The Wellspring

The Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) is a group of youth organisations working to educate, empower and mobilise young Australians to take action on climate change.

The Coalition is currently accepting applications from young Australians to be part of the 20-strong Australian Youth Delegation to the 14th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP14) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held from 1 - 12 December 2008 in Poznan, Poland.

The 13th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP13) held in Bali in December 2007 set the wheels in motion for what will become, in December 2009, the Copenhagen Protocol - the successor to the Kyoto Protocol. This December in Poland marks the halfway point in this international policy negotiation.

The International Youth Caucus on Climate Change will be at COP14 to represent the voices of young people, keep negotiations on track and ensure that discussions are not hijacked by vested fossil fuel interests. The Australian Youth Climate Coalition will be coordinating the Australian Youth Delegation.

For further information and to receive an application form, email ayd@youthclimatecoalition.org. Applications close June 22 2008.

International Youth Foundation-funded social enterprise organisation YouthActionNet is calling for applications from young social entrepreneurs to fill the 20 positions in its annual Global Fellowship Program. The yearlong program includes a seven-day, all-expenses-paid, capacity-building and leadership retreat in Washington, DC, regular advocacy training, and networking, media and funding opportunities throughout the year. The program is open to young people aged 18 - 29 leading existing social projects.

For further information and to apply online, see http://youthactionnet.org/index.php?fuse=fellowmainpage. Applications close 15 May 2008.

The 4th World Youth Congress will be held at Laval University, Quebec, Canada from 10 - 21 August, 2008 (which, very strangely, will mean that the Congress overlaps entirely with the Beijing Olympics) on the theme “Youth-led Development”. It will be the next in a series of events that will bring together 600 of the world’s young activists (aged 15 - 30) in the field of sustainable development in order to demonstrate that young people are one of the most valuable resources in governments’ and international development organisations’ mission to reach the Millennium Development Goals.

At the Congress, organized by Peace Child International, World Youth Congress 2008 and TakingITGlobal, young people will have the opportunity to discuss the challenges of sustainable development, exchange best practises, submit ideas and define strategies together with government representatives.

For more information and to apply online as an individual or organisation, see http://www.wyc2008.qc.ca/.

Applications close 31 October, 2007.

The Goi Peace Foundation and UNESCO are inviting young people (up to 25 years of age) from around the world to enter its annual essay contest.

Essays must be 800 words or less and can be submitted in English, French, Spanish or German on this year’s theme: “The role of media and information and communication technologies in building a peaceful world”.

First prize winners will receive a cash award and a trip to Japan.

For more information and the complete guidelines, see http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/programs/0702_00.htm.

Entries close 30 June, 2007.

Symbolising the priority placed on fighting global warming, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently appointed three special envoys on climate change. The envoys - former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland (famous for propagating the commonly-held concept and definition for ’sustainable development’), former South Korean Foreign Minister Han Seung soo (Ban’s former boss!) and former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos - will work with Ban and political leaders around the world on fostering new climate change negotiations.

For more information, see the UN News Centre’s release at http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22410&Cr=climate&Cr1=change.

(Incidentally, the UN-Truth blog has an interesting (but somewhat rambling) article on the proliferation of UN Special Envoys: see http://www.un-truth.com/?p=203.)

In spectacular timing, the next day, the Australian Minister for the Environment and Water Resources called for the Kyoto Treaty to be scrapped, arguing the agreement belongs in the “pages of climate history”. The Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP said that with no limits set for developing countries, a lack of deforestation provisions and no chance the U.S. will ratify it, the world should focus on creating a new document. Critics countered that the government is merely trying to gloss over Australia’s rising energy and transport emissions. Ruh roh!

For further information, see the Reuters article at http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SYD71858.htm.

The New York Times has an interesting story about the only blogger accredited as one of 200 full-time resident correspondents at the United Nations. Matthew Lee runs innercitypress.org, which attracts 289 000 visitors each month (though from my perspective the stories seem a little haphazardly organised and are a tad confusing). The NYT reflects on how bloggers operate amongst other reporters at the UN, and how the institution is coping with a trend that can see practically anyone setup a website and start writing.

To view the article, see http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/business/
media/30blog.html?ex=1179806400&en=e971e95ceab9f80f&ei=5070 (free registration required).

From Friday 31 August - Monday 3 September 2007 the Brisbane City Council will host the 6th Asia Pacific Cities Summit (APCS), the region’s “premier government and business forum”. The Summit’s theme will be “Renewing Asia Pacific Cities” and will look at the issues of:

• sustainability
• livability
• economic development
• leadership and governance

For the first time ever, the Asia Pacific Cities Summit registration fee will be fully paid for 100 young people aged 16-25. Businesses and participating cities will sponsor the AUD $1250 delegate registration fee for young people across the region, who will be selected through an open application process.

(For the purposes of the Summit, the Asia Pacific region includes East Asia, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and the US and Canada.)

For further information and to download an application form, see http://www.visible-ink.org/default.aspx?TabID=229.

For further information on the APCS and its associated activities, see http://www.apcsummit.org/.

Applications close Monday, 28 May 2007.

The United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) has published its Year in Review 2006 publication, which gives a snapshot picture of civil society engagement in the policy and normative work of the UN. It reviews the various consultations, forums, policy dialogues, hearings and civil society arganisation (CSO) advisory committees that have taken place throughout the last year.

By detailing the variety of different avenues through which CSOs can get involved in the UN’s decision-making, the publication may be of special interest to those who are looking at working more closely with the UN agenda and building experience working in an intergovernmental environment.

To download a copy of the Review, see http://www.un-ngls.org/site/IMG/pdf/YiR2006.pdf.