Call for Applications (deadline to apply is January 20th, 2014) Annual Darwin Scholarship Programme - Monitoring and Communicating Biodiversity August 20– 30th, 2014

Call for Applications (deadline to apply is January 20th, 2014) Annual Darwin Scholarship Programme - Monitoring and Communicating Biodiversity August 20– 30th, 2014

The scholarship programme is aimed at… 
Young Scientists from around the world, probably working for a non-governmental organisation, government department or in a Biology or Ecology faculty at University. You should be under the age of 35 and studying at graduate or post graduate level or be a young lecturer or work for an environmental organisation. 

The aim of the Darwin Scholar Programme is to develop “better naturalists” in the spirit of Darwin’s love of nature and observing the natural world. The Scholarship will focus on three areas: skills of observation and identification, skills of recording biodiversity and skills of communicating biodiversity to different target groups. 

Funding the Scholarship... 
The full cost of the 10 day scholarship programme is 1450 GBP per person. This covers the costs of all accommodation, teaching, and local travel in the UK during the programme. It does not cover the cost of international travel or getting to Preston Montford Field Centre in Shrewsbury and from Juniper Hall Field Centre near London. 

The FSC will assist successful applicants in this process and provide suggestions of sources of funding and also letters of support for applications to grant organisations. 

There will be a reduction in the course fee available to a limited number of eligible scholars up to a maximum of £625. For scholars who have been awarded a reduction in fee the cost of the programme will be 825 GBPs. 

How do you apply? 
We are looking for up to 25 scholars from countries across the world to join this 7th Darwin Scholarship Programme. 

Before you apply please make sure that you are able to meet these criteria: 
 You are aged 35 or under; 
 You are studying for or have a degree in Ecology, Biology or related subject; 
 You are an undergraduate, postgraduate, postdoctoral student, young lecturer or work for an environmental organisation; 
 You can speak and read English well. This is very important. There will be no interpretation or translation facilities; and 
 You have the support of your University or other organisation for the Scholarship programme.

There is no application form. To apply you will need to send us: 

1. Your CV 
Your CV can be in any format that is usual for your country – but must include your home and work 
addresses, email and telephone contacts, and skype address if you have one. You must also include the name of two referees we can write to. Please do not include reference letters with your application. Do try and keep less than 5 pages. 

2. A short letter in English 
Your letter should be of no more than two sides of A4, explaining why you want to take part in the 
scholarship programme. It should provide the following information – why you want to become a 
Darwin scholar, your personal assessment of your identification/observation capacity, your views on how well science is communicated to a wider audience and the role of scientists in education and what you will do with the new skills that you gain through the scholarship. You need to persuade us that you are the young, dynamic and enthusiastic scientist we are looking for from your country. 

3. A letter of support 
A letter from your University or organisation that states clearly that you have permission to take part in the scholarship programme. 

4. Request for a reduction in the course fee 
If you would like to apply for a reduction of up to 625 GBP please state why you consider that you are eligible in your short letter. 

Your application should reach the Field Studies Council not later than Monday 20th January 2014. It is not necessary to have guaranteed funding before making your application. 

Your application should be emailed to global@field-studies-council.org 
Contact person is Janet Jones

2014 summer internship/course in Geneva for graduate students

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I'm writing with a request: that you could alert your network of graduate students about Duke's summer internship/course for masters or Ph.D. students, located in Geneva, Switzerland.  Students from various fields (e.g., public policy, environmental science, law, political science, business, medicine) are welcome.

I'm the instructor for the "Environment, Energy, and the Economy" track, and we also offer tracks in health policy or humanitarian action.  To maximize students' face-time and interaction with policy practitioners, we place students in summer internships in institutions around Geneva (e.g., UNEP, WTO, UNHCR, WHO, WMO, UNCTAD, UNECE, ILO, ITC, Earthmind, IUCN, ICTSD, IISD) and we also provide an intensive 5-day course of guest speakers and site visits.  Geneva is excellent for that because it is home to UN bodies, NGOs, business groups, country missions, etc.  The program offers a course-only option if students do not wish to hold an internship — the courses usually are held in the last week in June or first week in July.  Outside of the course week, students gain professional experience with their internship placements and also have ample time for networking, researching, socializing, and traveling in a great spot right in the center of Europe.

