Youth on Peace and MDGs

Here is wonderful work that has been going on around the world on these issues - and we want you to be as well before you get to Bandung. So please, read the following:

• The Casablanca Declaration - http://www.peacechild.org/www/pci/downloads/casablanca_declaration.pdf

• UN MDG Campaign - http://endpoverty2015.org/

• MDG Youth White Paper - http://www.takingitglobal.org/themes/mdg/youthinpolicy.html

• TIG / GYAN National campaign Toolkit - www.youthlink.org/gyanv3/home.html

• Rough Guide to a Better Planet - www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/rough-guide/better-world.pdf

Millennium Development Goals
( http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals )

In September 2000, the United Nations held a ground-baking event. Together in New York, the presidents, prime ministers and royalty of the world’s 191 countries, pledged to achieve significant progress around eight major propriety areas by the year 2015. These „Millennium Development Goals” tackle many of the world’s most pressing challenges, and provide an ambitious framework through which many countries are now approaching development.

The Millennium Goals(MDGs) are to:

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Improve maternal health
• Achieve universal primary education
• Combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other issues
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Reduce child morality
• Develop a global partnership for development

Youth have too often been seen as a burden rather than an asset, a group to be taught but not to teach, and to receive not to give. Young people are in fact an ever-growing demographic force: half of the world’s populations under 25 who are disproportionately affected by major global issues. Young people must be actively involved in the effort to continually monitor and measure work towards attainment of the MDGs