World Bank Group Youth Summit 2014: The Need for Open & Responsive Governments

The World Bank Group Youth Summit 2014 will be held under the theme ''The Need for Open & Responsive Governments'' on October 7, 2014 at the World Bank Group Headquarters in Washington DC, USA.

The World Bank Group is hosting its second annual Youth Summit, in partnership with the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth. This year's event will focus on increased youth engagement in issues relating to government transparency, accountability, and collaborative governance.

The World Bank Group Youth Summit 2014 is open to everyone who are interested in this year's theme of Open & Responsive Governments. However, due to space limitations and in the interest of maximizing the impact of the event, we encourage everyone to submit their information and motivation for attending the event in the application form below. Selected participants will be notified as soon as decisions are made by the Youth Summit Organizing Committee (YSOC).

Increased government openness is crucial to earning back the trust of young people. Perceptions of corruption, inefficiencies, and bad management have resulted in a lack of trust in governments. With increasing inequality, unemployment, and lack of sustainable solutions, this perception is especially true amongst youth who feel their voices are often overlooked, disregarded or shut out of government decision-making processes. As those who have the most to lose by inheriting corrupt systems and non-open governments, young people have the incentive to create and seize the necessary tools to become actively engaged in government decision-making, which could result in greater transparency, accountability and better opportunities in their future. Around the world youth are standing up against corruption, demanding open governments, honest decision-making and active engagement.

With this in mind, the Youth Summit 2014 aims to convene young civil society and NGO leaders, students, government officials, technical experts and practitioners to focus on how we, the youth, can help governments become more open and responsive. The sub-themes of the Summit will focus specifically on transparency, accountability and collaboration, measures understood to end corruption and promote open and responsive governments.

To achieve this goal, the one-day Summit will be composed of high-level plenary discussions and targeted workshops. The Summit is envisioned to be engaging and innovative in leveraging the experience and expertise of participants, speakers, and workshop facilitators in an interactive setting. For this reason, this year’s Summit will crowdsource workshop session proposals whereby organizations from around the world working on governance, anti-corruption, and other related fields  are welcome to submit a proposal.

Established in 2013, the Youth Summit serves as a platform for conversation and action to make the World Bank Group more relevant to the global youth and to better involve young people in the work of the World Bank Group. The Youth Summit Organizing Committee is comprised of young World Bank Group employees and is supported by World Bank Group senior management.

The first Youth Summit was held in October 2013 and emphasized youth entrepreneurship, revitalizing a new chapter of World Bank Group involvement and engagement with a dynamic generation of young entrepreneurs, activists, development professionals, and others interested in global youth-related issues. It convened over seven hundred people and provided an opportunity for youth around the world to submit solutions to challenges faced by international organizations. Building on the accomplishments from last fall and responding to the overwhelmingly positive feedback received after the event, it was decided the Youth Summit would be hosted on an annual basis.

The agenda, speakers, and other content for the Youth Summit 2014 will be uploaded as soon as they are available. Please check back on this page regularly.

Please note that due to the grassroots nature of this initiative, we are unable, at this time, to provide financial support towards travel and accommodation. However, there will be alternate ways to take part in the event virtually. Information on how to participate virtually will be updated shortly.

Read more and apply www.worldbank.org/en/events/2014/07/21/wbg-youth-summit-2014#1

We look forward to your participation in the Youth Summit 2014!

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World Ocean Summit 2015 theme is ''Blue economy; blue growth'' and will be held in Lisbon, Portugal on June 2015

The World Ocean Summit 2015 will be held under the theme ''Blue economy; blue growth'' in Lisbon, Portugal from 3-5 June, 2015.

The ‘blue economy’ is nascent and not yet clearly defined, but it offers a vision of the ocean and coasts as a new source of economic growth, job creation and investment. Viewed narrowly, this could simply mean the beginning of a new and intensified phase of conventional economic activity. Yet a more expansive interpretation sees a blue economy in which economic opportunity is balanced by responsible investment in a sustainable ocean economy— a ‘win-win’ scenario where the private sector, acting through enlightened self-interest, is a catalyst for both economic development and environmental protection. In this vision, the blue economy is in itself a source of opportunity, investment and growth.

