Talking to Mr. Ravi Karka - Expert Adviser Children and Youth - UN HQ

It was a great pleasure to talk to Mr. Ravi Karka via skype on youth engagement for post 2015 development process on September 24, He is an expert adviser on children and youth, UN Head Quarters. We had a productive conversation on “Sri Lankan Youth Movement for Beyond 2015 Development Agenda”. I met this inspiring person first time at the United National Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio De Janeiro; specifically at the Youth Blast..

Catch Mr. Karka on http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=27243007&locale=en_US&trk=tyah

At the 67th UN General Assembly (UNGA) High-level Debate, the opening glimpse recognized linkages between peace and security and sustainable development. Speakers highlighted the importance of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and noted the role of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) in mobilizing action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and forming a post-2015 development agenda.

The UN panel starting work on a post-2015 development vision faces huge pressure to cover issues left out of the original goals, to decide who to consult and how to set measurable targets. For the past 12 years, the millennium development goals (MDGs) have shaped policy, guided political agendas, and channelled hundreds of millions of dollars of aid money around the globe. But with the MDGs due to expire at the end of 2015, the international community is starting to tackle the huge, inevitable follow-up question: what comes next?

The post-MDG process will officially begin on Tuesday (25^th Sep), when a UN-appointed committee of international political big-shots will meet for the first time in New York. Led by the UK prime minister David Cameron,Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , and Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono , the 26-member committee has been assigned the task of creating a "development vision" to replace the MDGs after they expire.

Rio+20, one of the largest conferences ever convened by the United Nations, ushers in a new era for implementing sustainable development. The Conference was a rare opportunity for the world to focus on sustainability issues - to examine ideas, forge partnerships and solutions.

There were several outcomes to the Rio+20 Conference. The political outcome, The Future We Want, agreed to by all 193 countries, charts the way forward for international cooperation on sustainable development. In addition, governments, businesses and other civil society partners registered more than 700 commitments to concrete actions that will deliver results on the ground to address specific needs, such as sustainable energy and transport.

•             Rio+20 outcome document, The Future We Want: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/futurewewant.html

•             Follow-up to Rio+20: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/rio20.html

•             How is the UN System following up to Rio+20? See our interactive matrix at: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/followupbyunsystem.html

•             Partnerships for Sustainable Development: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnerships.html

•             Newly launched registry of Voluntary Commitments: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/commitments.html

•             Sustainable Development in action: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sustainabledevelopmentinaction.html 

•             Read up on a wide range of Sustainable Development related topics/areas:http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics.html

International Peace Day!

It's September 21, 31st International Day of Peace celebrated all around the world, with participants at many events calling for a total cessation of hostilities. This year’s theme, "Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future,” was chosen within the context of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20), which convened in June in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.





Celebrations at UN Headquarters in New York began with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the President of the General Assembly ringing the Peace Bell. Following this ceremony, the 15th Student Observance was held, highlighting environmental causes of conflicts and the need to address the ownership, control, management and ownership of natural resources in post conflict countries.
After ringing the Peace Bell, Ban said the UN “works for sustainable peace across the world… Today we must ring the peace bell with extra force and conviction. We need its beautiful sound to be heard above the voices of discord and extremism that have sparked violence in recent days.” Ban also stressed connections among sustainable peace, sustainable development and sustainable futures, noting that “armed conflicts attack the very pillars of sustainable development. Natural resources must be used for the benefit of society, not to finance wars.”

Youth for 2015 MDG

Check little video.....The Voice of Youth Should BE HEARD!

Building The Future We Want!

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is running a global online forum for sustainable development accessible through multiple social media platforms.

UN ECOSAC – Building the Future we Want (Photo – UN.org)

The forum is being used to allow people from all over the world the ability to question government officials participating in a meeting to be held on 24^th Sept, 2012.

The forum, which is being conducted through various social media platforms until Sept 24, 2012, seeks to provide people with the opportunity to be part of ECOSOC’s Special Ministerial Meeting.

The meeting is supposed to be an update for progress on the issues discussed at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Brazil in June.

Selected questions from the forum, which has theme of “Building the Future We Want”, will be answered by experts during an interactive dialogue at the meeting on the 24th, which will also be broadcast live from UN Headquarters in New York.

“In Rio, governments renewed and strengthened political commitment to sustainable development. They provided a foundation for building the future we want,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told ECOSOC members during the Council’s recent high-level segment. “We need an agenda that is concrete, action-oriented and focused on poverty eradication, inclusive economic and social development, environmental sustainability and peace and security for all.”

