince’ 3
3. Round Table ‘Youth involvement in fighting poverty’ 6
4. Round table ‘Young People and World Heritage’ 9
5. Exhibition held as part of the week 11
6. Dedicated website 12
Annexe 14
ii
Acknowledgements
This report was prepared by a team led by Ms Maria Helena Henriques Mueller, Chief of the Section for Youth of the Bureau of Strategic Planning.
The success of the different activities organized is a fruit of collaboration between UNESCO’s Section for Youth, UNESCO colleagues from different Sectors and the CPM (Joint Programmatic Commission on Youth of the UNESCO-NGO Liaison Committee, which federates representatives of youth organizations in official relations with UNESCO). The CPM contributed to the preparations of this week and mobilized about 70 local and international volunteers active in work camps in the Paris region to assist at the events taking place at Headquarters. The Section for Youth is very grateful for these efforts.
Finally, we would like to thank all the colleagues, external speakers and support staff, who were willing and motivated to share their experience and best practice with the young people, youth organisations and adults present during the week’s roundtables and sessions. Their invaluable contribution has helped make this celebration a dynamic space for lively encounters and open dialogue.
Executive Summary
UNESCO is 60 years old
60 weeks of celebration
60 weeks=60 themes
Week 49: Acting with and for youth
This year UNESCO celebrates its sixtieth anniversary. This event is celebrated throughout 60 weeks, from September 5th 2005 until November 4th 2006. It is a unique occasion for UNESCO, its Member States and all of its partners to highlight, week after week, 60 themesofactions.
Considering the high priority of youth for our Organisation, a whole week, from August 14th to the 18th 2006, has been devoted to exploring UNESCO's action with and for youth. This week, entitled’Acting with and for Youth' is in conjunction with the InternationalYouthDay on August 12th, dedicated this year to 'fighting poverty together.'
In order toemphasizethe activities organized around the world to celebrate International Youth Day, especially those on the fight against poverty and the protection of world heritage, a welcome page on theSection for Youth website was created (www.unesco.org/youth).
The following activities were scheduled at Headquarters:
Ø 8-17 August: twophoto exhibitionsdisplayedtwothemes related to youth acting for World Heritage conservation: 'World Heritage in young hands' and 'Youth and Heritage: examples of Youth Workshops for World Heritage conservation.'
Ø 16 August (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.): Treasure Hunt: within UNESCO Headquarters (Fontenoy site) so that youth can learn more about UNESCO: a distance to discover UNESCO programmes, activities and notable works of art.
Ø 16 August (2 p.m. to 3 p.m.): '60 minutes to convince'gave an introduction to UNESCO`s Strategy 'Acting for and with Youth'. The Sectionfor Youth, in collaboration with other Sectors and Youth Organizations liaising with UNESCO outlined their major projects.
Ø 16 August (4 p.m. to 6 p.m.): Round table on 'Young People’s Involvement in the Fight against Poverty'. UNESCO colleagues and Youth Organizationsrepresentatives discussed best practices and how to involve young people in the fight against poverty.
Ø 17 August (10 a.m. to 12 a.m.): Round table on World Heritage. UNESCO colleagues, Youth organization representatives, and special guests from French Polynesia opened the discussion around the involvement of youth in heritage preservation embracing all its different aspects: cultural, natural, tangible and intangible heritage
1. The Treasure Hunt – an interactive visit to explore ‘UNESCO’
10.00 – 11.15:Upon arrival of the participants, Ms Maria Helena Henriques Mueller presented UNESCO's Strategy of Action With and For Youth which consists of five interrelated functions of youth participation: (i) increased presence and participation of young women and men in UNESCO's bodies, events and activities - the governance function; (ii) incorporation and integration of youth views and priorities in programme activities and partnerships with young people - the programming function; (iii) assistance to Member States of the Organization in mainstreaming youth concerns and issues into their policies and programmes - the policy development function; (iv) act as a clearing house of information concerning youth and sustain campaigns; prepare and disseminate publications and information material, accessible also through a dedicated website www.unesco.org/youth - the advocacy function; (v) evaluate programmes and projects targeting and involving young people with a view to strengthening partnerships and co-responsibilization - the monitoring function.
