The first ever United Nations Global Youth Leadership Summit held at the United Nations in New York, 29-31 October 2006. The Summit, entitled: “Accelerating the Millennium Development Goals through the Use of Sport, Culture and Peace”, brought together youth leaders from the 192 Member States of the United Nations to exchange perspectives on how the next-generation leaders can assist in accelerating progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, using the convening power of sport and culture as entry points.
The Global Summit is aimed to: inform youth leaders about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and inspire them to work toward achieving them by improving living standards and empowering local communities through sport and culture; build a worldwide network of next generation leaders who will cultivate global partnerships, working with governments, civil society and the private sector; and connect youths to the United Nations system locally and globally so that they become part of the effort to build a more secure, sustainable and prosperous world.
The Summit which is built on the progress made by the previous regional youth leadership summits (Pan-African I & II, Pan-Asian and the Pacific, Pan-American, Pan-European, which all held between 2004 & 2005), with the adoption of a bottom to top approach, mobilization towards achieving the MDGs and the involvement of youth in the planning process accentuates the uniqueness of the youth summit series. All these culminated into the first ever United Nations Global youth Leadership Summit. It is one of the biggest ever genuine efforts at creating a global youth Leaders Network. It brought selected delegates from past meetings to:
• Evaluate progress of youth network activities
• Identify challenges and solutions facing youth organizations
• Foster appreciation of diversity among delegates; and
• Give a stronger voice to the youth worldwide;
All participants at the Global Summit were selected according to the following criteria: leadership potential; communication ability; outreach and networking skills; capacity to mobilize other youth into action; resource mobilization; and hands-on experience in advocacy work and in leading projects in specific areas of priority or interest.
High point events at the meeting included the following:
a. Gala concert:
A gala concert titled: “Youth united against malaria” held in the United Nations General Assembly Hall on the evening of October 28th, 2006. The concert was organized in collaboration with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (and its Executive Director, Dr. Awa Marie Coll-Seck) and Support of World Culture Organization, which created the awareness that, inspired the youth of the world to fight against malaria. This event featured world renowned artists representing five continents with Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Angelique Kidjo representing Africa. Also in attendance was Venus Williams, World Tennis Champion.
b. Digital Village:
A Digital Village was set up by Sun Microsystems at the United Nations House on October 29th, 2006, where Computers with internet access throughout the period of the summit. A mentoring program was also available in which all the youth delegates were helped to register into (on-line) and chose their own mentors for the period of twelve months.
Rotimi Olawale (Nigeria) was part of the summit bloggers working closing with Sun Microsystems writing articles and reports on the events of throughout the summit.
c. Plenary sessions:
The content and structure include discussions in following thematic clusters: Partnerships to eradicate poverty and create job opportunities and decent work for youth; Innovative solutions to combat diseases such as malaria and preventing HIV/AIDS, and ensuring environmental sustainability; Education, gender and maternal health care; Developing a mechanism for knowledge for knowledge sharing and managing youth projects; The role of youth in peace building; The youth and MDGs: the perspective of governments.
There was also an informal consultation themed: “Information sharing on projects developed by youth entrepreneurship and other tools for overcoming poverty”, facilitated by Ms Katherine Marshall, World Bank with a statement from Ms. Ingrid van den Hoogen, Vice President, Brand and Global Communications, Sun Microsystems.
A special forum tagged: Global partnership for sustainable development with the private sector, was co-chaired by Mr Adolf Ogi, Special Adviser to the Secretary General of the United Nations on Sports for Development and Peace and Mr. John Gage, Chief Researcher, Sun Microsystems & Vice Chair, Council of Mentors, Global Youth Leadership Summit
The Summit came to an end with the adoption of a Declaration by youth delegates to present a vision and blueprint for action for youth worldwide in achieving the MDGs, including using the power of sport and culture (Please see attached).
d. Pre and Post Summit Activities:
Youth delegates and their constituencies engaged in pre- and post-Summit activities, with focus on mobilizing young leaders to serve as MDGs and peace advocates. During the meeting, youths were encouraged to play key roles in leading and implementing development /peace projects in local communities or at the national level.
A private reception hosted by Global Peace Initiative of Women was held on October 20th 2006 at the University club New York, in which Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, the minister of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the American Baptist Church, as the moderator. The discussion at the reception and symposium was based on the theme: “Building a Foundation for Global Security: Tapping the Youth”. The forum gave youth participants the opportunity to dialogue with United States Policy makers and leaders on issues bordering on peace building and development.
A three-day pre-global summit retreat on peace building was organized by the Global Peace Initiative of Women. The Young Leaders Peace building Retreat held from October 25-28, 2006 at the Dharma Drum Mountain center in upstate New York and preceded the United Nations Global Youth Leadership Summit.
In addition to supporting the United Nations in organizing the UN Global Summit, the Global Peace Initiative of Women (GPIW) offered this pre-summit retreat to inspire in-depth discussion for young leaders interested in peace building. The retreat program focused on the following themes: inter-cultural & inter-religious dialogue, peace & the environment, women in peace building, peace & poverty reduction, and reconciliation.