The Rio+20 outcome document, entitled “The Future We Want”, called for a wide range of actions, including beginning the process to establish sustainable development goals, and:-

-         detailing how the green economy can be used as a tool to achieve sustainable development;

-         strengthening the UN Environment Programme (UNEP);

-         promoting corporate sustainability reporting measures;

-         taking steps to go beyond gross domestic product to assess the well-being of a country;

-         developing a strategy for sustainable development financing; and,

-         adopting a framework for tackling sustainable consumption and production.

GYBN Policy WG - Meeting Minutes- 22/09/12

GYBN Policy Working Group

2st Meeting - 22.09.2012 - 1pm GMT:

Agenda

Participants: Sikander, Isabel, Mpha

Facilitator- Sikander

Note Taker- Isabel

Start of the meeting: 3.30 GMT, proposed end 4.14 GMT

- Round of Introduction: 

SIkander- Sri lanka, Post 2015 MDG Cordinator

Isabel - Germany, Student of International Relations

Mpha- Malawi, Student at UNU-IAS,(MSc. Environmental Governance)

- GYBN Side Event on October 16th - we have time to present both GYBN and our Position Paper there-> proposal not to talk about it as the action group already works on that

- Discussing a Strategy to work on the policy paper

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WtdraL1hvPY1XMtMSBJHYmGnVLgVf2RqH0qQmLcEvBk/edit?pli=

-- Lobbystrategy for COP11. How do we want to use our position paper for lobbying activities at the COP?

Sikander: proposal to have a working group on the wider policy document as well as to have more precise subgroups for the lobbying in order bring more the youth perspective in/indentify topics that are important for youth

Mpha: difficult to bring a specific youth perspective in, youth require different things depending on where they live

Isabel: we have to remember that we will have a opening speech and a speech at the end, where we will have to talk about the general issues as Strategic Plan, Finance etc.

Sikander: but specific interventions 

Sikander: identify issues that relate to youth

- education

Isabel: if we have a seperate working group on the policy paper and subgroups to lobby will create parallel structures

Mpha: but lack of time

Isabel: proposal to take out mountain biodiversity of the position paper, as it is not longer in the offical agenda of the CBD Secretariat

Sikander and Mpha: important to take it in again!use it as lobbying point

Finalization of the position paper

Sikander: problematic, because people are not turning up to the skype calls

Mpha: important that others refer to the position paper, important to stress that the 29th is the last day to comment

Sikander: googlesheet and share it

Official Agenda for the COP 11:

http://www.cbd.int/cop11/agenda/

Lobbying Points/WG

Isabel: identify the subgroups: 

Structuring the subgroups to lobby:

01. CBD operational process: Strategic Plan, Finance, ...

02. UN Decade on Biodiversity

03. Group on mountain biodiversity: lobby to take the issue back into the agenda

03. Other substantive issues: Forest, Marine and Coastal biodiv, agriculture, 

04. Cross cutting issues: Ecosystem services, Climate Change and biodiv, subsidies, biodiversity and development

05. Capacity building/youth involvement

06. Tradition knowledge(Art. 8j) and Benefit sharing (ABS)

Sikander: important to identify topics which are related to youth and forming WG

Tasks to Do-

Isabel 

- Email: sending the link of the pad, finalization of the position paper by the end of this month

- voting for the topics in doodle for (select most important topics until tuesday 5GMT) -> same people will work on the parts of the wider position paper

GYBN Steering Comm and Facilitating Team Meeting Minutes

Steering Committee + Facilitators

Participants: Christian, Dayna, Melina, Sabuj, Sikander

1. Education & Capacity Building Prepartion for the COP

- GYBS in collaboration with Action WG (Svana)

- Webinar (?)

- Following the COP and posting it online (Together with Communication and Outreach)

- Briefing material on GYBN - task for Communication WG (?)