In the following, the audience watched and discussed a short video produced on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of UNESCO and discussed, based on this introduction, the mission and mandate of UNESCO.
Participants then split up in smaller groups and went on a 1,5-hour tour around UNESCO premises. The purpose of this ‘Treasure Hunt’ was to make young people discover UNESCO in an interactive way: the UNESCO Headquarter building and its works of art, UNESCO’s priorities, working modalities and , most importantly, the opportunities given to young people organizations to participate and make their voices heard.
Led by a member of the Section for Youth, the groups ‘discovered’ and learnt about the history and work of UNESCO.
Ø Room I: General Conference
Ø Room II:UNESCO Youth Forum - in addition to the UNESCO Youth Forum, participants learnt about the work of the CPM and its activities with young people.
Ø Room X: Executive Board
Ø Works of art of UNESCO (Miro, Picasso, Guyasamin)
Ø The Japanese Garden and Takis sculptures
Ø Peace Wall / Square of Tolerance and the UNESCO constitution
Ø World Heritage quiz: Colleagues of the World Heritage Centre invited participants to learn more about world heritage and how to protect it through an interactive quiz (see annex)
2. Session ‘60 Minutes to Convince’
The 60-Minute session on UNESCO’s Strategy of Action With and For Young People was chaired by Mr. Munoz Gomez, Director of the Bureau of Public Information, who was assisted by a young intern of his office. The session was exceptionally well attended with more than 70 youths coming from International work camps based in the Paris region and UNESCO staff present. Speakers for the session included: Ms Maria Helena Henriques Mueller, Chief of the Section for Youth in the Bureau of Strategic Planning, Jacqueline Groth, of the Section for Youth, Michael Tran, of the Small Islands and Coastal Regions Platform (SC/SIDS), and Marc Assokoly, a representative of the Ivory Coast Scouts Association.
The session began with an introduction from Maria Helena Henriques Mueller who outlined the dynamics in terms of the global numbers of young people, regional concentration and growth of this age cohort and most especially, the challenges facing today’s youth. Considering young people’s specific needs, expectations and concerns, UNESCO’s approach is to establish a partnership with young people themselves. The main objective is to empower youth so as to ensure their full potential and participation in society as equal and valuable partners.
In addition to recalling the five functions that characterize UNESCO’s approach to youth – governance, programming, policy development, advocacy and monitoring - Ms Maria Helena Henriques Mueller projected a short video featuring the 4th UNESCO Youth Forum, which was held as an integral part of the 33rd session of the General Conference in October 2005. In line with its recommendations, UNESCO is organizing a Youth Forum in each of the UN regions in 2006-2007. The first of this series of regional youth forums was held as part of the Pacific Youth Festival (17-22 July 2006, Tahiti, French Polynesia). At the festival, UNESCO developed the theme of ‘Education for Sustainable Development’ and provided a space for young people to exchange experience, discuss their concerns and, most importantly, define concrete youth-led action fostering sustainable development in their communities and at the national level. The next Regional Youth Forum will take place in Cyprus from 16-19 November 2006, and will bring together 100 youth delegates from the Euro-Mediterranean region around the theme: ‘Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue to Ensure Peace’. Other regional forums are scheduled for 2007 in Asia, Africa, the America’s and the Arab States region.
As the theme of this Year’s International Youth Day was designated by the UN as ‘Tackling Poverty Together’, Jacqueline Groth (Section for Youth), presented an example of a concrete project the Section for Youth has led working together with local youth organizations in South Asia. She first highlighted a few facts and figures regarding the global situation of youth in poverty and pointed out the lack of adequate policy responses targeting young people as a group which is particularly vulnerable to the multiple dimensions of poverty.
She then introduced the cross-cutting theme project ‘Breaking the Poverty Cycle of Women’, one of the series of interdisciplinary pilot projects implemented since 2002. This projects aims at empowering out-of-school adolescent girls to become agents of social transformation in their communities through an integrated and holistic programme combining literacy, skills training, health and legal education, science, income generation and microfinance. It is implemented in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.