The application deadline is Monday, November 25, at 5:00 pm EST.

A webinar info session with past participants will be held on Friday, October 25, at 3:00 pm EST — to sign up for the webinar, students should email program assistant Maggie Woods at: margaret.j.woods@duke.edu 

Please see the program's website for more information: www.sanford.duke.edu/geneva

Any questions, please contact program assistant Maggie Woods at: margaret.j.woods@duke.edu 

Would you mind distributing this information to students who may be interested?

Thank you for your help,

    Tana

Dr. Tana Johnson

Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Political Science

Instructor: "Environment, Energy, and the Economy" Track in the Duke Program on Global Policy and Governance — Geneva, Switzerland

Duke University, Sanford School of Public Policy

Invitation to Join: Himalayan Voice – A Voice that cannot go unheard

Invitation to Join: Himalayan Voice – A Voice that cannot go unheard

Dear Change-makers, Dear Lovers of the Himalayas,

We are happy to share that the team of the Climate Himalaya Initiative, the Environment Professionals’ Group and the Asia Pacific Youth Task Force on Rio+20 (APYTF), together with media, youth and civil society groups from South Asia and China, is now starting a citizen journalism campaign - Himalayan Voice: Battle against institutional corruption in the Himalayas. To be formally launched in November 2013, the campaign is expected provoke discussion on transparency, human rights, indigenous rights and right to information in the sustainable mountain development sector, eventually promoting social auditing of government and other public institutions and form advocacy group in desired communities to ensure such bodies are economically efficient, environmentally responsible and socially accountable to the people. The campaign will have strong virtual presence along with some satellite networks at country level, largely led by young sustainability forerunners and backed by media professionals writing on sustainability and governance issues.

During the pre-planning study it is realized that every year billions of dollars is spent in Himalayan countries – Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan, without any concrete outputs. A large chunk of resources is utilized by multilateral organizations by themselves or through other intermediary international and national organizations, whose actual benefits never go to the local communities. Interestingly, many of such initiatives are neither registered with the governments nor properly followed-up by the donors. In our estimate about 80-90% of such resources are spent in staff salary, travel and administration of international agencies and big national NGOs and rest less than 10% is channeled further for the real work. Another layer of partners (national NGOs) further take big chunk of money away leaving less than 5% of the resource for the real work. Sadly, thus left 5% also dries away without any use due to poor governance system in the local communities and district level administrative units. Until a clear mechanism is developed to track all sustainability funds and spent through well institutionalized integrated sector driven and community led initiatives, sustainable development will never be achieved in the Himalayas. Himalayan Voice will attempt to voice these issues among donors, policy makers, and in the development communities in these countries.

To start with this, we are currently looking for list of journalists and advocacy groups who work against environmental corruption and environmental governance with footprint in ‘South Asia + China’ with global influence. If you know any of them, we appreciate your support in linking them with us or providing lists of relevant contacts or referring to the websites where anti-corruption contents can be populated without much editing. We will be covering sustainable development sector with a major focus on climate change and associated institutional mechanisms, governance and corruption. We aim to make aware the governments, civil society in the region as well their donors from the west about the nature and level of corruption, abuse of power and how that is triggering jeopardizing environmental issues in the Himalayan countries. 

For more information and to share relevant updates you can bring on board, out virtual platforms are:

Discussion Forum: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/environment-professionals

Exclusive ClimateDebates on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/groups/CHIClimateDebates/

Network beyond Boundaries on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/groups/171967553141/

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/guardhimalayas

Get periodically Updated on our Blog: http://transforminghimalayas.blogspot.com/

Report your issue in public on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/groups/againstclimatecorruption/

Report your issues privately at climatehimalaya@gmail.com and/ortransforminghimalayas@gmail.com. We ensure highest level of seclusion for the privately reported issues. Such stories will be published on our blog and disseminated to our audiences globally.

After combining all the platforms above, currently we are connected to around 10,000 stakeholders. Help us grow more, grow fast!!!