- Briefing material on the COP11 issues - Task for Education WG

 --> Compiling all the existing material, summarize it and post ir in the webpage

2. Policy

- Position paper and Statute open for final comments and to be adopted on the 28th

COP Preparation

- Lobbying: finding the major lobbying points in our document

   - Identifying lobbying points and choosing strategic ones to fight for

   - Focus on Youth related issues

   - UN Decade for Biodiversity

   - Major groups

   - Officially recognize the importance of youth participation: "Parties should encourage champions networks for biodiversity"

   --> Christian is sending the text

   - Future generations : 

   - youth focal point (?) - talk with Neil and Chantal - Dinner - Acknowledge their work   

- Working groups on the position paper

* Collaboration - Policy WG + Education CB - Read the documents BEFORE the COP, especially the ones related to our lobbying points

@Christian - Send the COP documents to the list and the policy WG

@Policy WG - Identify 5-6 Lobbying points

@Steering Committee -Go Through the document and find the points related to our lobbying points

To Do: Have policy working group identify 5 points for us to track, have experienced people look at the text to figure out lobby points, have education working group give updates about our progress on these points

Big Challenge: Lack of people's participation

@Steering Committee - Contact Chantal to get the contact for all the youth groups attending the cop - make an introductory email for Indian youth

@Policy WG + Education WG - Making presentations for GYBS

* Collaboration (GYBS) - Policy WG +Education CB + Action

 --> Prepare a presentation on our policy focus and instructions (?) to coordinate GYBN activities during the COP

 --> Collaboration with CBD Alliance  - Join their Capacity building session

 

 @Everybody - Encourage everybody to review important policy documents before attending

 

 @Policy WG - Proposal: Identify 5 lobbying points, put into the GYBN group and the get comments from people, see who are interested in and have people going throught the texts and preparing specific lobbying points

 

 Next steps:

 

 - Lobbying point

 - Position papers

 - Logistics

 - Coordination with CBD Alliance

 - Interventions - Opening ceremony of the COP + Opening ceremony of the High level Segment - Closing ceremony with Go4Biodiv

 

 Opening speech - What youth needs to be done during the next days - more specific

 

 @Christian & Melina - Policy WG - Draft - Opening, Closing, High Level Segment speech - Open to everybody - Create a google document and share with everybody

 

 @Everybody should get involved in the policy WG

 

 - How to elect focal points and people who are doing the interventions

 

 @Dayna - Send an email to the list regarding the election of focal points

 

 - Collaboraion with Go4Biodiv

- Energizer session - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfoXEogx_Hw&feature=fvst

My Small Video Clip on "Biodiversity"

Click here to get the Youtube link

I was privileged to attend the GYBN Youth Strategic Meeting in Berlin City, Germany from 21st of August to 27th August as a Youth Facilitator and representing South Asian Young People. GYBN stands for Global Youth Biodiversity Network and is a unique network of individuals and youth organizations from all over the world whose common goal is to halt the loss of biodiversity.

GYBN Policy WG Meeting Minutes - 15/09/12

GYBN Policy Working Group

1st Meeting - 15th.09.2012 - 1pm GMT:

Participants: Melina, Lena, Sikander
Facilitator: Sikander
Notetaker: Lena

ACT @Melina: Tell to ST - code of conduct - improve email communication - avoid spam

Agenda

- Round of Introduction

Lena (Germany) - Environmental Engineer Student,
Melina (Brazil, living in Japan) - Biologist, Master's in Environmental Management, Research with Biodiversity Valorization.
SIkander (Sri Lanka) - Beyond Rio+20 Movement

- Reflextion on GYBN Conferenece few thoughts on Kick off Conference

Lena- Great, Load work, Happy to see the WG, There is follow-up.
Melina- Similer to Lena, Plan of action till CBD
Sikander - Start up the moment, follow-ups - worried about after CBD, lot of things to do and how we will be preparing GYBN for the next 2 years

- Discussing a Strategy to work on the policy paper

Lena - New comments
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WtdraL1hvPY1XMtMSBJHYmGnVLgVf2RqH0qQmLcEvBk/edit?pli=Lena-
Discuss the Unclosed para and way forward to finalize it,
Circulate It
Send for Comments
do ammendments
Online Voting
Submission
Melina -
If people say "No", They have to justify it, The majority will be considered

Discussion on the paper:

