Dear friends,

What does it take to stop war? How many centuries must we endure its ravages, while claiming to be a civilized people? How many of our youth must we arm and send out to kill, capture and maim their peers, before we realize our common humanity?

It has been heartbreaking to watch what everyone calls the "beginning of world war III" break out in front of our very eyes... Warned for decades on end about the danger of the ever-continuing conflict in the Middle East, we have failed to address it, and are left paralyzed now watching a hopeless situation spiral further out of control.

Without armistice, and dialogues that engage a broader populace in concerted efforts to find peaceful solutions, we have little to look forward to other than a mounting number of civilian casualties. A shift in mindset and leadership must be the only means to break the stagnant peace efforts.

The Global Youth Action Network stands in solidarity with those who suffer the consequences of others who believe perpetual violence gives voice to their cause. Our commitment remains in building relationship, understanding, and collaboration amongst our generation, such that we might stop the madness perpetuated by leaders all too willing to send their children to war.

Through our collaboration with Chat the Planet TV, we are doing what we believe is the best solution to conflict: open dialogues that break down misunderstanding and misconceptions. We are now gearing up for productions focusing on Jewish identity in the world today, and the real lives of young Iraqis struggling to survive and find hope in their country.

The world will stop fighting when we appreciate and use our young for the hopeful idealism they possess - not as pawns in futile attempts to use war as a means to peace. Young people can make their greatest contribution when invited into a process of finding solutions. The world today, fraught with injustice, violence and environmental devastation, is not one we would wish for our children. Our commitment for peace unites us, even in these desperate times.

In solidarity,

Benjamin Quinto
Executive Director

Youth Must Address Misperception of Pakistani Society
Daily Times, Pakistan - 6/20/06
President Musharraf said that it is important for the youth of Pakistan to take the message of tolerance and peace to people across the country. More here.

Rave to Rev Up Local Youth
The Times Online, New Zealand - 7/6/06
A New Zealand Youth Council is planning a substance-free rave with a goal of giving youth a voice in the community and input into local politics. More here.

NCCE Begins Youth Awareness Project
HomePage, Ghana - 7/7/06
The National Commission for Civic Education has initiated a project to get the youth to participate fully in the country's democratic process. More here.

GYAN-Mexico Speaks at the UN
Marioliva Gonzales from GYAN Mexico delivered a statement at the Civil Society Hearings for International Migration and Development at the UN Headquarters on Wednesday, July 12. The hearings represented a chance for civil society to provide input to the General Assembly High-Level Segment in September. View the webcast of her speech in Spanish or in English, and read more about the hearings here.

GYCA at the XVI International Aids Conference!
GYCA North Secretariat, as part of the YouthForce, has been preparing for the AIDS 2006 Youth Pre-Conference taking place from August 10 - 12 in Toronto, Canada by ensuring 245 youth participants and confirming facilitators and presenters. Young people are arriving from all over the world, and the age ranges from 16 to 26 and participants have been selected based on their confirmed registration at the XVI International AIDS Conference (August 13 -18), with priority given to youth of disproportionately affected populations, from developing countries and who demonstrate relevant experience in HIV/AIDS activity. For more information please visit GYCA's website!

Introducing GYAN Viet Nam!
The Global Youth Action Network is pleased to introduce a new National Team in Viet Nam headed by Tran Van Tinh. Tinh has been working closely with our Asia Regional Coordinator, Catherine Kamping, to organize the youth movement in Viet Nam. Together they have successfuly mapped youth organizations all over Asia. Tinh has done a lot of work with young people in Viet Nam and he hopes to bring the voice of South Asia to the Global Youth Action Network.

Help Create a Culture of Peace
Fundacion Cultura de Paz, in collaboration with United Network of Young Peacebuilders and Bibliotecha Alexandrina, is conducting a survey of youth organizations on how the United Nations can support youth for a culture a peace. You can contribute by filling out the survey before August 8th. Also, the United Network of Young Peacebuilders is creating a Youth Advocacy Team to lobby governments to support youth for a culture of peace. For more information, send an email.

Global Action for Children
The Global Action for Children campaign seeks to marshal the political will and financial resources needed to ensure, through community-based solutions, that all children have access to healthcare, education, food and nutrition, and lifesaving medicines. Visit the website for more information.

International Youth Day
The World Youth Report (2005) stated that 200 million young people, or 18% of all young people, live on less than one dollar per day and at least 88 million young people are unemployed. This August 12th is the UN's sixth annual International Youth Day. This year's focus is Tackling Poverty Together. Find out how you can commemorate the day at their website.