Spiritual ceremonies such as the fire and the water healing ceremonies were performed; healing stories were shared as a way of healing and reconciliation through the tapping of inner resources for rebuilding and renewal; films like the “Darwin’s Nightmare” and “Let’s talk Peace” were shown to give the young participants a deeper insight on how the ecosystem can be grossly unbalanced by introducing a new animal specie in the environment, how arms are illegally smuggled into war torn communities and their effects; along with walks through the woods for the youths to get in touch with and to regain a sense of harmony and respect for nature to avoid further degradation and strengthen our ability to live in peace.
One of their partners, the United Nations University for Peace, helped to facilitate the working sessions and discussions. Religious and Cultural leaders and mentors present include: Master Sheng-Yen’s (a spiritual teacher & founder of Dharma Drum Mountain), Ven. Mae Chee Sansanee Sathirasuta, co-chair Global Peace Initiative of Women, spiritual teacher & founder and director of Satrhira-Dhammasathan center, Bangkok, His Holiness, Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji, President of Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, India, Mr. Robert Chastain, A Cherokee Chief, Professor Amir Al-Islam Executive Director of the Center for Professional Education at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, Mr. Olara Otunnu, Special Representative to the Secretary General of the United Nations for Children and Armed Conflict 1997-2005, Leila Atshan (A psychosocial therapist, Palestine & the Global Peace Initiative of Women, co-coordinator for Middle East)
An International Bell Parade held on 30th October 2006, as part of the artistic and cultural component of the Summit, with World Culture Open (WCO) as the organizer. The Parade had each delegate brought in a small bell from their country which was carried on their traditional clothing and during the Dinner and Cultural Celebration.
Dinner and Cultural Celebrations on October 30th, 2006 with the theme: “Expanding Intergenerational Mentoring”, sponsored by Maybach Family Foundation at the United Nations Head Quarters, New York Delegates Dining Room.
The event provided the opportunity to connect with mentors like the American actor Kirk Douglas who made a special address to the youth. Hauwa Umar representing Nigeria made an answering remark on behalf of the Global Youth, thanking Mr. Douglas, the event mentors and all the sponsors for guiding youth in shaping the world.
The United Nations Global Youth Leadership Summit was organized by the United Nations New York Office of Sports for Development and Peace in Partnership with GMMF/VPBLF, ITRI, GPIW, Sun Microsystems, National Association of Black Journalists, Eurosport, Global Educational Learning Committee, Maybach Foundation, Roll Back Malaria Partnership, ILO/Universitas, World Culture Open and the United Nations System.
NIGERIA’S KEY PARTICIPATION
Since 2005, Hauwa Umar has participated in an online dialogue of the Young Leaders Peace building Council established just after the second Pan African Youth Leaders summit in Morrocco. The online dialogue climaxed in the Young Leaders Peace Building Retreat held as a pre-meeting to the UN Global Youth summit. Rotimi Olawale was invited alongside Hauwa Umar to the pre-summit and also made a member of the Global Young Leaders Peace Building Council because of his active participation in the youth media team for the summit.
Rotimi Olawale was actively involved in the media team after having been selected as a blogger for the UN summit by the United Nations Office for sports and development and trained by SUN Micro systems, one of the summit partners. Rotimi wrote daily blogs on the summit which allowed other young people from Nigeria and all over the world to follow the summit proceedings and discussions; he also contributed articles to the daily newsletter published by the UN in partnership with the National Association of Black Journalist (NABJ)
Also, the Nigerian delegates shared their experience with other youth delegates on the establishment of the Nigerian Youth Network on the Millennium Development Goals (NYNM) and its activities and challenges so far.
In all, Nigeria’s participation enriched both the pre-summit and main summit and Nigeria added colour to the opening ceremony with its bright display of her proud cultural and traditional attires.
KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
Key recommendations are as follows:
1. We recommend that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the UN system in Nigeria should support a comprehensive effort in ensuring that young people are involved in the MDGs process in Nigeria because youth participation is a right and not a privilege.
2. We recommend that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the National Planning Commission support our efforts to stem down the experience garnered during the summit process to other youth leaders and genuine youth led organizations.
KEY COMMITMENTS
We commit ourselves as the MDGs youth advocates for Nigeria to continually ensure that youth issues related to the MDGs are always placed at the front burner at decision making processes we participate in.
We also commit to enriching and spreading the MDG awareness campaign amongst young people in Nigeria.
So help us God!
Hauwa Umar and Rotimi Olawale were nominated by UNDP New York Office of Sport for Development and Peace, and sponsored by UNDP Nigeria Office, to participate and represent Nigeria at the first Global Youth Leadership Summit in New York, October 29th – 31st, 2006 and The Young Leaders Peace-building Retreat organized by the Global Peace Initiative for Women (GPIW), from 25th – 28th October 2006 at the Dharma Drum Mountain Retreat Center, Pine Bush, New York as a pre-summit to the United Nations Global Youth Leadership Summit