The Economist Events' third World Ocean Summit, chaired by John Micklethwait, Editor-in-Chief, The Economist, ambitiously aims to set a new global agenda for the ocean economy. The World Ocean Summit will convene more than 250 global leaders from various sectors with direct interests in the oceans and igniting a constructive dialogue on solution. Ahead of the summit, John Micklethwait, Editor-in-Chief, The Economist, said ''Ocean issues affect billions of people, in ways that bring together business, politics, academia and science.”

  

More about the summit at http://www.economistinsights.com/sustainability-resources/event/world-ocean-summit-2015?utm_campaign=EM3309%20-%20Email%202%20-%20DEL%20-%20HTML&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

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Call for applications: Scientific research paper writing training workshop 10-14 November 2014, Kenya

Scientific research paper writing training workshop 2014

10th-14th November 2014, ILRI Campus, Nairobi, Kenya

Call for applications

The BecA-ILRI Hub hereby invites applications for a workshop on scientific research paper writing to be held from 10th to 14th November 2014. The workshop is one of BecA-ILRI Hub’s annual training workshops under the capacity building portfolio, whose objective is to strengthen the capacity of African NARS to effectively, efficiently and sustainably deliver on their national mandates. The training will be conducted at the ILRI Campus, Nairobi, Kenya.

Eligibility / Applicant requirements

The workshop is generally open to PhD students and early career agricultural researchers with a strong interest in improving their writing skills. More specific applicant requirements include the following:

•    African scientist with PhD or MSc in any agricultural discipline
•    Fluent in English (written and spoken)
•    Currently conducting agricultural biosciences research with an African national agricultural research program or university in one of the BecA countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.
•    A project report for conversion to a paper, and/or the figures and tables and any other illustrative material that have been generated from data analysis
•    Women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply

How to apply

Interested eligible scientists / researchers should apply by completing the online application form;http://hpc.ilri.cgiar.org/beca/training/Writeshop2014/index.html

In addition, the applicant must attach a supporting letter from his/her supervisor or Head of Institution.

Key dates / Application deadline

•    Call for applications release: 11th September 2014
•    Application deadline: 5th October 2014
•    Information to successful applicants: 10th October 2014
•    Information to unsuccessful applicants: 11th October 2014
•    Training dates: 10th – 14th November 2014
Applications submitted after the 5th October 2014 deadline and incomplete applications will not be considered.

Sponsorship

There are several fully funded places for this workshop. However, applicants who can fund their participation have an added advantage. The cost of the workshop is $1500, excluding flights and accommodation

Inquiries

Inquiries about the workshop and / or the BecA-ILRI Hub Capacity Building Program should be directed to Dr. Wellington Ekaya, Senior Scientist Capacity Building ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) or Ms. Valerian Aloo, Capacity Building Program Officer ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

For comprehensive information about the BecA-ILRI Hub visit http://hub.africabiosciences.org/

Below is the concept note and information flyer for the workshop.

Attachments: Advert_scientific research paper.pdf[ ]392 KbConcept note_Scientific Paper Writing BecA Annual Workshop - 2014.pdf[ ]154 Kb

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Outcomes of workshop on Sustainable Development Goals and Education for Global Citizenship at the United Nations

SDGs Make Room for Education for Global Citizenship

By Joel Jaeger

Soka Gakkai International (SGI) sponsors a workshop on education for global citizenship in the post-2015 development agenda. Credit: Hiro Sakurai / SGI

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 29 2014 (IPS) - Civil society leaders and U.N. development experts gathered on Wednesday to discuss the role of education for global citizenship in the post-2015 development agenda.

The workshop, sponsored by Soka Gakkai International (SGI), was part of the U.N.’s 65th Annual Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization (DPI/NGO) Conference.

“We are part of a bigger humanity.” -- Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury

Education “is linked to all areas of sustainable development and is vital in achieving all Sustainable Development Goals and targets,” Hiro Sakurai, SGI’s U.N. liaison office director, told IPS.

“Education for global citizenship deserves particular attention and emphasis in this regard as it helps link issues and disciplines, brings together all stakeholders, and fosters shared vision and objectives,” he said.

Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury, former under-secretary general and high representative of the U.N., gave the event’s keynote address. He expressed his excitement at the increased prominence of global citizenship in development circles.

