VOICES OF YOUTH newsletter AUgust 2005 no. 17 MILLENnIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS: A GLOBAL FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY Five years ago, leaders from around the world agreed on a comprehensive and ambitious set of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to guide the fight against extreme poverty. The ultimate objective of the Millennium Declaration is to make the world a better place for all by the year 2015. In September, government leaders from around the world will meet at the Millennium Summit +5 to discuss their progress toward achieving the MDGs. OVerview With the approach of the Millennium Summit +5, young people are speaking out about the current state of the world and our progress toward the MDGs. Participants on Voices of Youth (VOY) consistently express a desire to have their voices heard by government leaders. They are also offering a number of creative and insightful solutions to help eradicate poverty by the year 2015. Throughout their discussions, young people exhibit a keen awareness of the connections among the problems threatening our world today. In order to combat poverty, they say, we must also combat gender inequality, environmental destruction, disease, and all other overlapping issues. A recurring theme in the discussions on VOY is a desire by young people to contribute to global development by achieving the MDGs. Young people consider it a responsibility to join the fight against global poverty; recognizing that one day they will become leaders, they are anxious to start today rather than tomorrow. mexico “I think the first step in helping to fulfill the MDGs is to recognize our responsibility. We must recognize that the current and future welfare of our kind is in our hands…. My message to the leaders attending the Millennium Summit: Please do not protect the interests of your nations only, but the ones of our whole world.” girl, 15 The following is a summary of what young people are saying in their VOY discussions on the Millennium Development Goals. For more information contact: Amber Oliver, Coordinator, voy@unicef.org issues in context AUGUST 2005 CLICK ON A LINK TO READ WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS Poverty & Hunger Primary Education Gender Equality Child Mortality Maternal Health Disease Environment Global Partnership Conclusion MDG 1: poverty and Hunger Young people have a strong conviction that poverty and hunger are among the world’s most pressing problems. nigeria “One factor seems to be a re-occurring monster… especially in Africa and other developing nations; it is identified as POVERTY. Unless this monster is overcome, the plight of millions will remain in uncertainty. What can we do as contribution to this feat?” boy, >21 australia “I believe famine is a strong issue needed to be discussed. Millions of children die every year because of lack of food. Children should not be dying from something that can be cured, especially with a basic cure of food. I believe each country should provide a quota of food to be provided for the countries with the most famine problems. Famine is a conundrum, and a basic issue that must be solved now.” girl, 17 VOY participants express particular concern about the prevalence of child begging around the world today. Driven by their optimism and sense of responsibility, especially towards their global peers, young people suggest solutions such as food contributions and food relief centres. Singapore “I think that in these countries where you find many child beggars, the reason for begging is the lack of food. Perhaps if a food-relief centre can be built, the number of child beggars and beggars on the whole would decrease. The food relief centre could just serve a dinner meal, for families. Child begging will never be eradicated fully if the cause for begging persists. If we address the cause for the problem, perhaps the solution will come.” girl, 17 MDG 2: Universal primary education VOY participants agree that affordable education is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty for the world’s youth. They continue to debate over whether a formal education is necessary, or whether an informal education is sometimes just as valuable. Many young people feel that it is not enough to achieve primary education for all - that the quality of the education is just as important. Mongolia “In some countries, even culture is oppressive to the needs of education. For instance, in many poor rural areas of Asia, “In some countries, even culture is oppressive to the needs of education. For instance, in many poor rural areas of Asia, parents do not see any need to send their children to acquire a formal education. To them, the children would do more good working at a farm or in some sweatshop factory to contribute to the family income than at a school. These parents, who are also mostly uneducated, fail to see the larger picture. Without a formal education, their children would surely almost never get out of poverty.” girl, 20 nigeria “It is true that education is not affordable for everyone. While I think that it is every child's right to be educated, it might take some time [for] the big plan of ‘education for all’ to be executed. Meanwhile, forums can be created by the informed populations whereby people are encouraged to learn a form of trade instead of remaining idle. This could even bring about income that could be used to further literacy and formal education. But I think it is wrong when kids are belittled for not having a formal education.” girl, 21 france “It's not only the people who live in developing countries that can understand the problems in Vietnam, Iraq.... I have met them: children who don't go to school for several reasons: work, traditional values, or just because they are alone … in the misery…. I have friends in Africa; they speak to me about their reality without saying all the time ‘Do you think it's easy?’ … Nothing is easy for a better world which needs the actions of you, of all. The goal of this forum isn't to have the last word but to listen to each other, in respect; to find solutions TOGETHER.” boy, 18 MDG 3: gender equality A 17-year-old girl from Malaysia polled VOY participants about their feelings on gender discrimination. 