- Not merging Forst Biodiversity and Mountain Biodiversity
- Concern on "community-based scientific documentation",
Melina: it is needed not only on mountain biodiversity,
Lena: at the moment it is not easy to understand the sentence, it is not clear
--> we will leave it in breakets and see what people say: if it is drastically changing our paper we can take it out as we do not have time to be workingon it right now, or is it important and we will be able to redraft
- sustainable use of biodiversity:
Melina: we should put it in brackets and open the question to delete as not strong at the moment and redundant and we have no capacity working on it at the moment.
Suggestion of Sikander for the text: We remind parties to use biodiversity to enhance the quality of life and introduce biodiversity services/eco system services which will add benifits to the economy and community, while conserving it.
--> we are not going to redraft points again, so we are trying to include or take out points that are not strong enough. Voting on it.
--> we are trying to draft a paper on Economy and biodiversity to be presented and distributed in different discussions on economy and especially green economy that will come up.
- biofules: not merged with agriculture
ACT @Lena: sending the minutes and request on acting on the open questions, then we will start the voting process
- forming subgroups and appointing co facilitators
Melina voluneer to work on "Biodiversity & Economy"
ACT @Melina, starting the group during the next week
Lena: we should form groups of peopel who are kowlageable about the main important topics of COP11, also to be a rapid response team for questions coming up during COP11
Melina: we should have a list who is in our group and expert in which topics and also send a request for people who are expert on certain toics of COP11, who want to volunteer to help in following the topics
Sikander: we should break dowin the topics
- CBD operational process: Strategic Plan, Finance, ...
- Content issues: Mountains, Forest, Maine and Coastal biodiv, agriculture, Climate Change and biodiv, ...
- Cross cutting issues: Economic, subsidies, ecosystem services, capacity building
- Indigenious issues and Tradition knowledge
- Benefit sharing (ABS)
ACT@Melina: sending out the expert list, plus email with request to everyone and email everyone asking for contribution
- Lobbystrategy for COP11. How do we want to use our position paper for lobbying activities at the COP?
Could not discussed!
- GYBN Side Event on October 16th - we have time to present both GYBN and our Position Paper there
After the PP is finalized.

- Any Other Business

- tasks to DO and Deadlines
Lena- Circulate the minutes and feed back on PP
-Melina- Make the sperad sheet
-Sika- Fix the next call it has to be next week, the sooner the better! And we need to send individual emails if necessary to get people! making a dooddle for next week Saturday and Sunday 1pm GMT

- Fixing Next call and Closeup.

Next week

Some moments at GYBN - Germany

More Blogs from Julia (Germany)

Day 1 (August 21st) - Opening of the GYBN Kick-Off Conference
http://www.lulus-leben.blogspot.de/2012/08/opening-of-gybn-kick-off-conference-in.html

Day 2 (August 22nd) - GYBN Team building & How to build a network 
http://www.lulus-leben.blogspot.de/2012/08/gybn-team-building-how-to-build-network.html

Day 3 (August 23rd) - Structuring GYBN 
http://www.lulus-leben.blogspot.de/2012/08/structuring-gybn.html

Day 4 /August 24th) - COP Simulation and Input for COP11    
http://www.lulus-leben.blogspot.de/2012/08/gybn-cop-simulation-and-input.html

Day 5 (August 25th) - Getting in action for biodiversity 
http://www.lulus-leben.blogspot.de/2012/08/gybn-getting-in-action-for-biodiversity.html

Day 6 (August 26th) - Final Discussion and Presentation 
http://www.lulus-leben.blogspot.de/2012/08/gybn-final-discussion-and-presentation.html

Day 7 (August 27th) - Action 
http://www.lulus-leben.blogspot.de/2012/08/gybn-action.html

Two Important Outcomes of GYBN Conference- Berlin City

After working for 6 days and nights we were able produce two powerful documents at GYBN Kickoff Conference - Berlin City, Germany

1.) The Global Youth Biodiversity Network Statue
This document is the basis of our future work and establishes a framework for the structure, decision-making processes and mandate of GYBN.
It was previously named "Berlin Declaration" during the drafting process. As this name was considered to be confusing by some participants,
we renamed the document to "GYBN Statute". In appendix to this document you can also find a Code of Conduct, History and Election Criteria.
It can be accessed online at:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_fu25uYoMMasYwk3dVypHr2rQrxA7G7U7LU9twibqJc/edit

2.) The GYBN Position Paper for COP11
It is giving a brief overview on our positions for COP 11, it will be distributed to decision makers, other civil society organisations etc.
Therefore we wanted to make it as short and precise as possible. Since we only had input on some of the topics, that not all issues on the agenda of COP11
are covered. This document is available at:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WtdraL1hvPY1XMtMSBJHYmGnVLgVf2RqH0qQmLcEvBk/edit

At the Global Youth (GYBN) Strategic Meeting on UN CBD - Berlin City, Germany

I was privileged to attend the GYBN Youth Strategic Meeting in Berlin City, Germany from 21^st of August to 27^th August as a Youth Facilitator and representing South Asian Young People. GYBN stands for Global Youth Biodiversity Network and is a unique network of individuals and youth organizations from all over the world whose common goal is to halt the loss of biodiversity.

