YES Insider # 18
May 20, 2004
Inside the Insider:
1. UN-HABITAT Executive Director Joins the YES Campaign Committee
2. YES Mexico Summit Press Event
3. YES Campaign Announces YES Mexico 2004 Participation Scholarships
4. First Ladies of Americas Endorse Support for YES Mexico 2004
5. Youth Mentoring Program Marks the YES Mauritius Launch in April 2004
6. YES India Launches Two More State-Level Networks
7. "The Road Ahead" - YES Kenya Participates in National Youth Employment
Workshop
8. YES Kenya to Assist World Bank in Developing Local Youth Development
Initiatives
9. YES Renewable Energy Project Goes Full Swing in Zambia
10. YES Egypt - Marching Ahead
11. YES Latin America Country Network Go Gung-ho in April
12. YES Russia launches Moscow Region Networks
1. UN-HABITAT Executive Director Joins the YES Campaign Committee
Mrs. Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UNI-HABITAT, joined the
YES Campaign Committee that guides and advises the Campaign on strategic
issues of productive and sustainable livelihoods generation for the youth.
The Campaign Committee comprises leaders well known for their commitment to
the global development and who embrace youth as partner in this development
process.
Mrs. Tibaijuka, is the highest ranking African woman in the United Nations
system. A Tanzanian national, she holds a Doctorate of Science in
Agricultural Economics from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
in Uppsala. During her tenure Mrs. Tibaijuka, oversaw major reforms that led
the UN General Assembly to upgrade the United Nations Center for Human
Settlements to a fully-fledged UN program, now called UN-HABITAT - the
United Nations Human Settlements Programs. The YES Campaign is excited about
Mrs. Tibaijuka endorsing the Campaign's goal of youth development and
empowerment which seamlessly aligns with the UN-HABITAT goal global
development.
2. YES Mexico Summit Announced at Press Event
The Mexican Government formally announced that it would be hosting the
second global Youth Employment Summit organized by the YES Campaign and its
collaborating partners. The YES Mexico Summit is scheduled for October
4th-7th, in Boca Del Rio. The announcement was made at a well-attended
press conference held in the Mexico City on April 28, 2004. The YES
Executive Director, Ms. Poonam Ahluwalia, addressed the press along with Mr.
Esteban Gonzalez, President E-Fundación and youth co-chair of the YES
Campaign Committee. The conference was also saw Mr. Miguel Carrillo,
Director of the Graduate School of Monterrey Tec; Mr. Cristian Castaño,
Director of Mexican Youth Institute; Mr. Ary Kahan, President of KASO
Consulting; Mr. Jorge Vergara, President Omnilife Group; Mr. Mauricio
Guillaumin, Under Secretary of Tourism for the State of Veracruz; Mr. Ramiro
Magaña, UNIDO and Mr. Francisco Lopez, YES Mexico Network Coordinator.
During the conference Mr. Gonzales reiterated the importance of youth
livelihood initiatives on the global agenda by stating that, "the goal of
the Campaign is to develop a global alliance for sustainable livelihoods
generation for the youth, provides answer to the challenges of unemployment
impacting millions of young men and women." He further added, "Addressing
this challenge requires participation of all stakeholders, including youth,
governments, private sector and Civil Society Organizations."
Taking pride in the commitment and success of the YES Campaign Ms. Ahluwalia
announced that more than one thousand youth delegates from over 100
countries are expected to attend the global event and that during the summit
young men and women will have the opportunity to exchange thoughts and
experiences, as well as best practices in the generation of productive and
sustainable livelihood for the youth. According to her the experience and
knowledge gained by the youth would create a ripple effect, touching the
lives of thousands of youth worldwide.
The press releases of the event is also available Spanish on:
www.yesweb.org/media_room/index.html
3. YES Campaign Announces YES Mexico 2004 Participation Scholarships
The YES Campaign recently announced 300 scholarships for youth for its
upcoming YES Mexico Summit 2004, at Boca Del Rio, Mexico. The Summit is
scheduled for October 4th to 7th, is expected to attract over 1000 delegates
from more than 100 countries.