87.5% answered that they are fully against it and believe in equality, and a further 8% said that it depends on the definition of gender discrimination. china “I am a girl and I will call myself a feminist because I truly believe that women should be in the same level playing field as man. I believe in the ‘role’ thing - how men and women are different and equal. If our skills match up or exceed that of man, then our wages should reflect that. I think that the media have quite an important role to play in this paradigm/belief system.” girl, 18 A few participants feel that gender discrimination is not only a result of how men treat women, but sometimes also of how women perceive their own gender. Brazil “I can't blame only men for discriminating [against] women; I think we've gone so far that we've put ourselves in a vicious cycle.... Some men keep saying that women are the second sex ... and some women, the so-called feminists, are also discriminating themselves.... It is known by everyone that a woman that has the same position as a man in a company earns less money than the man…. Respect, that's what's missing, and we seem to have lost it somewhere along the way.” girl, 16 jamaica “I go to an all girls school - one of the best schools in Jamaica - and I see many girls wasting the time they have at school being disobedient and disgracing the school name in uniform. Some girls don’t see what a privilege it is to have an education and they realize it when they don’t have a chance to go to school. I think they should wake up and see that many girls in different parts of the world want to go to school and make something better of themselves but they don’t have the chance to.” girl, 14 MDG 4: child mortality VOY participants are aware of the connections among the many problems the MDGs are meant to address. They recognize, for example, that with gender equality, more girls would attend school and learn about proper nutrition, thus improving maternal health and leading to decreased child mortality rates. united kingdom “Women are the key to families; they are the backbone of a strong family and there is a need to educate them as this will bring on improved household food security and nutrition as well as reduce child and infant mortality and morbidity rates.” girl, >21 netherlands “We all know about the crisis in Niger - not war, not terrorism - but HUNGER - malnutrition. Each day when we might be eating at a restaurant, relishing our food, dozens of children like you and me are dying.” girl, 15 MDG 5: maternal health Young people are particularly concerned about the connection between teen pregnancy and maternal health. VOY participants express great concern about the harmful effects of having a child at a young age. CROATIA “Young girls are not fit to give birth - their bodies aren't developed enough! These issues are really important because they happen every day - and no matter how much we educate youth, promote contraception - there are always going to be situations where young girls will end up pregnant! We have to have a good ‘youth friendly system/services’ which could deal with all of these issues!” girl, >21 MDG 6: HIv/Aids, malaria and other diseases Messages on VOY express young people’s concern about the number of deaths caused by HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases around the world. Some draw attention to the less talked-about epidemics, while others encourage governments to look beyond the scope of curing these diseases, to providing for the victims left behind . nigeria “Many diseases plague this world killing people in their millions.… People die every day of malaria . Even malnutrition and poverty is a disease. Aiding the anti-AIDS campaign is good but we should also try to educate people on other killers. W.H.O, UNICEF and UNFPA can not do it alone.” girl, 20 uganda “I live in Africa where AIDS has become an issue with solutions. The number of orphans is heart rending and at tender ages they are left to fend for themselves.… Help is as rare as tears from the sun. I think the governments have to look at avenues of helping these children live past the stigma and also help them focus into the future such that AIDS DOES NOT shape the future of the young into something that stays in their minds for good. Also, governments have to work together with local authori “I live in Africa where AIDS has become an issue with solutions. The number of orphans is heart rending and at tender ages they are left to fend for themselves.… Help is as rare as tears from the sun. I think the governments have to look at avenues of helping these children live past the stigma and also help them focus into the future such that AIDS DOES NOT shape the future of the young into something that stays in their minds for good. Also, governments have to work together with local authorities to help the children receive whatever their parents have left behind. This will help them have something to start with rather than live by the graves of their problems. Hopefully we shall win this battle someday.” girl, >21 MDG 7: environmental sustainability Young people touch on a number of topics relating to environmental destruction, including global warming, air and water pollution, deforestation and extinction. Through personal stories, VOY participants show an understanding of the causes of deteriorating environments and resources in their regions. And they call on adults to change their ways before it is too late. malaysia “When I was younger I used to go fishing with my uncle; that was only a mere 10 years ago, and even 10 years ago when we went to Sungai Pahang (Pahang River) every time I cast my rod I would snag something. Oh, of course I'd catch the occasional fish but most of the time I'd either snag my line on a piece of garbage or a fishing net ... and rivers that once were capable of transporting ships of considerable size are now nothing but giant drains.... There are no fish, just algae and lots and lots of rubbish. Is this a product of modernization or just plain ignorance?” boy, 18 Japan “Global warming, desertification, deforestation ... the situation around this beautiful blue planet is the worst ever. A great number of people have had to leave their homes because of the problems, and they … will only keep growing. Please let go of your selfish attitude. Is it really good to ignore [these problems] if your country doesn’t get affected directly? Do you really believe that this is the way it should be? Eventually, all of us will suffer from a disordered environment. Your generation will be fine, but what about us, the youth and children? Isn’t it too mean of you to abandon these matters?” girl, 18 MDG 8: a global partnership Young people also understand that in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals, global cooperation is needed. While VOY participants applaud the G8’s recent decision to cancel $40 billion of debt in 18 poor countries, they also recognize that much more needs to be done. Ghana “The G8 will have to do more to cover the rest of the poor world. Debt is still a major problem in the developing world.