Sincerely,

Team Himalayan Voice

"A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

ICIMOD's Youth Ambassadors Champion the Mountain Agenda*

The year 2012 was an important one for ICIMOD; it marked 20 years since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio recognized the importance of mountains by introducing Chapter 13 as a separate chapter in Agenda 21 – also known as the Mountain Agenda. As part of UNCED’s follow-up (Asia’s regional response to Agenda 21, Chapter 13), ICIMOD organized the first regional conference in Kathmandu, Nepal in December 1994. The participants of this conference adopted a declaration on the Sustainable Development of Mountain Areas of Asia – known as the SUDEMAA Call to Action – which resulted in the creation of the Asia-Pacific Mountain Network (APMN).

APMN is a communication platform that facilitates information and knowledge sharing and advocates for the mountain agenda in the Asia-Pacific region. Over the last two decades APMN has made significant contributions by involving different stakeholders (such as governments, development partners, local communities, civil society, youth and media), facilitating networking and partnerships among them at different scales, and promoting two-way communication and knowledge exchange. 

One of most important steps forward has been realizing the need to engage youth in the sustainable mountain development process and developing suitable platforms for them to advocate for the mountain agenda at the national, regional, and global levels. ICIMOD’s Youth for Sustainable Mountain Development (Y4SMD) initiative is such a platform. Since it began in 2009, the global membership of Y4SMD has grown to almost 4,000 members, the majority of whom are from ICIMOD’s regional member countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Y4SMD has been involved in e-conferences, national campaigns, Climate Cafés, knowledge sharing workshops, the Earth Debate, capacity building events, and networking-advocacy meetings on the sideline of international events such as the Annual Adaptation Forum, Rio+20 Conference, and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (UNFCCC COP) 17 and 18.

Representative articles/pictures etc are available at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.570285699671252.1073741825.100000694825417&type=1


Several other youth-led initiatives in the HKH region have also benefitted from ICIMOD’s sponsorship, knowledge, and network. The Asia-Pacific Mountain Courier, APMN’s biannual periodical, and social networking platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter, discussion lists, blogs) have proved to be important platforms for young emerging leaders to share their views and initiatives, network with others, and find out about different opportunities. In the last four years ICIMOD has trained over 500 youth on mountain issues from 20 Asia Pacific countries through capacity building workshops, Climate Cafés, and various forums such as the Asia Pacific and the Hindu Kush Himalayan Regional Forum, Eastern Himalayas Sub-Regional Forum, and national youth forums in ICIMOD’s regional member countries.

In 2012 alone, hundreds of youth were engaged in advocating for the mountain agenda from the national to global level through the Earth Debate (February), Mountain Youth and Green Economy side event at the Planet Under Pressure Conference (March), National Youth Rio+20 preparatory and follow-up campaigns in Nepal and Pakistan (throughout the year), various side events at Rio+20 Conference, and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) Youth Blast (June). Likewise, the Global Youth Forum in Rio de Janeiro (June), Asia Pacific Youth Forum on Green Economy (September), and national youth forums in Pakistan (November), Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal (all in December) trained over 280 youth on the green economy in the context of mountain development. All of these events were driven by ICIMOD Youth Ambassadors with minimum guidance or support from ICIMOD. Some ICIMOD Youth Ambassadors attended the UNFCCC COP 18 in Doha, at which they organized the Second Global Youth Forum and a knowledge café on mountain issues. Last, but not the least, the Member’s Mountain Courier you are reading now is also prepared by Youth Ambassadors as part of ICIMOD’s efforts to take youth initiatives to the national level.

- Anja Møller Rasmussen, Senior Manager, ICIMOD; and Tek Jung Mahat, APMN Node Manager, ICIMOD

* This is the key highlights of the activities carried out in the year 2012 itself in preparation of and following –up Rio+20 conference in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012. All these activities were implemented by ICIMOD through the Asia Pacific Mountain Network (APMN) Project in partnership with several national, regional and global youth initiatives, youth organizations and youth alliances.

National Youth Forum on Green Solutions in Bangladesh in Rangamati District from 18-19 December 2012

ICIMOD and the Bangladesh Youth Forum together with the Green Hill and the Asia Pacific Youth Task Force on Rio +20 organised a two-days long National Youth Forum on Green Solutions in Bangladesh in Rangamati District from 18-19 December 2012. Organised in the framework of ICIMOD’s National Youth Forum initiative that aims to prepare youth from its member countries to take actions to promote green solutions in their countries, the event was attended by 40 youth from different parts of the country, majority of them coming from the hilly background. The two days meeting proved to be instrumental in bringing together central and local government, non-governmental organisations, local communities and youth to discuss on potential areas for development of green solutions in hilly areas of Bangladesh. 

