Dear friends,

Ten years ago, a humble man rose through the ranks of civil society to take the world's premiere diplomatic role. Kofi Annan, with more than 30 years of experience within the UN System, became the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. Under his leadership, conversations about UN Reform have been foremost on the agenda, the two largest ever summits for heads of state were organized, catalyzing a global commitment to end extreme poverty.

During his tenure at the UN, Annan has been faced with an impossible task: brokering peace and helping to foster development in a world still ridden with war, corruption and inequality. Marred by civil conflicts in Bosnia, Rwanda, Sudan, the invasion of Iraq and Lebanon, and scandals arising from the Oil-for-Food Programme, his time has been anything but easy. In this important position, though, despite the illusory power it actually represents, he has nevertheless become a symbol of hope and voice for the people.

Since Annan assumed office, the role of young people has advanced significantly within the institution. His continuous calls for member states to include young people in their delegations have resulted in a 4-fold increase. Additionally, 3 World Youth Reports have presented the case for focusing the organization's efforts on young people, resulting in the launch of the inter-governmental Youth Employment Network, the World Bank's Human Development Report centering on young people, and the recent, even if disappointing, Global Youth Leadership Summit held at the UN's New York Headquarters in October.

The success or failure of the United Nations, in question as it recently celebrated 60 years, will depend not so much on its new leader as it will on the the will of its members to effectively carry out a successful reform. It is a very different world today than it was in 1945, yet injustice remains almost as pervasive as it did then. As he considers the 4 decades of service, and works his last days as world's foremost diplomat, Annan still holds hope. "Never give up" he reminded those of us in the NGO community last night at a reception in his honor, adding that "the role of civil society is critical to the success of the United Nations."

If the United Nations is going to indeed save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, it must continue to engage those generations today. We hope the next Secretary-General will likewise recognize this, and help to further empower young people in the work of the UN.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Quinto
Executive Director

Youth Movement at the Polls
Washington Post - USA, Nov 12
... data from the elections suggested that the increase in youth turnout aided Democrats in capturing control of Congress. In House races, young people formed the ... More here.

Young Cubans yearn for tides of change
Sun-Sentinel.com - USA, Nov 12
... Many young people embrace the current system, participating in the Communist Youth Union and responding to efforts by the government to nurture a new ... More here.

Mustafa Khar urges young people to focus on education
Daily Times - Pakistan, Nov 12
Addressing a youth conference arranged by the Pakistan Christian National Party, he urged young people to focus on their education for the development of the ... More here.

Young leaders step up as aging population slows
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - USA, Nov 12
... Tuesday's general election offered more evidence of young people flexing their muscles. ... Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, 26, has become the face of a youth movement. ... More here.

President invites young people to participate in creating a Europe ...
Baltic Times - Latvia, Nov 10
... Council of Lithuanian Youth Organizations (LiJOT). The Lithuanian President expressed delight that it was here in Lithuania that the young people of European ... More here.

Working with youth ‘a priority'
Gisborne Herald - New Zealand, Nov 11
... "The priority is to work with young people. The council has got a youth strategy here, which is great as a document, but now they need to engage back with the ... More here.

Young people speak their minds at town hall meeting
Netherlands Antilles Daily Herald - Netherlands Antilles
... the youth, especially from down street, had nothing to do and that they are chased off the lone basketball court located at a school in town. Young people were ... More here.

Young People Rocked The Vote In This Year's Midterm Election
MTV.com - USA, Nov 10
... this is the beginning of a higher level of interest among young people in politics ... It's uncertain whether Tuesday's election set a record, as youth turnout has ... More here.

GYAN helps UNICEF develop youth-friendly report on discrimination and violence against girls
GYAN helped UNICEF Voices of Youth to develop a youth-friendly version of an Expert Group Report on the "Elimination of Discrimination and Violence against the Girl Child." The report will be used to encourage young girls to contribute to the discussion and make contributions to the upcoming Commission on the Status of Women. For more information, click here.

GYCA Recruits Regional Focal Points for year-long term
The Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA) empowers young leaders with the skills, knowledge, resources and opportunities they need to scale up HIV/AIDS interventions amongst their peers. GYCA is currently seeking to recruit Regional Focal Points (RFPs) to work on projects and strengthen the Task Force. The term for this position is 1 year (January - December 2007), and the deadline for application is Monday, December 11th 2006. For more information, click here, or send an email.

GYAN Mexico speaks on migration
Marioliva Gonzales from GYAN Mexico traveled to Chiapas in the south of Mexico to participate in a roundtable on migration and borders. Check out her blog for more information.

New Blog from the United Nations
The staff and interns at GYAN regularly attend meetings and briefings at the UN Headquarters to keep updated on what is happening and to monitor progress on youth issues. Check out this new blog where you can read updates from the UN, and please leave comments and contribute to the discussion! Also check out VOICE for more information.

Call for case studies on youth employment
The United Nations Commission for Social Development will this year focus on "Promoting full employment and decent work for all." During the commission governments will be discussing good practices in the area of employment and migration. Are you working in this area and would like to get involved? Please click here for more information and stay tuned for updates!

