Interesting Article from the EP

Let's streamline development policies, eh..

Reading our statement at the Council of Europe

Thanks to Rose, here is the video of Adrienne and me reading the statement at the Council of Europe. I think the video pretty much speaks for itself...

Some thoughts for follow-up

Hey everyone! Thanks very much for all your great comments yesterday in our wrap up session and thanks also to Matt for his comments - we touched upon them in our session as well

Keep in touch everyone xoxo jess

Group 1 : NEXT STEPS
30 mai : liste. Se mettre en contact avec les politiciens que l’on connait. La qualité prime sur la quantité. Envoi à Jessica ?
Conserver la déclaration actuelle.
Chaque pays peut insister sur les sujets qui leur paraissent importants. Traduire les déclarations, se les envoyer.
Partager les activités qui se font dans les différents pays.

Group 2 : STATEMENT REVIEW + NEXT STEPS
Audience = policymakers, national and international level
Strike paragraph 1 – not necessary
Keep paragraph 2 and 3 as is
Add instead pax Christi int’l + partner orgs and allies
Change age of young people to 16
Switch order of next 2 paragraphs make stronger statement this way
Wordsmith – later
Really emphasize theres a meeting in oct. – our statement leading up to = time sensitive!!
Copy and paste email list of parliamentarians for your country – rose can show you if questions
Eric – what our country has done so far, what goals and then concrete actions – VERY specific asks! /goals
-opening paragraph could be modified for each country
-customize statement

Group 3 - STATEMENT REVIEW + NEXT STEPS
statement can be translated into own language
-give specific recommendations for own country
-media training – start with most important info and then move to least
easy to write emails to politicians, attach statement
concrete action – Belgium
peace week in September we are planning diff activities, same week there will be a military summit in ghent (European military summit)
Jessica can go to parl with stijn vb
-also contact local newspapers – la croix (france), using rue 89
-INTEGRAL in front of human development (catholic social teaching)
Statement – 4th paragraph – first thing you mention is financial – it’s an economic crisis
HIV and AIDS

Belated Climate Change Presentation of Jef Felix

Climate Change - Challenges for Development, Ethical Considerations...

View more presentations from guest0647b9f.

Andre Bader on Grassroot and Small Group Community Organizing

Beamer présentation définitive

View more presentations from guest0647b9f.

Breakout Groups for Post-Seminar

some thoughts...

Group 1: IMPACT

Group 2: MULTIPLYING EFFECTS

Group 3: FOLLOW-UP

Some suggestions for concrete follow-up activities:

Night of Peace - Amsterdam

For Climate Refugees

World Conference of Religions for Peace, ARMS DOWN!

World Youth Conference on MDGs, Mexico City

Armed Violence and the MDG Review Process, Briefing Note

For your edits...

Pax Christi International Youth Statement
May 2010 – Triennial World Assembly Youth Seminar

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were developed following the adoption of the Millennium Declaration in 2000, which pledged UN member state support—financial and structural—for the developing world, in an effort to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat malaria and HIV/AIDS, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for international development.

As we reflect on the benchmarks committed to by our governments ten years ago, we as young people (aged 18-30) urge our elected officials, appointed leaders, and national, regional and international policymakers to recommit themselves and to reprioritize these development targets. With only five years remaining until the goals are set to expire, we gather this week in Strasbourg, France—a capital of European policymaking—as diverse people of faith and commitment, as leaders in our communities and as those affected by a future of world inequity, to ask ourselves:

What world will we inherit?

Representing the international peace and human rights movement Pax Christi International, we believe firmly in a world where sustainable human security for all is a concrete reality. We believe that the only way to achieve peace and full human flourishing in our globally interconnected community is through the promotion of human rights and human achievement, regardless of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, or any other factor of social, cultural, or national differentiation. We believe that if we have been entrusted with the future of our planet and her limited resources, we must morally obligate ourselves to champion social and environmental justice.