The urgent need to setup a global organization to provide a common platform for youth active on Biodiversity has long been felt at various international youth conferences. In October 2010 youth delegates from various countries came together at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD COP10) in Nagoya, Japan, to establish the Global Youth for Biodiversity Network

GYBN’s mission is to connect youth organisations and individuals by providing them with a place to exchange knowledge, contacts and ideas to preserve biological diversity on our planet. It strengthens and supports youth efforts to promote and protect biodiversity and helps to raise awareness for the intrinsic value of biological diversity.

GYBN is also the international coordination platform for youth participation in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and is committed to bring the opinions and positions of youth into the negotiations.

GYBN offers youth organization and individuals a platform to discuss with youth around the world on several topics. The working groups enable you to actively take part in GYBN. Practical issues, communication and administration, policy issues and international positions of GYBN are also dealt with in several working groups.

The conference achieved the following goals:

Building the network: Space to present the experiences and best practice examples of the participant’s organizations

Creating the structure of gybn, as a sustainable network

Personal exchange

Focus CBD COP 11:

-          Workshops on main issues for example:

-          Establishment of targets and financial mechanisms for the mobilization of sufficient resources for the protection of biological diversity

-          The status of the Nagoya-Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing

-          The implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011 – 2020 and progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets

-          The Implementation of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity

-          Marine and costal biodiversity

-          Biodiversity and Climate change  

-          World café for exchanging knowledge as well as experiences

-          Working groups on PR and media as well as actions during the COP 11

 Getting in action:

-          First public action in Berlin, organized and designed by the participants

-          Defining next steps and responsibilities

-          Creating the common “Berlin Declaration” as a base for the gybn actions to come

Building a better world, partnering with the youth

International Youth Day

With the goal of “Building a better world, partnering with the youth” V Force [National Volunteer Task Force], under the United Nations Volunteers [UNV] programme and the National Youth Services Council [NYSC], with the guidance and support from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development and United Nations in Sri Lanka, celebrated the International Youth Day.

The International Youth Day gives the world an opportunity to recognize the potential of youth, celebrate their achievements and plan for ways to engage young people in creating an enhanced future for all. It presents a unique chance for all stakeholders to rally together to ensure that youth are included in decision making at all levels. Thus each year, since 2000, UN International Youth Day is celebrated worldwide on the 12^th of August.

It was with great joy that over 2500 youth participants gathered at the Independence Square to celebrate International Youth Day in Sri Lanka, on the 12^th of August. This day was seen as an opportunity to empower and support youth in enhancing their abilities to make a better world. The event got underway with a parade which made its way to the independence square, after which the grand affair of commemorating our youth was in full swing.

It was indeed a privilege to have the International Youth day graced by respectable individuals including Hon. Minister of Youth Affairs Mr. Dullas Alahapperuma, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Mr. Subinay Nandy, Country Director UNDP Ms Razina Bilgramy, Programme Officer UNV Mr. Natal Donnaloia, Chairman of the National Youth Services Council (NYSC) Mr. Lalith Piyum Perera, Secretary to Ministry of Youth Affairs Mr. K.A Tilakaratne, Deputy Mayor Mr. Madura Vithanage and Parliamentarian Ms Upeksha Swarnamali.  More over it was astounding to have in our midst, Ms. Stephanie Siriwardhana [Miss Sri Lanka 2011/ Global Shaper] and Mr. Saman Ranaweera [Secretary of the Youth Club Federation], who addressed the youth present at the event, motivating and encouraging them to engage in making a difference.

At the International Youth Day, to promote community service, and to create a chance to contribute to society in a positive manner, youth participants pledged their support to volunteer at a community project of their choice. Thus the theme of building a better world partnering with the youth was addressed through this action.

The highlight of the evening was the human mosaic that was formed in the shape of the world map. It was the largest human mosaic formed and was considered a Guinness World Record [awaiting confirmation]. In addition the lighting of the human mosaic signified the positive contribution that these youth had pledged to make.  Furthermore it reflected the global theme of “Light up the World”.

In conclusion International Youth Day 2012 was indeed a success. It was celebrated with the hope of creating awareness and empowering youth to make a better world. It was a great pleasure to be a part of key organizer of such an energetic event!