The global ‘Right to Health and Health Care Campaign'
People's Health Movement is embarking upon a global Right to Health and Healthcare campaign (RTHHC) which involves coordinated national and international level action. The overall idea of the campaign is to change the international approach to health and development. For more information, click here.

Botswana radio training helps young people speak their minds for ...
UNICEF (press release) - USA, Nov 10
More here.

Increasing Number of HIV Cases Among Young People Worldwide ...
Kaiser network.org - USA, Nov 10
... Factors That Shape Young People's Sexual Behavior ... cases worldwide occur among people ages 15 to 24, making efforts to change sexual behavior among youth a vital ... More here.

The future is now
Hindustan Times - India, Nov 8
... over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth severs its lifeline.” ... More here.

Young people encouraged to start their own business
EastDay.com - China, Nov 15
... initiated by the China Communist Youth League Shanghai Committee and China Development Bank's Shanghai branch, aims to encourage local young people to create ... More here.

Wanted: jobs for Africa's young people
AND - South Africa, Nov 16
... to absorb the large number of young people qualifying from institutions of learning every year,” he told delegates to the Youth Employment Summit (YES) in ... More here.

Young Borrowers Face A Life of Debt
AlterNet - USA, Nov 18
... debt on average than in the past but the increase for young people is most ... burn," to signify their desire to tearing down the status quo, youth today embrace ... More here.

Report on Interreligious Youth Meeting at Assisi
Zenit News Agency - Italy, Nov 18
... The PCID invited about 100 youth from different religious traditions throughout the world; nearly 50 young people represented the Christians and the rest came... More here.

ILO chief seeks action to tame unemployment
IPP Media Guardian - United Republic of Tanzania, Nov 19
... finding a job but continuing to live in poverty is even more alarming as more than 300million young people worldwide, or one out of two working youth belong to ... More here.

:: PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS)
NGLS is a part of the United Nations working to improve the relationship between the UN and civil society. NGLS offers information, tools and resources to organizations that want to engage with the UN. Among others, NGLS has produced guidebooks that give a simple overview of the UN system, and regularly publish newsletters with updated information about UN processes. For more information, click here or send an email.

:: EVENT SPOTLIGHT [Full Calendar]

Commission on the Status of Women
Date: February 26 - March 27, 2007
Location: New York, USA
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is an annual event where governments and civil society meet at the United Nations to discuss how we can achieve full gender equality at all levels. The priority theme for the 51st session is: “The elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child.” For more information, click here.

The International Youth Volunteerism Summits (IYVS) 2007
Date: 22-25 Februar, 2007
Location: Chicago, USA
The deadline is coming up very quickly - December 1, 2006 for internationals and December 11, 2006 for citizens of USA and Canada. If you can get it together to apply, please do so! Depending on demonstrated financial need, stipends are available that could potentially cover the whole cost of the conference! (Including travel, lodging, and workshops). IYVS is unique in that it offers real opportunities after the Summit ends in the form of an active online alumni community and opportunities for outcome funding for projects designed by Summit delegates. For more information, click here.

Unite for Sight's 4th Annual International Health Conference
Date: 14-15 April, 2007
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Join 1,500 people interested in public health, medicine, social entrepreneurship, and international development! Learn from more than 300 renowned speakers! The conference targets anyone interested in international service, global health, public health, international development, eye care, health policy and advocacy, anthropology, entrepreneurship, nonprofits, philanthropy, microfinance, bioethics, and medicine. Register before December 20th to receive the most reduced rates (even lower if you are currently a student)! For more information, click here or send an email.

:: BE CAUTIOUS - POTENTIAL SCAMS
Many scams invite people to register for a youth conference, and intend only to collect registration fees. Please beware and only pay fees when you are certain it is a legitimate event. Common schemes include events taking place both in the USA and other countries.

• International Development Fund - 11th International NGOs & CBOs Summits Development AND International Conference on Human and Community Development AND on Development Financing Various themes to a host of conferences sponsored by the ‘International Development Fund' based in Dallas, Texas. The conference supposedly takes place in the United States from the 8 th-13th January, 2007 and in Oxford, United Kingdom from the 22th- 27th January, 2007. They say they will cover all fees with the exception of a $230 registration fee to be paid through “Legal Representation in Africa through Western Union Money Transfer” to an address in Togo.
• Pro-Right Extension - Eradication of Academic Genocide & Youth Empowerment Conference Another conference to take place in the USA/UK under the hoax of GYWO. They report a conference to be held in Miami, December 4-7th and in the UK, December 11-14th. They will ask you to send information about your organization and its accomplishments as a means to better shape their hoax conferences in the future to target youth activists. Please do not send any information about your organization or your personal identity to any conferences or groups without first investigating their legitimacy!
• Hoax Peace Conference by GYAN Imposter Be aware of a hoax to take place December 11 through 21 in the United States and UK that alleges a conference on global youth movements and NGO's. Remember never to give your passport number or money to any conference that seems suspicious (bad spelling, general email addresses, asks for passport numbers, and covers all costs except a small fee). Although there are many imposters like the GYWO - Global Youth Welfare Organization - there is only one GYAN.