According to Ambassador Chowdhury, global citizenship requires “self-transformation” and can be a “pathway to a culture of peace.”

Progress requires a “determination to treat each one of us as a global citizen,” he said. “We are part of a bigger humanity.”

Saphira Ramesfar of the Baha’i International Community also spoke to the transformative nature of global citizenship.

“It is not enough for education to provide individuals who can read, write and count,” she said. “Education must be transformative and bring shared values to life, cultivating an active care for the world itself and for those with whom we share it. Education needs to fully assume its role in building just, unified and inclusive societies.”

In the past, attempts to build global citizenship have focused on the young, but Ambassador Chowdhury argued for a more expansive understanding of the concept.

Related IPS Articles

• Global Citizenship Key to World Peace

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• OPINION: For Nigerian Girls, Education Is the Key That Opens Doors to Progress

“I believe that education for global citizenship is for all of us, irrespective of our age, irrespective of whether we are going through a formal education process or not,” Chowdhury said.

Anjali Rangaswami of the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs explained how NGOs have actively participated in the crafting of the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Past years have set “a very high standard for civil society engagement,” according to Rangaswami.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), set to expire in 2015, included a target of universal primary education. The SDGs, if adopted in their current draft form, would aim for universal secondary education as well.

Under target four, the SDGs specifically mention education for global citizenship, an issue left unaddressed by the MDGs.

The U.N’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI), which lists “fostering global citizenship” as one of its three main priorities, was influential in this new development.

According to Min Jeong Kim, head of GEFI’s secretariat team, the initiative was launched by the secretary-general in 2012 because “at that point education had sort of stagnated after rapid growth following adoption of [the] MDGs.”

After the panel speakers concluded, participants in the workshop broke into small groups to share their own perspectives on education for global citizenship.

The event was also co-sponsored by the Baha’i International Community, Global Movement for a Culture of Peace, Human Rights Education Associates, Sustainable Development Education Caucus and Values Caucus, bringing a wide variety of expertise to the table.

The SDGs are an opportunity for a whole new outlook on education.

Education should be focused on developing meaningful lives, rather than focused on making a living, Ambassador Chowdhury told IPS.

So far the paradigm has been “if you get a good job, then your education is worth it, and if you do not get a good job, then your education is worthless,” he said. “That has to change.”

Edited by Kitty Stapp

The writer can be contacted at joelmjaeger@gmail.com

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Call for applications : The Verb is looking for contributors for its team at the COP20

The Verb is looking for contributors and would love your help in finding them. The deadline to apply for our COP20 team is quickly approaching, but there's still time to apply! The Verb is a newswire focused on telling the stories that matter, for now, the environment. The team comes from over 17 countries and a range of different professions - not just journalists or environmental professionals! In addition to producing unique content that mainstream media are often unable to, we provide a professional development program for our contributors.

We are looking for people to join us in an ongoing fashion, and also specifically to join us in Lima, Peru for the next round of the UN climate change negotiations (COP20).

You can find out more here.

We don’t have a model candidate, but here are some things that you may be:

• A student or young professional under the age of thirty, from anywhere in the world
• Interested in environmental issues, international relations or the media/communication spaces, but not necessarily overly qualified or experienced on all three areas
• Ready to be challenged and challenge others in a professional learning context
• Able to dedicate at least three hours a week to The Verb
• (If applying to work with us in Lima) present in Lima between November 28 - December 14

If this sounds like you or someone you know, join us: www.bit.ly/joinverb

Everyone at The Verb is a volunteer, and we’re unable to offer direct financial assistance but may be able to help through other means.

If this doesn’t sound like you, we’d really appreciate it if you could pass on the application through your networks, and to people you know who may be interested. We have a nominal deadline very soon!

If you or your publication (traditional, online or otherwise) are interested in syndicating our content please contact Linh Do directly.

Thank you very much for your help! 

More about The Verb

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FAO new publication : ''Youth and Agriculture: Key Challenges and Concrete Solutions'' is out !

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has just released a new publication in partnership with the CTA and support from SIDA, entitled ''Youth and Agriculture: Key Challenges and Concrete Solutions''.