As such, we believe that the Millennium Development Goals are not merely aspirational benchmarks but standards of human achievement which should be championed in the face of many crises currently affecting our world—financial, environmental, and human-security related.

We believe that the Millennium Development Goals are a path toward promoting sustainable human security and peace, and should be adequately funded according to 0.7% of the Gross National Income (GNI) – committed to by the most developed countries in 1970 and reiterated in 2002 at the Monterrey Consensus (the outcome of the first International Conference on Financing for Development in 2002).

We call into question the increase in military spending since the outbreak of the global war on terror. We urge our national governments to heed our call for a renewed focus on sustainable development and sustained human security in the face of growing threats to vulnerable populations around the world. We believe that the united voice of morally committed, passionately engaged, politically empowered young people has the power to change our world.

Religions for Peace

The fourth morning started with the presentation of Religions for Peace, the largest global religious coalition standing for peace. Lama Azab and Taoufik Hartit explained one of the main campaigns of the coalition: Arms down. The three goals of this year-long campaign launched in November 2009 are the abolition of nuclear weapons, the end of the proliferation and misuse of conventional weapons and most of all the redirection of 10% of military expenditure to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals by 2015. This last information actually shocked me knowing that in 2008, the military spending was up to 1464 billion $! So if you also think that this money could be better used, just follow the link and sign the petition… http://religionsforpeace.org/initiatives/global-youth-network/campaign-for-shared-security/

Olivia Tiffoche

Presentations on Media, outreach, advocacy and online tools

Media, outreach, advocacy

View more presentations from Marius Ulozas.

Social Media As Tools For Policy Dialogue

View more presentations from Marius Ulozas.

Can a revolution be twittered?

Marius Uzolas, European Youth Foundation Media Traning Representative, is now with us to guide a session. This session will be interactive because the field is very broad, and may differ from country to country.
Media these days are an important tool to get your message spread, more than shouting on the street.
Let's try to summarize Marius' presentation a bit. Communication and desicions about communication should be based on four principles.
1. Whom i want to inform? What change you want to bring and on which level. Institutional level, political level, personal level. Define your target groups. Who is relied to the topic? (Members/participants, partners, opinion leaders, interest groups, community, society, institutions). Some target groups you have to make aware, some you have to ask for change, some you have to ask for money.
2. Message content. What will I say. What/where/when? Explain why it is important, crucial at this point. What will (it) change? Make the before and after picture. Who's benefiting from that? How will it happen?
3. Channel. Where/ via what will I inform. You want a petition to be signed? Do you put posters on walls then? No. You can't click on it. Choose the right channel. If you want efficiency, you must know what media your target group is using to get information. (Printed media, TV, Web audience, social networks).
4. Means. How will I do it. Verbal? (Maybe it's enough to go talk with someone). Text information (announce of events, post fact pres release, iformation for media) Static visual (poster, photos, sculpture). Visual-sound (videa footage, coverage). Direct interaction/action (event).

After the break we try to applicate these knowledge to a concrete thing: our youth statement.
Let's talk about the news value criteria. Everyone has it's own interest and if you can play with it, it will help you. It's about exploiting the system. What will be covered? Novelty, personalities (contact them and mobilize them), importance/scale, conflict/drama, rare/extraordinarity, negativity. Be aware or the context: is your project/cause different, and how?

Nine rules for press release.

1. Clear Message: Be able to say it in one sentence and attract interest.
2. Pay attention to the title: short, catchy, informative and active.
N.B. Mentioning your organization not necessarily strengthens the title ('Pax Christi youth call for change' vs 'European youth call for change').
3. Inverted pyramid: Be clear with when, where and what is happening, then go to the why and how, and end by giving the context. The most important information has to be on top of the article.
4. Logic: Do not repeat the same information. Clear emphasis/stress (ex. 100 people protested at the ministery, at the ministery 100 people protested, at the ministery there was a protest of 100 people)
5. Facts vs judgements: Judgements are NOT facts, subjective judgements can be introduced by quotes. Facts shouldn't be quoted.
6. Expressing: Instead of adjectives you can use illustrative arguments. Naked numbers are not understandable. (ex.20.000 people have migrated, it's the size of this or that city)
7. Positioning: Why are you the best. Have you won the Noble peace price allready. Are you the oldest, the biggest,...
8. Simplicity: Round of numbers. Avoid bureaucratic expressions, stereotypes and cliche, international words, technical terms. Make it as simple that everyone would understand. We got used to short information and are not really anymore into reading big texts.
9. Details: date, title, no longer than 1 page, not more than 2-3 quoted persons, contacts.