Guests who attended the event included Mr. Md. Shamsuzzaman, Joint Secretary (administration), Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tract Affairs; Mr. Md. Irfan Sharif, Chief Executive Officer, Rangamati Hill District Council; Mr. Moung Thowai Ching, Executive Director, Green Hill; Mr. Tek Jung Mahat, Project Manager, ICIMOD; Mrs. Nazia Shirin, Upazila Nirbahi Officer, Rangamati Sadar Upazila; Mr. Md. Mostafa Kamal, Deputy Commissioner, Rangamati Hill District; Ms. Marufa Ishaque, Programme Coordinator, Bangladesh Youth Forum; and Ms. Tuku Talukder, Chairperson, Green Hill among others. The programme contained technical sessions, world café for ideas development, field visit to nearby villages located in the Kaptai Lake area and community interaction. 

At the end of the Forum, the 40 participating youth prepared the National Youth Declaration on Green Solutions in Bangladesh, which will be guiding the youth activities in hilly areas of Bangladesh in coming days.

Bhutan hosted National Youth Forum on Green Solutions in Thimpu from 14-16 December 2012

Aiming at preparing youth from its member countries to take actions to promote green actions, ICIMOD partnered with the Happy Green Cooperative, a youth organization based in Thimpu and the Asia Pacific Youth Task Force on Rio +20 to organize three-days long National Youth Forum on Green Solutions in Bhutan, 14-16 December 2012. Held at the Department of Youth and Sports, Thimpu, the forum was attended by over 40 youth from different parts of the country.

 

The opening sessions of the forum was inaugurated by honorable Dr. Pema Gyamtsho, Minister of Agriculture and Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan. Dr. Gyamtsho acknowledged the efforts put in by ICIMOD to engage youth in the area of green solutions and also encouraged the youth participants to have open mind in discussing pertinent issues to make the best use of the event. The forum successfully brought together government officials, local green entrepreneurs and youth communities to discuss on potential areas of development of green solutions in Bhutan. Guests who attended the forum included Ms Kesang Tshomo, National Director, National Organic Program, Ministry of Agriculture and Forest; Mr Sonam Dargay, Sr. Planning officer, National Environment Commission; Mr Karma Yoenten, CEO and Founder, Greener Way Waste Management Organization; Mr Vishmal Rai, CEO and Innovator, Green Computing and Green Solutions; Mr Sangay Rinchen, CEO and Founder, Happy Green Cooperative; Ms Anja Moller Rasmussen, Programme Manager, Integrated Knowledge Management, ICIMOD among others. In addition to the technical sessions by experts, the forum also included lively interaction session with young entrepreneurs of Bhutan which provided the participants a platform to share and gain ideas. The participants also had a chance to visit a Druk Organic Farm run by Druk Organic Growers Cooperatives located in Toeb Menchhungna, Toeb Geog, Punakha District. Farm manager Mr Rinchen Dorji and Mr Hitoshi Yokota, Integrated Agriculturist and Organic Foods Consultant from Japan introduced the activities of the farm to the participants. Also, a knowledge café session run by ICIMOD team provided a technical means for the participants to brainstorm on the ideas and come up with the National Youth Declaration on Green Solutions in Bhutan.

National Youth Forum on Green Solutions in India in Rishikesh from 9-11 December 2012

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and the YUVA Foundation, together with Plant a Tree India, Asia Pacific Youth Task Force on Rio +20 and SEED, organised a National Youth Forum on Green Solutions in India in Rishikesh from 9-11 December 2012. About 40 youth participants from seven mountain states of India – Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram - attended talks by various mountain experts, made presentations on issues facing their states, participated in team building and leadership activities, and explored their role in shaping the emerging green economy, culminating in the joint development of a youth declaration on green solutions focused on the Indian Himalayas.