The global population is expected to increase to 9 billion by 2050, of which, 14% are youth aged between 15 – 24 years. While the world’s youth population is will grow significantly, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for youth, especially those living in developing countries’ economically stagnant rural areas – remain limited, poorly remunerated and of poor quality. Few young people see a future for themselves in agriculture or rural areas. Some of the major challenges faced are: limited access to land; inadequate access to financial services; insufficient access to knowledge; information and education; difficulties in accessing green jobs; limited access to markets; and limited involvement in policy dialogue.

Yet, solutions exist in all parts of the world.  

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Technical Center for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have joined forces to conduct research and produce a publication which provides real life examples from developing and more advanced economies.  

Each of six key challenges indicated above have been documented, and for each of them, seven to nine cases studies illustrate how they can be addressed. Analyses of the experiences, their implementation frameworks and indications on some of their results have been provided.  Additional experiences have been indicated in the conclusions of each chapter. A number of the case studies carry innovations that have strong potentials to strengthen the engagement of youths and family farmers in agricultural value chains, enhance global food security and youth livelihoods.  

Many of the initiatives reported originate with the young people themselves. They show that – when there is a supportive environment – youth are able to find innovative ways to create a future for themselves, and also contribute to the societies and communities in which they live.  

The document builds on results of the project “Facilitating Access to Rural Youth to Agricultural Activities” undertaken by FAO/IFAD/MIJARC, as well as on CTA youth activities. CTA, FAO and IFAD hope that this publication will help development practitioners, youth leaders, youth associations, producers’ organisations and policy makers alike by providing insights into possible solutions that can be tailored to their own context.  

Download your copy here

Read more at www.cta.int/en/article/2014-08-27/youth-and-agriculture-key-challenges-and-concrete-solutions.html

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Open Call for Participants : Participation in IFOAM Organic World Congress 2014

Open Call for Participants - Participation in IFOAM Organic World Congress

Interested applicants are requested to complete the Application Form and send it to the e-mail address of TACSO office in their country by 3 September 2014.

The IFOAM Organic World Congress will bring together CSOs, practitioners, business people and academics from around the world in Istanbul, 13-15 October 2014. The varied levels of the conference will include developing values and principles for concerted action, developing future action points for organic agriculture, sharing of experiences, building of solutions and exploring future collaboration. Please see www.owc2014.org for more details.

Some of the topics that will be covered by the Congress are:

-          Organic visions and trends;

-          Food security;

-          Social and environmental challenges;

-          Organic agriculture for development;

-          Institution building;

-          Innovations;

Who can apply? 
- CSOs (associations, foundations, cooperatives, unions):

-  Working on issues related to organic agriculture/animal husbandry, sustainable development/community supported agriculture, rural development, local food production, participatory guarantee systems, food security and related topics;

-  Based in the IPA countries.

Participants are expected to have experience in the field and act as resource people throughout the conference by sharing and discussing good practices and lessons learned.

Active members of networks of associations working with organic agriculture, farmers associations and unions are encouraged to apply.

Applicants need to be fluent in English to the extent that they can actively participate in the conference.

Additional selection criteria for participants include the connection of the goals and mission of the organisation with the theme of the conference, experience in managing activities in relation to the conference theme and the experience of the proposed CSO representative in relation to the theme of the conference.

Application procedure

Interested applicants are requested to complete the Application Form and send it to the e-mail address of the TACSO office in their country (see list below) by 3rd September 2014 with the subject heading: People to People: IFOAM Organic World Congress. The selection process should be completed by 10 September 2014. Five participants will be selected per country. Please note that only selected applicants will be contacted.

For selected participants, TACSO will cover travel costs (including costs of visas, if applicable), accommodation, meals and refreshments, cost of participation in the conference.  Further information can be obtained from the TACSO web site (www.tacso.org). If you have any additional questions please contactnatalija.gojkovic@tacso.org.

TACSO contacts:

Albania      info.al@tacso.org
Bosnia and Herzegovina    info.ba@tacso.org
Kosovo      info.ko@tacso.org
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  info.mk@tacso.org
Montenegro     info.me@tacso.org
Serbia       info.rs@tacso.org
Turkey      info.tr@tacso.org

Download: Open Call; Application

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