As part of the project, the Section for Youth has developed and tested a new approach, i.e
peer-group monitoring and evaluation, which aimed at gaining new insights and a better understanding of the favorable conditions for the complexities involved in empowering adolescent girls. This innovative approach was also meant to provide local youth organizations, who were charged with undertaking regular field visits, interviews and focus group discussions with the projects participants and members of the wider community, with transferable skills and expertise in this field. Even though this activity proved to be a challenge, it was successful in generating findings not normally produced by an adult-led ‘conventional’ evaluation process. Also, the ‘added’ value of youth participation in these kinds of initiatives was reflected in an institutionalization of the partnership between youth and ‘adult’ NGOs (responsible for the project implementation). The way forward will be the development of Policy guidelines on ‘Peer-group Monitoring and Evaluation’ and a practical tool kit for young people and youth organizations.
Michael Tran, of the Small Islands and Coastal Regions Platform (Natural Sciences Sector) focused on UNESCO’s Youth Visioning for Island Living’ initiative. This project seeks to build capacity among island youth, giving them a voice in sustainable development matters; and enabling them to make positive changes at the local and national level. It is composed of three phases: (i) preparatory (involving on-line discussions with young people from Small Island Developing States); (ii) the Youth Visioning event: an international Youth Forum held parallel to the International Meeting ‘Barbados+10’ in January 2005 in Mauritius and (iii) Project Implementation phase. The Phase three is critical as it will provide indication of the success of the overall Youth Visioning initiative. Michael Tran provided detailed information on the project proposal process and the kind of technical support offered by UNESCO through its Youth Visioning Committee.
He also gave an example of a project led by young people from the Palé Kwéyòl Initiative, designed to revive the Kwéyòl language and culture. Activities included the Kwéyòl march, the Kwéyòl extravaganza, the Kwéyòl classes and peer tutoring. The project has been successful and has now become a sustainable annual event.
Marc Assokoly, in charge of the Educational Programme for the young people aged 15 to18 - of the Catholic Scout Association of Ivory Coast highlighted the role of youth organizations in promoting a culture of peace in (post)-conflict situations. He gave an overview of the civil war in Ivory Coast and the devastating impact it has had on youth organization’s structures and activities. In spite of important constraints, the CSAIC managed to carry out humanitarian assistance activities: 400 displaced women, children were sheltered in a CSAIC’s training center and the organization put in place a reinsertion programme for women and children (clothes and food gathering, psychological assistance, courses, etc.).
Underlining that educating and training young people to become agents of a culture of peace is crucial, he presented Fö-oundikro (peaceful village in English), an initiative developed by his organization. This campaign started with an international workshop organized in partnership with UNESCO that took place in Yamoussoukro in 2003. Delegations from the Balkans, Colombia and Great Lakes African States were invited to share their experience on the Scout movement’s role in countries in conflict and discuss good practices led by young people. Consultants of the Section for Youth held several workshops on non-violent conflict resolution and communication. The participants agreed on a way forward called ‘peace ambassadors’, which has become an effective mechanism to get young people involved into the overall reconciliation process of a war-torn society.
Discussion
As a feed-back to Marc Assokoly’s moving presentation of the Fö-oundikro initiative, Simona of CCIVS, stressed the operational partnership in Ivory Coast’s crisis situation between UNESCO and youth organizations. This complementarity of actions can serve as a model for all partnerships.
Following the presentations, the speakers answered questions from the audience. The President of the 4th UNESCO Youth Forum, raised issues related to the follow-up to the Youth Forum, e.g. the need of a permanent youth structure at UNESCO. Ms Henriques Mueller responded by saying that the Youth Forum is a dynamic process and its recommendations should be followed-up at all levels. UNESCO does not see the need for a permanent office for the Youth Forum representatives because of the rotation of the elected functions every two years. Rather, it encourages close networking with key partners such as UNESCO National Commissions. As far as budgetary requirements are concerned, the Secretariat – particularly the Section for Youth - is striving to obtain extra budgetary resources to foster activities with and for youth.