… I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our leaders to use this money which would have otherwise been used for debt ca “The G8 will have to do more to cover the rest of the poor world. Debt is still a major problem in the developing world.… I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our leaders to use this money which would have otherwise been used for debt cancellation, to be used to better the lot of the majority poor. We still have a lot of people who lack access to clean drinking water. We still have a lot of people who cannot get food to eat. There are still people who cannot go to school. We still have people who cannot get a place to sleep. We need to do more to better their lot.” boy, 21 An idea that resonates through the discussions on VOY is that young people should be given the opportunity to contribute to the global partnership for development. On 2 June 2005, a boy suggested creating “The United Nations for Kids,” and sparked extensive conversation among VOY participants. canada “My vision is an U.N. sub-organisation called the U.N.K. The U.N.K would stand for The United Nations For Kids. It would host kid delegates from each country, and it would be located in New York City next to the real U.N. We would meet each month in New York and discuss the problems of the children and the world's. I am thinking of sending this idea to the U.N. How about it? Are you with me?” boy, 12 singapore “I always thought it would be a good idea to have an arena for the youth to voice out their opinions. Tomorrow belongs to us, the youth! And we should have a say at how it should be since we are the ones who are going to be living in it. It would be great to have a UN youth council … for youth around the world to meet up and come up with ideas or suggestions on how to make this world a better place. United we stand, divided we fall!” girl, 19 Zambia A Poem: Better Tomorrow Every day you hear on the news of wars, deaths, suffering A thought comes: Am in the right place am on the right planet? Every day I wake up and I look beyond the horizon hoping to see a change but all I see is yesterday’s nightmare They say dreams can come true but I say nightmares easily become real But they say a dream can never come true if you don’t go after it Today I pack to go to make a dream come true A dream of a better world fit for children Along the voyage I see that the door is locked And that the key is resting on every child's shoulders Then a thought comes to me: the dream is in every child and wants to be realized but we do not see it That is the one thing we fail to see in us; we are said to be the leaders of tomorrow Let’s find the solutions together. I thank Mr. Kofi Annan for giving the children a say in the fight for a better future And not forgetting, as my friend has put it, “many thanx ‘2’ UNICEF’s Voices of Youth.” boy, 16 Conclusion Young people are eager to become a part of the global fight to eradicate poverty by the year 2015. They use the global discussion room that VOY provides to unite with peers in order to tackle insidious global problems. Beyond using VOY as a platform for voicing their ideas and making them known to policy makers, young people are coming up with important contributions to the global fight against poverty. The “United Nations for Kids,” a simple idea, has triggered a lively discussion on how to make it a reality. Get involved and find out more by joining the discussion on the MDGs – let’s work together to eradicate poverty by 2015. For more information, read past VOY newsletters: June 2005: “Tsunami Terror: Rethinking the Aftermath” April 2005: “Young People Call For Equal Rights For All” August 2004: “Education is Freedom!” June 2004: HIV/AIDS youth events RELATED TO the millennium summit +5 AND the world programme of action for youth review INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY 12 August 2005, Worldwide Now is the time to begin planning and lobbying governments. Make the voices of young people heard! Find out more about how you can commemorate the day by visiting http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/iyd2005.htm. PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBIT “FACES OF YOUTH AND THE MDGS” 12 August to 10 October 2005, New York The exhibit will showcase the relationship between the lives of young people in developing countries and the MDGs. See http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/news.htm. GLOBAL YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 28 to 30 August 2005, New York The Global Youth Leadership Summit follows a string of regional youth leadership summits in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe. It will bring together several hundred young people to discuss youth involvement in achieving the MDGs. See http://www.gpiw.org/programs_3.2.html. DAY OF MOBILIZATION 10 SEPTEMBER 2005, WORLDWIDE The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) wants everybody to take action on poverty in 2005 by wearing a white band on the global white band action days (10 September and 10 December). See http://www.whiteband.org/Lib/take_action/take_action/en. OPENING OF THE 60TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY: HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT WITH MDG+5 REVIEW 16 to 19 September, New York See http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/ga60.htm. 4TH UNESCO YOUTH FORUM 30 SEPTEMBER - 2 OCTOBER 2005, PARIS The Youth Forum of the 33rd UNESCO General Conference will be held in Paris. http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=24548&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION =201.html . ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION, 60TH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY REVIEWING WPAY+10 5 October 2005, UNHQ New York The day before the plenary session, an informal interactive round-table discussion will be organized on the theme “Young People: Making Commitments Matter”, which will be open to participation by non-governmental youth organizations. See http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/ga60.htm. PLENARY SESSION OF 60TH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY REVIEWING WPAY+10 6 October 2005, New York The UN World Programme of Action for Youth will be evaluated by the General Assembly during two plenary meetings. See http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/ga60.htm. LAUNCH OF THE WORLD YOUTH REPORT 2005 6 OCTOBER 2005, NEW YORK A short official version, entitled “World Youth Report 2005 – Report of the Secretary-General” is available for download now in all official languages. An extended version will be launched at the UN General Assembly. See http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/wyr05.htm.