People, create a twitter account !
Enables you to send short messages to an extended audience, fast and effective.
Twitter is personel, skills you to formulate titles 'cause you have to be clear and short, you can attach links, it is a great tool for networking your organisation.

I thank Marius for his presentation and concrete interaction which can help anyone of us.

Pensée du moment...

"Vision without Action is a Daydream, Action without Vision is a Nightmare." -- Japanese Proverb

Jeff Felix doing what he does best...

Climate Change

The monday afternoon session was starred by Jef Felix, who talked to us on Climate Change, in relationship with the MDG's and social justice. It is undoubtful that climate change may be the major challenge for the future and could impede the realisation of the MDG's. Jef's presentation was followed by an animated debate where we discussed the effects of climate change in Africa, how (over)population effects on climate change and many other interesting points of view.

Germany‘s commitment on achieving the Millennium Development Goals

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Despite significant and laudable increases in development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa in 2007 and 2008, Germany remains off track to meet its 2010 target. It has budgeted for further significant increases in 2009.

Attaining the 2010 target is not out of reach, but will require even more rapid progress in the one remaining budget cycle.

Within the G7, Germany is an average performer on effectiveness of development assistance. It has spent more on water and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa than any other G8 country and is a clear leader in this sector. It also continues to be a leader in generating funding from innovative financing mechanisms, including being the first G8 country to direct financing from the sales of CO2 emissions certificates to development. However, Germany, along with other members of the EU, has failed to deliver pro-development trade reforms.

LOOKING AHEAD

Germany's ODA to sub-Saharan Africa increased substantially in 2007 and 2008, but decreased slightly in 2009, mostly due to a reduction of debt relief. German political leaders have pointed out that despite - and because of - the financial crisis, development assistance remains important. This was underscored when Germany allocated $144 million from its national stimulus package for infrastructure projects in developing countries. It is critical that Germany continues to significantly increase its budget for development assistance and that most of these increases are channelled to sub-Saharan Africa. The positive trend established over the past three years needs to be continued by whatever coalition forms the government after the elections in September 2009. It is encouraging that cabinet members of both coalition parties have indicated substantial ODA increases for 2010. These ODA increases have to come in a genuinely concessional form so that sub-Saharan African countries stand to benefit from them without jeopardising their debt sustainability. By doing this, Germany can further build on its international credibility as a responsible partner for developing countries.

DATA

Source: http://www.one.org/international/datareport2009/germany.html

“NGO Advocacy in European Political Institutions – a Practitioner’s Perspective”

On Wednesday our first presenter Emmanouil Athanasiou, Head of Asia Desk, FIDH, told us about the advocacy and lobbying in the European Union. Emmanouil is a lawyer specialized in international and European human rights law. He was still a student, when he joined to a European program that trained young expert in foreign affairs. In charge of human rights in UN peacekeeping missions in Africa, he worked in Eritrea, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Currently he leads the Asia Desk programs of the International Federation for Human Rights.

The FIDH is the oldest organization that deals with human rights; it was founded by twenty national organizations on the initiative of French and German member organizations in 1922. The FIDH is a federation -as Emmanouil said - 164 human rights organizations throughout the world contribute to the prevention of human rights violations, to the protection of victims of such violations, as well as to the promotion of human rights.