Mr Shantanu Gupta, founder and director of the YUVA foundation, briefed the participants about the objectives and expected outputs of the NFYGS.  Mr Tek Jung Mahat elaborated on how he saw the saw the event fitting into ICIMOD’s Youth Programme in the post-Rio+20 context. Speakers from various institutes - Dr. Pyar Singh Negi  from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology,Abdhesh Gangwar from Centre for Environmental Education-Himalaya, Mr. L.P Semwal  from Shri Jagdamba Samiti, Mr. Hemant Dhyani  from the Ganga Ahvaan Aandolan, Mr. Anil Jaggi  from the Green Earth Alliance and Ujol Sherchan from ICIMOD - spoke on a range of topics such as:

• impacts of climate change on mountain ecosystems,;
• need to change consumption habits to reduce carbon footprint and work in areas of mitigation to increase handprint;
• challenges facing mountain agriculture due to climate change and the need to work toward the sustainability of crops through various adaptation and mitigation measures;
• pollution of the Ganges river: issues, challenges and solutions;
• importance of corporate social responsibility, and its implications;
• linkage between the sustainable mountain development agenda and the movement toward a greener economy 

§

An Academy award winning movie, The Inconvenient Truth, was screened to initiate a discussion on how the youth participants conceived of climate change issues facing their states.  A leadership and team building exercise developed around a ‘bridge building contest: longest, strongest and most beautiful” brought out the creativity of the youngsters, and at the same time made them work as a team. The final outcome was evaluated on a few criteria, including leadership potential of team members, after which a winner was declared.

 

However, the main highlight of the event was presentations by youth participants on “Role of youth in the emerging Green Economy to address climate change challenges and opportunities facing the Indian Himalayas”.  All the presentations were followed by aWorld Café session on the ‘Identification and prioritization of climate change and adaptation related challenges and issues in the context of of the Indian Himalayas from a youth perspective‟. 

A SWOT (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of five key stakeholders with stakes in the climate change development, - namely the government, community, youth, corporate sector and academia – was conducted and discussed in groups and later presented at a plenary. This activity proved to be extremely helpful in the development of a youth declaration on green economy.

 

On the last day, a field trip to the river Ganges along the Rajaji National Park was led by by Dr. K. K. Upreti. A stop was made at the village where the participants got the opportunity to interact with the villagers that had led a participatory 37-day hunger strike to achieve their right to access various government services and amenities, which subsequently made an enormous difference in their lives. 

Coincided with the International Mountain Day on 11 December, the event concluded finalizing the youth declaration on green solutions in India, which will be guiding the youth activities in across the Indian Himalayas. The event generated wide interest among the youth and media communities in India and beyond.

National Youth Forum on Green Solutions in Nepal held in Kathmandu, Nepal from 6–8 December 2012

The National Youth Forum on Green Solutions in Nepal was held in Kathmandu, Nepal from 6–8 December 2012. Managed under the Youth for Sustainable Mountain Development (Y4SMD) initiative of ICIMOD, the forum was organized through ICIMOD Youth Ambassadors led local NGO the Safe Environment Nepal – Youth 4 Conservation (SEN Y4C) in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Youth Task Force on Rio +20 and the Eco-Friends Nepal (EFN) and in participation of several ICIMOD trained youth in Nepal. The event saw participation from over 40 youth from different districts of Nepal, who were selected through a rigorous application process while maintaining a balance with respect to geography, gender and age.

The three-days long forum offered platform to Nepalese youth to understand theoretical concepts and underlying practical issues related to green economy in Nepal and other mountainous countries, discuss on possibilities of developing environmental entrepreneurship building on them, expand network of with like minded people and get to know about the institutional mechanisms and structure that can help them in the process. In his keynote address Dr Golam Rasul, Programme Manager and Green Economy expert at ICIMOD elucidated the importance of green economy in the mountainous countries, where he emphasized on need of establishing a strong link between water, food and energy. During the forum, participants interacted with several notable scientists and green entrepreneurs, and were briefed on vermicomposting, ecotourism projects among others. Through group exercises, participants also presented their vision for a cleaner country post 2015. The forum culminated with the participants attending the ICIMOD’s Green Solutions Fair at the ICIMOD Knowledge Park at Godavari where they had opportunities to visit market place enriched with participation of several Kathmandu based I/NGOs and environmental entrepreneurs.

