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Celebrating 10 years of Global Youth Work
(video produced by the media team for the UYD closing session)
download video here
11th Edition
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
In the framework of the 2010 UN International Year of Youth:
Dialogue and Mutual Understanding
CEULAJ, Mollina (Spain) 12 – 19 September 2010
The University on Youth and Development[1] (UYD) is an activity jointly organised by the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, the Spanish Government (INJUVE), the European Youth Forum (YFJ), the Spanish Youth Council (CJE) and other international youth organisations.
Since its first edition in 2000, the University takes place once a year bringing together representatives of youth organisations and youth movements from all over the world who gather in the CEULAJ (Euro-Latin-American Youth Centre) to discuss, train and be trained as well as to take political action around the main issues on the global agenda.
In 2010, the University on Youth and Development will be gathering for its 11th Edition launching renewed hopes and aspirations, objectives and challenges for the partners, reinforcing this as the space and home of Global Youth Work and the Global Youth Movement.
The University on Youth and Development is composed of various activities (Seminars, Training Courses, Workshops) organised by more than 10 partners and will gather close to 300 young people from all over the world.
Main Goals
- To create a political space where youth can act upon and acknowledge the role they play in Global Development.
- To initiate and encourage debate aimed at defining the role youth play in elaborating development policies and in co-operation with development initiatives.
- To facilitate a process aimed at defining and implementing projects within the field of youth.
Joint Theme 2010
On the occasion of the International Year of Youth, proclaimed by the United Nations, the 11th Edition of the University on Youth and Development will be held around the promotion of awareness and discussions on sustainable development and its connection with human rights and fundamental freedoms, progress, solidarity, peace and security, the fulfilment of which are essential to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The key role that young people and youth organisations play in this process will be also emphasized.
The Joint Programme, the training activities, seminars and discussions that partners bring to the university are encouraged to be a contribution to this debate. Activities organised in partnership between various organisations and resulting in partnerships and co-operation processes are highly encouraged. The University itself is a result of these kinds of synergies.
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Celebratory Declaration of the 10th Anniversary of the University on Youth and Development
We, young people representing a broad range of youth organisations, from more than 85 countries, have gathered here to celebrate the remarkable achievements of Global Youth Work around the world, such as the regular convening of the International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organisations, the inclusion of youth as target group for the MDGs and UN World Programme of Action for Youth. All made possible through the creation of a common youth agenda at activities such as this. The University on Youth and Development has for a decade been a place for inspiration, enthusiasm and progressive thinking. For the last ten years, it has been an event where thousands of youth leaders have gathered to share and develop ideas and visions on how to make our world a better place.
The strongest evidence of the success of the University is the establishment of our sister universities, the African University on Youth and Development, whose first edition took place in Cape Verde earlier this year, and the University on Participation and Citizenship, which has taken place in Uruguay every year since 2004. Our Universities are important spaces for organisations, governments and institutions to meet, differing in approach, yet joined in spirit. We call upon governments and international institutions to continue fostering inter-continental co-operation between our universities in this way.
While celebrating the successes of the past, we are all too aware of the challenges we as young people face today. The world is far from as equal, just and fair as it should be. Our economic system has experienced its worst crisis since the 1930s, affecting the lives of millions of young people around the world. While young people will be the hardest hit as unemployment increases we also face the risk of reduced services as spending is cut, compounding our struggle in the economic turn down. In many parts of the world education still is a luxury available only to the minority and gender equality remains a distant dream for many. Worldwide climate change is a real threat to development and emphasizes the unequal distribution of wealth is a global challenge that must be dealt with. These challenges are framed in a world where Human Rights are too often violated.
While the challenges that lie ahead are many, this edition of the University has proved that young people from all regions are more committed than ever to continue their efforts to create a better world. Youth organisations in different regions of the world are key actors to develop and improve the living conditions of young people and societies everywhere. This should be fostered and strengthened by ensuring that rights of young people are protected and promoted worldwide and that opportunities for young people are increased.
We welcome the development of international legal tools for Youth Rights such as the Ibero-American Convention and the African Youth Charter, and we advocate for the establishment of such instruments in other Regions and globally.
Five years before the deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) the links have finally been made between the MDGs, Global Youth Work and the World Program of Action for Youth. We strongly welcome the World Ministers Conference on Youth 2010, kindly hosted by the Government of Mexico.
More concerted efforts still need to be made in order to ensure that the MDGs, agreed by the United Nations, will be fulfilled. We remind political leaders that a promise is a promise, and that cutting resources and taking a more modest approach to solve the problems the world is facing today, is not an acceptable response to economic difficulties.
Climate change is taking place and already affects young people all around the world. We urge governments to assume their global responsibility and adopt an ambitious and fair global climate change deal, thereby ensuring a habitable planet for the current and future generations and securing the survival of all cultures and communities.
The current economic crisis must be used as an opportunity to build a new sustainable and green economic model for the future. Moreover, governments should invest in youth, educate and involve young people, in particular by including them in the official governmental delegations. At the 10th anniversary of the University on Youth and Development, our commitment to contribute to a sustainable development is greater than ever.
Access to decent work in the labour market is key to ensure equal opportunities for all. Despite being the most educated generation ever, young people today are facing great challenges when entering work. Governments should facilitate the first entry of young people in the labour market.
The role of young people and of youth organisations in the fight against extremist behaviour and radicalisation, promotion of solidarity, peace and the respect for diversity still needs to be fully acknowledged and promoted. Special attention should be put on guaranteeing the participation and the integration of young people with migrant backgrounds and other vulnerable groups of young people, not only because they are under-represented but because these are groups of young people with particularly valuable experience needed to solve the challenges of today.
We continue to believe in non-formal education (NFE) as a provider of valuable learning experiences that develop attitudes and values of young people across the world. Youth organisations are important providers of NFE, which is also the corner-stone for all the activities at the University on Youth and Development. Through a large-scale youth exchange, the University brings together youth from many cultures in an enriching intercultural learning experience.
The University is youth exchange at its best and young people are encouraged by the environment and working atmosphere to develop themselves and societies. While many can enjoy the benefits of exchange there are many who remain without that option. As visa regulations continue to be a barrier to participation we urge governments to remove these obstacles to youth mobility and open the world’s borders.
Armed conflicts are still influencing the lives of millions of young people around the world. Due to a bomb attack in Afghanistan one of our participants was not able to come to the University on Youth and Development. Youth organisations play an important role in preventing conflicts as well as in mediating post-conflict processes. We pass on and reinforce the message of peace from the University to the outside world. The recognition of our right to a peaceful world is crucial for ending the senseless killing of young people. We only have one world, our world.
Recognising the work of the last 10 years and the huge impact the University has had on so many young people around the world, we reaffirm our commitment to continue contributing to the University on Youth and Development in the future, for the next decade of making a difference.