Youth Wrangle Over Release of Funds
The Reporter, Botswana - 7/10/06
The Botswana National Youth Council is answering to claims that it failed to distribute a grant to the Youth in Development organization. More here.

City Hosts Youth Symposium
New Era, Namibia - 7/18/06
The National Youth Council (NYC) held a youth convention last week targeted mainly at resolving unemployment among the youth. More here.

Young People Are Subject of World Population Day
Voice of America - 7/16/06
This year's World Population Day on July 11th dealt with the subject of young people and the problems many face. More here.

The EU to Give Priority to Women, Youth in Budget Utilization
The Ethiopian Herald, Ethiopia - 7/10/06
The EC announced that it would give priority to women and youth in utilizing the budget it has earmarked to consolidate civil societies. More here.

U.S. Based Youth Group Joins Calls for Bolante's Extradition
Bulatlat, Philippines - 7/17/06
The League of Filipino Students at San Francisco State University urged the U.S. government to deny Bolante political asylum. More here.

Vietnam Youth Union Fosters Development
Thanhnein News, Vietnam - 7/11/06
The CYU is determined to bolster programs creating an environment conducive to youth development, but some say the group needs more experience. More here.

Mexico's Youth Swing Right, Vote for Status Quo
The Miami Herald, United States - 7/7/06
The youth vote appears to have been pivotal in the July 2nd election of conservative candidate, Felipe Calderon. More here.

Women's Rights Advocated in Volunteer Program
China View, China - 7/11/06
Two hundred student volunteers from over 20 universities and colleges will take part in a survey on the living conditions of girls. More here.

Website to Link Youth across Africa
African News Dimension Network - 7/3/06
Youth ambassadors from 13 African nations have met to establish a plan for a website that will allow youth across the continent to communicate. More here.

Maforaga Withdraws from Botswana Democratic Party Youth Elections
The Reporter, Botswana - 7/6/06
Both candidates for BDP youth chairman speak of unity and cooperation in developing the youth wing. More here.

:: PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

United Network of Young Peacebuilders
The United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY Peacebuilders) is a global network of young people and youth organisations active in the field of peacebuilding, mostly working in violent conflict and post- violent conflict regions. Presently the work of the UNOY Peacebuilders is being expanded to include a wider range of countries. For more information, click here.

:: EVENT SPOTLIGHT [Full Calendar]

Global Youth Leadership Summit
Date: 31 October- 1 November, 2006
Location: New York, USA
Beginning with a series of regional youth leadership summits, young leaders are being mobilized to join the efforts towards achieving the MDGs and to raise the voices of the next generation. There have been regional summits in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The global summit will not mark the end of our efforts, but the midway point in reaching out to other regions and strengthening the current wave of youth MDG activities around the world. For more information, click here or send an email.

African Development Forum
Date: 25-28 October, 2006
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The Fifth Annual African Development Forum will be occurring from October 26 to 28 under the theme " Youth and Leadership for the 21st Century". It would have three sub-themes- youth and economic development, youth and social development, and youth and political development. Plans are underway for the African Youth Charter, and a dialogue session between youth and selected global leaders. The main expected outcome is the development of partnerships for youth empowerment in Africa at the national, regional and international levels. For more information, click here.

2007 World Social Forum
Date: 20-25 January, 2007
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
The World Social Forum is an international framework for all those opposed to globalization and building alternatives to think and organize together in favor of human development and surmounting market domination of countries and international relations. For more information, click here or send an email.

7th Annual Looking After Children Conference
Date: 14-16 August, 2006
Location: Sydney, Australia
The ACWA Conference is now firmly established as the premier event for child and family practitioners, policy and researchers. Partnerships with NSW Family Services, The Aboriginal Secretariat, CREATE and CAFWAA ensure that there is a breadth and depth to the keynote speakers, the papers, the workshops, the Symposia and the Masterclasses. The ACWA conference continues to exert influence - provoking thought, change and connections - long after it ends For more information, click here.

The Indian International Model UN Conference
Date: 11-13 August, 2006
Location: Mumbai, India
TIIMUN is an international MUN conference hosted in Mumbai, India. 11-13 August 2006 at the Mayfair Rooms, Mumbai. The committees are General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, Human Rights Commission and Press Corps. The TIIMUN '05 conference was declared the largest MUN conference in India with over 300 delegates. Student representatives from countries including Pakistan, Australia, Mexico, the United States, and Canada will be in attendance. An INDO PAK YOUTH PEACE MEET will also be hosted, like last year. 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 conference on Racism, Child Abuse and other Related Intolerance This hoax conference is scheduled to take place in California, USA from 3rd-6th of October 2006 and in London from October 9th-13th, 2006. Do not send money or personal information to this organization.