Three five posters were awarred including cash prize to winning three. Prizma Ghimire, Nirmal Jnawali, Kanchan Upadhyay, Laxman Kande and Prachan Bhujel respectively were the top 5 entrants to the poster competition). The award was given to them by Dr. David Molden, Director General of ICIMOD.

Appeal: Global Youth Forum on Mountain Issues and Green Solutions, 1 December 2012 in Doha, UNFCCC COP18

The Global Youth Forum on Mountain Issues and Green Solutions concluded with a “Global Youth Appeal for COP18”. The delegation comprised of over twenty delegates from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific. The Global Youth Forum on Mountain Issues and Green Solutions took place at the Climate Change Studio, Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) Doha during UNFCCC COP18 on 1 st December, 2012.

The youth delegates presented the youth appeal, declaration, views and concerns of the youth of their regions, and appealed to the world leaders and COP18 delegates to take into consideration the voices of the youth as the decisions taken today will affect them in future, and the future belongs to them so it is time to Act Now.

Global youth appeal to the world leaders and COP18 delegates that;

“We, the Global Youth, demand urgent and efficient action in the United Nations Climate Change conference, COP18/CMP 8. Youth must be provided due space in the UNFCCC process, and there is a need for youth empowerment through capacity building, opportunities, and building grassroots movements. Cultural events are a vital medium for passing messages, promoting climate change awareness and activism to reach the local communities by removing the language barriers. Youth needs to be trained to become climate change ambassadors by promoting environmental awareness.

The world is vulnerable to climate change; there is a dire need for promoting green entrepreneurship, sustainable energy (renewable energy solutions) usage, low carbon economy, and collaboration amongst youth. Efforts for climate change adaptation should be at par with mitigation efforts as the global south cannot afford mitigation measures.

The COP18 message should reach out vulnerable communities through all available means including social media and more traditional forms of communication”.

for more info, pls contact Ms. Sameera Zaib, event coordinator at sameerazaib.env@gmail.com.

National Youth Forum on Green Solutions in Pakistan at NUST Islamabad from 5-6 November 2012

The National Youth Forum on Green Solutions in Pakistan was at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Islamabad, Pakistan from 5–6 November 2012. Under ICIMOD’s Youth for Sustainable Mountain Development (Y4SMD) initiative, the  event was organized by the  Asia Pacific Youth Task Force on Rio +20 (APYTF) with support from the Peace & Development Organization (PDO) and a network of ICIMOD trained youth forum alumni in Pakistan. The event saw participation of some 40 youth from all provinces of Pakistan, who were selected through a rigorous application process while maintaining a balance with respect to geography, gender and age.

The two day forum provided a local forum for Pakistani youth for interaction and networking while helping them identify locale specific green economy initiatives. The forum oversaw keynote addresses by notable scientists, plenary discussions, group exercises and field visits to sites with a focus on sustainability and green solutions suitable for mountain communities.

Dr Abdul Wahid Jasra, Country Representative for Pakistan provided inputs on how youth can benefit from the various endeavors currently underway at ICIMOD and in Pakistan in particular. Dr Jawad Ali Khan, DG. Environment & Climate Change, provided the keynote address and the Minister for State- Ministry of Education & Training, Mr Sardar Shahjehan Yousaf graced the closing ceremony of the event Other notable resource persons included Mr Pirzada Moshibber, Director, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Mr Ashiq Ahmad khan, Technical Advisor ICIMOD Pakistan and Dr. Wajid Pirzada, CEO Agricol Pakistan among others. Furthermore Mr Tek Jung Mahat of ICIMOD led various sessions at the forum providing an overview of youth activities currently being undertaken at ICIMOD and future opportunities for youth from the region. Mr Utsav Maden shared an overview of social media tools that are being used for advocacy, information sharing and collaboration.

The National Youth Forum also saw the development of two important outcome documents - the Post 2015 agenda - Poverty Literacy & Environment Sustainability and the Youth Appeal for COP18. These documents, drafted though group work and further refined post forum virtually, also formed the agenda of the Global Youth Forum on Green Solutions organized by the APYTF in Doha as part of the UNFCCC COP 18/CMP8 event in Doha. The Global Youth Appeal for COP18, thus generated was further fine-tuned and shared with policy makers and delegates at COP18.