The presentation was very useful and interesting; we learnt some tricks how to influence policymakers in favor of specific causes using personal contacts, sometimes public pressure, or political action to persuade legislators to vote in a particular manner. Emmanouil explained the process of lobby in the EU, and who do they lobby:

• European Commission – for the role in policy formulation and drafting legislation.
• European Parliament – because is accessible and after the Lisbon Treaty the Parliament has become a more important factor in the distribution of the money than before that.
• European Council – for the high policy and position tracking in Brussels.

After the presentation about the advocacy process, Emmanouil gave us documentation about the situation in Burma/Myanmar under the current military rule, one of the most repressive regimes in the world. The paper gives concrete dates about the electoral process in Burma. It explains how to the regime is preparing itself for the day after the elections which are organized with only one am: to ensure that the country will remain still hostage of the military.

Our team really liked this subject, it was clear and realistic about how we can advocate in European political institutions for achieving our goal.

“Team Romania”

Ctrl-Alt-Shift...

Here are a couple of short films from the "Ctrl-Alt-Shift Film competition" that could be used to sensibilize people and take action to. The following films were made to raise awareness of issues.

About War & Child soldiers: "War School" by Ben Newman.
"Opting for a short based around war + peace, Ben Newman came up with one of the most popular entries, gaining praise across the board by re-creating a military training camp for child soldiers in a British school. It was described by Riz Ahmed as a great idea, simple, communicating a direct message"

About gender: Man Made by Fern Berresford
"This two-minute short, based around gender + power, tackles the treatment of women as property and the lack of self worth and identity women feel due to the gender inequalities prevalent in many societies."

Session on media and outreach is soon to start

HEY (virtual) people ;)

the session on media, outreach and advocacy is soon to start. see you 11AM @ the plenary.
shall you have some time - join PCI Youth @ Twitter - http://twitter.com/PCI_Youth

Marius

Denmark's Development aid and Military Expenditures

Denmark is one of the 5 european countries that have managed to give an Official Development Assistance GNI of over the UN set target of 0.7%. In 2009, they managed to get to 0.83, which is the same as € 2,208 million.

Denmark has many humanitarian NGO's, one of the biggest being DanChurchAid, which is funded through private donations, foundations, DANIDA ( Danish International Development Assistance), the UN and the EU. In 2009, DanChurchAid raised 66 million euros, where it spent 52% in Africa, 23% in Asia, 6% in the middle east, 5% in central europe, 8% in eastern europe and central asia, and 6% globally.

The Military is the 5th largest single economy in the Danish Government (the largest being the ministry of social affairs). Its expenditure in 2009 was approx. 2,687 million €.

Olivia Shaw

Conference Call with Vaiba Flomo

Tuesday 11th, we all gathered in the conference room at 10 a.m (slightly later than monday, so we all got a bit of a lie in). We started by watching a film, called "Pray the devil back to hell". The film was made in 2008, and it was a documentary about a group of women who wanted peace in the second Liberian civil war. This group was called "Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace", organized by a woman named Leymah Roberta Gbowee. She managed to gather christian and muslim women of Monrovia to protest in a nonviolent way.

One of the women who was greatly involved in this group was Vaiba Flomo, a Liberian woman who was sick of all the pain and grief that the war had brought upon them.

After we had had lunch, we came back to the conference room to call Vaiba Flomo. We managed to get through to her, and even though it was slightly difficult to understand what she was saying (Thanks to the crackling noises of the phone) we all listened intently to what she had to say.

We asked her all sorts of questions, from personal questions about why she joined the movement, questions on the child soldiers, to her thoughts on the election of the first female president of an African nation; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She was very happy to answer them, and we learnt a lot more about her from the "interview".

Olivia Shaw

Belgium and MDG's

Yesterday all of us did our presentation on our countries achievements (or the lack of it...) on the MDG's. Having been in development for two years I liked very much to talk, not only on numbers, but also to give the view from inside on methodology in development actions. Afterwards our presentations were enriched by a very interesting and open debate with our guests from Burundi and Ivory Coasts, who give us their view on development. As we all know: debates where global economics, fair trade relations and football players are discussed can't be wrong! We're looking forward for more!!