Talking about the scholarship program, Poonam Ahluwalia, Executive Director
of the YES Campaign, stated that, "Preference will be given to those who
have successfully demonstrated their commitment to youth employment and
empowerment in their communities." She also mentioned that, "In addition
gender and geographic considerations will be taken into account".
The scholarships aimed at youth from the developing countries cover shared
accommodation, local transportation, meals and registration fee The
Applicants are expected to arrange for their own airfare and appropriate
documentation like a valid visa. To apply, click here:
http://www.yesweb.org/mexico/scholform.html
Learn more on: http://www.yesweb.org/mexico/scholarship.html
4. First Ladies of Americas Endorse Support for YES Mexico 2004
The Declaration of Santo Domingo de Guzmán signed at the twelfth First
Ladies, Spouses and representatives of the Heads of State and government of
the Americas meeting from October 15th to 16th, 2003, makes a specific
mention seeking global support for the forthcoming the YES Mexico Summit.
The Declaration addressed the theme of youth and poverty and called on its
members to ".recognize the next World Summit on Youth Employment to be held
in Mexico in 2004, with the participation of governmental institutions, the
business sector, middle and higher education institutions, international
organizations and social organizations in general and youth organizations in
particular."
The First Ladies meeting was attended by Laura Bush, First Lady of USA, and
Aline Chrétien, First Lady of Canada, among others. Responding to the
acknowledgment, Poonam Ahluwalia, Executive Director of the YES Campaign
stated that "It is heartening to receive recognition from such high offices
and we are grateful for the recognition."
Learn more about the Declaration on:
http://www.xiiconferencia-primes-damas.gov.do/contenidos/archivos/santodomin
godeclaration.pdf
5. Youth Mentoring Program Marks the YES Mauritius Launch in April 2004
The YES Mauritius was officially launched on April 23rd, 2004. The network
marked its beginning by starting a mentoring pilot program for young
entrepreneurs in Mauritius. The program was inaugurated by Vice President
of Mauritius, Hon. Raouf Bundhun at Port-Louis. Dignitaries including the
High Commissioner of South Africa, European Union Representative, Director
of Youth Development Network (YDN), South Africa attended the program. The
event also had enthusiastic representation from private sector, youth
entrepreneurs and media.
Mahendranath Busgopaul, YES Mauritius Coordinator and Clayton Peters,
Director of YDN and YES Regional Coordinator- Southern Africa, introduced
the audience to YES Campaign and its role in youth employment and
empowerment. They also gave a briefing on the Mentoring Program and how the
local youth would benefit from such initiatives.
The three-day program conducted by YDN included entrepreneur orientation
sessions imparted by the YES Mauritius.
Contact: Mahendranath Busgopaul, YES Mauritius Coordinator
yes-mauitius@halleymovement.org
Website: www.yesweb.org
6. YES India Launches Two More State-Level Networks
Two new state level YES networks were launched in Bihar and Jharkhand, on
April 16, 2004. It was a moment of pride for the YES Country Network in
India to be able to penetrate into two of India's poorest states. The states
are characterized by low development and high growth rate of population.
Extensive poverty and lack of opportunities in the area has caused an exodus
of youth to urban areas affecting the social fabric of the society. The
members of the YES Network aim to stem the migration trend and generate
livelihood opportunities in the area through entrepreneurship development
programs.
The new Network comprises youth activists, youth leaders, entrepreneurs,
government officials, media, NGOs, and the Panchayati Raj Institutions
(grass root level of governance in the villages set-up by the Indian
Government).
Learn more about the YES local networks in India, on:
www.projects.takingitglobal.org/YES-India
7. "The Road Ahead" - YES Kenya Participates in National Youth Employment
Workshop
YES Kenya a principal player in "Stakeholders Roundtable Initiative on Youth
Employment" participated in the national youth employment workshop titled
"Rethinking Youth Employment Strategies: The Road Ahead". The workshop,
sponsored by the Ministry of Labour and Human Resource Development,
Government of Kenya and the UNDP, brought together key stakeholders to
deliberate on policy formulation and implementation.
The agenda of the meeting was to identify and establish intervention
measures for youth employability; strategize for sustained stakeholder
linkages and create a roadmap of progress.