Interesting opportunity: Apply for Global Power Shift with 350.org by 4th January 2013

Hello,

I’m writing to let you know about Global PowerShift, an international gathering that will take place in Istanbul, Turkey from June 10-17, 2013. This gathering will bring together 600 young organizers from around the world to skill share, trade tactics and connect on how we will be the generation that turns the tide on the climate crisis. Organizers who attend Global PowerShift will then return to their own countries and help to organize a regional gathering, developing regional campaigns, goals, actions and networks. As co2 levels and sea levels rise exponentially - so must our movement.

We know that the ecological crisis is merely a symptom of an unjust system and unsustainable culture. To accomplish the deep systemic change needed to avert complete catastrophe we will need to bring together a wide diversity of movements and thus we strongly encourage young organizers from a diverse backgrounds and struggles to apply. You can apply here, and please share this email with anyone you think might bring unique skills to this historic gathering. Application deadline is December 16th, and all expenses will be covered for participants.
______

Hola,

Te escribo para compartir información sobre Global Powershift, un encuentro y conferencia internacional que pasará en en Estambul (Turquía) el 10-17 de Junio. En este conferencia se juntaran unos 600 activistas joven de todo el mundo para compartir ideas, tácticas y conocerse en cómo podemos ser el generación que da la vuelta al cambio climático. Organizadores que participan en Global PowerShift después se volverán a sus comunidades y organizarán encuentros regionales, desarrollando campañas, objetivos comunes, y acciones. Los niveles de co2 y los niveles del mar están creciendo exponencialmente. Nosotros también.

Sabemos que el crisis es solo una síntoma de una sistema injusto y una cultura insostenible. Para llegar a los profundos cambios sistemáticos que son necesarios para prevenir un catástrofe inimaginable necesitaremos participantes de un gran diversidad de movimientos y luchas, no sólo de movimientos ecológicas. Manda tu solicitude aquí, o por favor comparta el página de ArtShift por tus redes y con los que piensas tendrá interes. La fecha límite es el 16 Diciembre, 2012, y todos gastos incluidos.
___

Salut!

Je vous écris pour vous informer sur Global PowerShift, une rencontre internationale qui se tiendra à Istanbul, en Turquie, 10-17 Juin 2013. Cette rencontre réunira 600 jeunes organisateurs du monde entier pour partager les compétences, tactiques et pour discuter sur la façon dont nous allons être la génération qui tournera la marée sur la crise climatique. Les participants à Global PowerShift retourneront ensuite dans leurs pays et lanceront une réunion locale, pour développer des campagnes des objectifs, des actions et des réseaux régionales. Comme les niveaux de CO2 et des niveaux de la mer augmente de façon exponentielle - il doit en être de notre mouvement!

Nous savons que la crise écologique n'est qu'un symptôme d'un système injuste et d'une culture non durable. Pour réaliser le profond changement systémique nécessaire pour éviter une catastrophe complète, nous aurons besoin de rassembler une grande diversité de mouvements et donc nous encourageons fortement les jeunes organisateurs des horizons et des luttes divers. Vous pouvez vous inscrire ici, et partager ce message avec quelqu'un que vous pensez pouvoir apporter des compétences uniques pour cette rencontre historique. La date limite d'inscription est 16 Décembre et tous les frais seront couverts pour les participants.

SAVE THE DATE Fourteenth Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF-14) preceding the 27th Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC27/GMEF). 16-17 February 2013, Nairobi, Kenya

SAVE THE DATE

Fourteenth Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF-14) preceding the 27th Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC27/GMEF)

