YOUTH SOCIAL ACTION PROGRAMS - Human Rights Conferences & Programs

INTRODUCTION

We started this project from the heart of the EU Belgium and its' capital Brussels.  Brussels is considered the de facto capital of the European Union, having a long history of hosting the institution of the European Union within its' European quarter.  Despite the fact that the EU has no official capital and no plan to declare one, Brussels hosts the official seats of the European Commission, Council of the European Union, and European Council, as well as a de facto  seat in the European Parliament.

REFUGEES OF BRUSSELS

Our first meeting in Brussels wasn’t with officials nor organizations but with a group of refugees living in a public park called Parc Maximilien, the park stands out against a cold backdrop of office buildings in north Brussels.  The park is beautifully landscaped with wide swaths of grass, rows of trees, castles to climb on and colorful swings.  For the last few years Parc Maximilien has become a refuge for asylum seekers from around Africa, mostly Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia.  For many, the desired destination is the UK.  They pass the nights in miserable conditions as they sleep under a garage overhang using discarded cartons and plastic packaging to keep the cold out.  IRF donated $5,900 to a survival group to buy sleeping bags and other necessities to help the refugees survive the harsh conditions in the upcoming winter. 

IRF MEETING WITH CLUB DE MADRID

IRF also took this opportunity to meet with high level officials in the EU to advocate for our causes and to promote the Self-Determination Approach and Philosophy of the IRF.   As part of the EU delegation, we met with 12 former presidents and prime ministers of 12 countries called Club de Madrid.   The members of the World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid, are all democratic former presidents and prime ministers from around the world.  Since members are no longer in office, they now represent their personal leadership experience and commitment and not their countries or parties; therefore, they are more free to share their personal experiences while still keenly aware of the pressures and problems faced by today’s leaders.  In our meeting, we wanted to get the word out and talk about the importance of charity and giving. We hoped to motivate the members to do more by presenting IRF as role model when it comes to giving without asking anything in return providing Dignity and Respect. We hoped to use this powerful network of members to gain access to governments, organizations and other non-profits to promote democracy and empowerment of human rights.

INTI RAYMI FUND AT THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY 18-22 SEPTEMBER 2017

As part of the EU delegation, we attended a meeting at the UN co-chaired by Jordan and Norway and co-hosted by the “Champions of Youth” Group.  The Secretary General of the United Nations Mr. Antonio Gutteres delivered opening remarks of this Meeting.

The meeting aimed to sustain the momentum for empowering youth and reaffirm the significant role of young people in sustaining peace and development as well as in preventing and countering violent extremism.  It stressed the need for greater collaboration and stronger community by Member States to implement UNSCR 2250 at all levels and to achieve our joint ambitious vision towards generating favorable conditions for the meaningful and inclusive engagement of youth as partners.  The Meeting officially announced the Group of the “Champions of Youth” which so far consists of 22 Member States and the European Union.  It will also affirm support for the Progress Study mandated by Resolution 2250 through political and/or financial support.

Additionally, we were invited by H.E. Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, H.E. Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission and H.E. Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission to a networking reception for all EU governmental and non-governmental partners which took place at the European Union Delegation to the United Nations in New York.  It was great pleasure to have the opportunity to network and make new friends to support IRF work.  At the reception we met our friend, the lead author of the progress study of The United Nations Security council resolution 2250, Mr Graeme Simpson.  After genuine conversation, we decided to do a consolation on Peace-Education and the UNSCR 2250 in a place where no consolation took place.

UNITED NATIONS RESOLUTION 2250 ON YOUTH, PEACE AND SECURITY

The United Nations Security Council adopted unanimously, on 9 December 2015, a ground-breaking resolution on Youth, Peace and Security which recognizes that “young people play an important and positive role in the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security”.

UNSCR 2250 (2015) identifies five key pillars for action: participation, protection, prevention, partnerships and disengagement and reintegration.  This landmark resolution urges Member States to give youth a greater voice in decision-making at the local, regional, national and international levels and to consider setting up mechanisms that would enable young people to participate meaningfully in peace processes.

With help from our friends in the United Nations, European External Action Service and from verious Peacebuilding organizations, we held the event called “Youth for Peace Education in Georgia”. This event was held on September 28th in Tbilisi, Georgia.  The purpose of the event was to promote the concept of peace education in Georgia and to support the UN 2250 Resolution on Youth, Peace and Security.  Our event attracted the interest of youth, non-governmental organizations and governmental/international organizations as well as research and higher education institutions.  Our event attracted 32 representatives from 22 different organizations discussing challenges hindering the development of peace education in Georgia.  The participants came up with recommendations on how to develop peace education and engage Georgian youth.  Recommendations were submitted to the Progress Study Group by the lead author after the last official consultation on this resolution. 

IRF MEETING THE WORLD BANK (WB)

The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries.  It is five institutions sharing a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.  The IRF and WB both share the mission and values as we found by presenting the IRF funding model based on Sharing with Dignity and Respect Philosophy.  We met with Tobias Lechtenfeld and Oliva, both are working at the WB as Social Development Specialists – Middle East and North Africa, we also met Mattias H. A. Lundberg who is working as a lead specialist on Global Youth Programs.  Our strategic meetings with the office of MENA region department at the World Bank aimed to engage with experts working on learning and innovation, social, urban, rural and resilience, linked to the WB MENA agenda and Youth Strategy and Platform.

WHAT NEXT?

As a follow up on the event which took place in Georgian, we will be working with our friends and partners in Georgia and in the EU-Brussels to create a network of organizations working on Peace-Building in the Caucasian region (Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia, Iran). Every $1 spent on upstream conflict prevention saves approx. $16 on the downstream costs of violent conflict.  As a Global Human Rights Foundation, we find it’s our job to support organizations working on ending violent conflict.

The final project during this expedition  was called "Our Community - Our Responsibility".  This is a small fund called “Inti Raymi Micro Fund for Social Cause”.  This fund aims to create a network of young community leaders who will inspire each other to bring positive social change in Brussels.  These funds will go to a group of youth to support their Social Action Projects implemented within their communities.  This project targets  youth from 18 to 25.  We requested proposals from roughy 30 to 35 young leaders on issues they wanted to address in their local communities.  Our goal is to spread social justice causes and inspire others to act though these empowerment funding projects.