8. YES Kenya to Assist World Bank in Developing Local Youth Development
Initiatives
The World Bank expressed keen interest in joining the youth development
efforts in Kenya, at a recent workshop in Nairobi. The YES Kenya network is
playing an important role in enabling the World Bank involvement and is also
assisting in a study of feasible activities for the Bank to get involved in.
Learn more about the YES Kenya Network on: www.yesweb.org
9. YES Renewable Energy Project Goes Full-swing in Zambia
The UNIDO-YES project on Renewable energy Zambia is on fast track and well
on schedule. YES Zambia has already completed the recruitment process for
key work force and identified youth organizations involved in the renewable
energy sector. The Network is now focused on building capacity of YES Zambia
members and developing training curriculum and material for the project.
The primary objective of the UNIDO-YES project is to harness the potential
of renewable energy technologies through youth entrepreneurship. The
project will also enable the Zambian Government to provide electricity and
energy services to rural areas.
Contact: Francis Chigunta, YES Project Coordinator. francis@yesweb.org
10. YES Egypt - Marching Ahead
YES Egypt has recently been awarded a project by the USAID - the United
States Agency for International Development - to encourage youth
entrepreneurship. Speaking about the project, Mr. Abdallah Salem Sobeih, the
YES Regional Coordinator - Middle East and Northern Africa, said, "The
project is a great opportunity for YES Egypt Network to showcase its
outreach and capabilities." He further elaborated, "The aim of this project
is to help youth enhance their skills-sets and making them more effective in
finding sustainable livelihoods"
The Network is putting high emphasis on building linkages with other NGOs in
Egypt and other countries. The Euro-Med Youth Exchange Program is one of its
well-established relationships involving the Ministry of Social Affairs, and
the European Commission.
Contact: Abdallah Salem Sobeih at abdallah@yesweb.org
Website: http://projects.takingitglobal.org/YES-Egypt
11. YES Country Networks in Latin America Make a Splash at IDB Annual Meet,
Peru
1. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Annual meet held in Lima, Peru
last month was an exciting time for the YES Campaign. Mr. Esteban Gonzalez,
Co-Chairman of the YES Campaign committee was invited as a speaker in the
workshop titled, "Mobilizing Civil Society through Networks" where he shared
the achievements of the YES Country Networks in the Latin American region
with the audiences. To make the moment even more remarkable for YES was the
selection of Mr. Jorge Barroso, YES Honduras network member, for his IT
project, as one of the top 40 Youth Entrepreneurs in the Latin American
region at the IDB Youth and MasterCard Award ceremony.
2. At the "Dialogue Roundtable on Youth Leaders working in Latin America"
organized by YES Peru and the German foundation Fiedrich Ebert at Ursula
Carrascal, the YES Peru Coordinator and a YES Renewable Energy Fellow a
addressed the meeting and talked the YES Campaign.
Contact: Dacil Acevedo Riquelme, Regional Coordinator - Latin America
dacil@yesweb.org
Website: www.yesweb.org
12. YES Russia launches Moscow Region Networks
YES Country Network Russia has launched a new networks in Moscow region. The
first YES Country Network in Russia was setup in the Yaroslavl region. The
setting of this new network is a great example of how the YES Networks
proliferate regionally - when an active member of YES moved to Moscow, she
took up the task of setting up the Network there. She has already conducted
three workshops of school and graduate students in Babushkinskiy region of
Moscow and launched a local network there.
Contact: Dr. Nugzar Meladze, Regional Coordinator, Eastern Europe at
nugzar@yesweb.org
Website: http://projects.takingitglobal.org/YES-Georgia
**** If you have a story, event or project which you think is of interest to
YES Global Alliance members please email the complete details of your news
to Anshuman Atroley, Media and Communications Coordinator, YES Campaign at
anshuman@yesweb.org
**** For a history of discussion on the YES Email List, please visit the
archive:
Discussion Group Archive
http://www.edc.org/hypermail/yes/
During the month YES Country Members also celebrated Global Youth Service
Day by organizing meetings in association with partner institutions like
World Bank, UNESCO, OECD, IDB to promote YES Campaign and further strengthen
partnerships.
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