16-17 February 2013, Nairobi, Kenya

In conjunction with its upcoming twenty-seventh session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC/GMEF) to be held from 18th - 22nd February 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya, UNEP is organizing the fourteenth Global Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum (GMGSF-14) from 16th -17th February 2013 in Nairobi.
The objective of the Forum will be to facilitate preparations of major groups and stakeholders towards the GC27/GMEF which will hold ministerial-level consultations on emerging policy issues under the following themes: “Implementing Rio+20: A strengthened environmental pillar of sustainable development”, and “Implementing a green economy as an important tool for achieving sustainable development”. Among other issues, the Forum will provide an opportunity for a multi-stakeholders dialogue, as part of the implementation of the Rio+20 Outcome document, on new models and mechanisms to promote transparency and effective engagement of civil society in the work of UNEP; the role and opportunities for involvement of civil society in the post-Rio+20 processes and the post-2015 development agenda.
Registration is now open for all interested representatives of major groups and stakeholders of civil society at: http://www.unep.org/cso-sgb3/Login.aspx.
Please note that registration will close on 15th January 2013!
Kindly also note that organizations which are not accredited to UNEP will be requested to apply for one-time accreditation upon registration. The deadline for processing one time accreditations is 20 of January 2013.
For regular updates regarding the background and preparations towards the 14th GMGSF please visit: http://www.unep.org/civil-society/
For more information please contact us at: civil.society@unep.org.
Kind regards,
Alexander Juras
Chief, Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
P.O. 30552 Nairobi, Kenya
http://www.unep.org/civil_society/

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Invitation: Global Youth Forum on Mountain Issues and Green Solution: From Rio de Janeiro to Doha, 1 December 2012 at UNFCCC COP18 (Venue: Climate Change Studio, Qatar National Convention Centre)

Global Youth Forum on Mountain Issues and Green Solution:

From Rio de Janeiro to Doha

Date: 1 December 2012 at UNFCCC COP18

Venue: Climate Change Studio, Qatar National Convention Centre. Doha

Further information: Ms. Sameera Zaib, sameerazaib.env@gmail.com

Background

COP18 has a special importance since it needs to finalize the old negotiation tracks, and make new commitments towards Post 2015. It is imperative to involve youth in this process, and consider their voices and issues. Rio+20 reaffirmed that we need a more sustainable development path. To achieve this we need to change how we think and act, develop and implement capacity building programs, and hence engage youth in these programs in order to secure green jobs and a green economy.

Inspired from International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD’s) youth programme - Youth for Sustainable Mountain Development (Y4SMD), the Asia Pacific Youth Task force on Rio+20 (APYTF) was formed in April 2011 to advocate mountain agenda in the context of Rio+20 and mobilize youth in preparation lf Rio+20 and implementation of its outcomes. Since then APYTF has organized several events locally and regionally and has taken part in several important events including the Rio+20 Conference – locally, regionally and globally. In this preparation APYTF co-organized ‘Global youth Forum on Mountain Issues and Sustainable Actions’ at Rio+2o Conference in Brazil in June 2012, ‘National Youth Forum on Green Solutions in Pakistan’ in Islamabad in November 2012 and ‘Workshop on Green Economy in South Asia’ at South Asian Youth Conference (SAYC) in November 2012. To take forward messages of major past events and youth in Asia Pacific region and also to engage them in UNFCCC COP process, we like to join hands with global youth by organising ’Global Youth Forum on Mountain Issues and Green Solutions’ at UNFCCC COP18 on 1 December 2012 in Doha.

Objectives:

              - To provide an opportunity for global youth to discuss global issues and their concerns regarding COP18. 

                 - To identify the Mountain Youth issues and priorities for Green Economy.

                 - To develop and share Global Youth Appeal for COP18 delegates.

Duration: 60 min

Venue: Climate Change Studio, Qatar National Convention Centre. Doha.

Day 1 (1th December, 2012)
Time	Key Topics	Address
9:00-9:08	Opening-            - Overview of Global Youth Forum            - Asia Pacific Youth Task Force on Rio+20            - Sharing of Youth Appeal COP18 (from Pakistan)	Ms Sameera Zaib APYTF
9:08-9:15	YUNGO activities and UNFCCC	YUNGO representatives (TBC)
9:15-9:20	Youth in Post 2015 agenda.	Nitiokum Divine- Youth Digital Advocate Post 2015 agenda
9:15-9:20	Asia Pacific Graduate Youth Forum Declaration	Team Green Economy/ APGYF alumni.
9:20-9:25	COP 18.	Wilson- founder, Eco Singapore. Asia
9:30-9:35	PIDES	Danaé Espinoza. Latin America
9:35-9:40	African youth and UNFCCC	Hamba Richard. Worldview Mission. Africa (TBC)
9:40-9:45	UK YCC	Camilla Born/ Jamie Peters. Europe.
9:45-50	Presentation of COP18 Youth Appeal	Green Economy team.
9:50-10:00	Closing remarks	Sameera Zaib. APYTF