Lloyd Russell-Moyle

Well what a week – we embarked on the first World Youth Conference for 12 years and while what may have come out be disappointing we have learnt a lot and must now build on the positive lessons.

You can read the governmental and NGO declaration here http://www.youth2010.org/portal/

A quick skim of the NGO statement and the governmental declaration will show that there is a large gap between young people globally and what the governments agreed to.

There are three key points which are watered down 1) Health and access to sexual and reproductive health services 2) The request rather than insistence of independent Youth Councils 3) conditions that standards can vary locally (a get out clause for everything).

We also were missing some key areas again 1) on sexual and reproductive rights 2) on recognising more than one gender (explicitly) 3) any mention of LGBT rights.

While we (the European Youth Delegates) achieve many minor victories – such as a mandate for the UN Inter-Agency Network for Youth Development and a “consideration” of youth rights, these were all too far between as as it was only Europe that had youth delegates also meant that it was hard to push on the around.

There is also some general un-thought out rubbish in the document such as the “professionalisation of youth work” without ever saying what that means. That’s just sloppy!
So were are we now: a document that is generally weaker than we had already agreed, a process that locked out and disenfranchised all but a few young people and a statement that will end up as a foot note in the pages of the UN General Assembly – so what do we do now?

Firstly we rest – for a few days anyway – governments have two months to sign and make reservations on the document, and this must be done though the foreign ministry.

We must go back and try (at least) to get governments to sign the document, as while it is incredibly week it can and will base the foundations of us moving forward and we must push forward from here.

Secondly we should ask governments where the document is too week to make reservations, make reservations that there is no mention of LGBT and other reservations that were outlined in the NGO letter to governments on the last day (see here).

The best reservation governments could make (which has already been made by a number of governments) is that the NGO declaration is not appended and that it should be fully recognised in the framework of cooperation and mutual dialogue.

After that is done NGOs need to learn for next time. We need to realise that 1) our statement is a lobby tool and needs to be backed up with a clear lobbying strategy – we need to prepare ways in which never again can young people be locked out of their own conference – providing free concerts for the young while governments decided their fate.

We need to work towards over 50% of delegations to include young people and also that we have a campaign strategy outside as well as inside the negotiation room so we can exert pressure and make sure that we get out points across.

When will next time be? We will see, it could be next year or another 12 years – but let us be prepared and let us move forward with a coordinated and united youth.

Say it Aloud! Day:5 // Post-Conference chit chat from European Youth Forum on Vimeo.

In this video, I am still recovering from the shock of agreeing anything. I think that we are far to positive about the whole process an the outcome which puts us backward on many points not forward. Anyway still a nice chit chat.

This morning the “final draft” of the declaration we are now discussing it – on the floor but there has been no Spanish or French versions presented and some delegates are a bit annoyed at this.

The governments are demanding 30 minutes to read the document so that we can approve it but the chair is insisting that we approve it now. Here is a copy of the document for you to read (sorry that it is not very good copy but off the iphone).

Keep updated on twitter for the updates for today.
Click Here russell-moyle.co.uk/uploaded_images/finaldec.pdf

After a recess each regional block met and considered accepting the declaration, during this time there was a protest from NGOs who have been refused access and they presented this statement to governments asking them to put this in as a reservation. See it here: russell-moyle.co.uk/uploaded_images/ngoletter.png

Well the time has come for the final push – so I went along to the Western European Governments meeting to see how we can move along.

The final draft (still to be agreed with minor amendments) was presented and we went line by line.

What is clear is that the governments are as pissed off at the Mexican organisation are we are. One delegate from an International organisation said to me it had been the worst conference they had ever been to” while a Mexican young person said “It makes me ashamed to be Mexican”.

In the opening ceremony the Mexican government forgot to ask the Minister from Brazil to come and speak in spite of him being on the programme. Name badges have gone missing and drafts are unclear and “democratically” written only by the Mexicans.

We have been working on the final draft. There is a general weakening of the document but some good points such as recognise the “plurality of kinds of families” and ” supporting and mandating the UN inter-agency network on youth development”.

I’m off to bed but ill try and blog before too late in the morning tomorrow.

Check out http://icmyo.wordpress.com/2010/08/22/world-youth-conference-holding-the-youth-rights-banner-high/ and other http://icmyo.wordpress.com/ for the full run down of the documents presented to conference.

The scandal of the NGO statement and young people voice being repressed unravelled further today at the World Youth Congress.

The Organisation of Ibero-American government had agreed to sponsor and pay for the travel and accommodation of a delegation of young people to travel to Mexico city to present it to the Legislators Forum. However they were told that youth was removed form the agenda so communicated to us that it would not be possible to go.

This was after considerable pressure from a un-democratic minority they decided it was too politically sensitive and decided the youth voice would be denied. So at the World Conference of Youth no young person was allowed to present the youth statement to Legislators around the world.

This scandal has only started to come to light and has meant that we are working around the clock to try and get the document to the legislators forum despite not being allowed to attend.

Back here at the Government Forum some anti-abortion protesters again managed to by-pass security (it really has become an issue here) and distribute a letter asking governments to reject the NGO deceleration as it represents only elite young people who want equal rights and non-discrimination for sexual minorities.

You couldn’t make it up – every delegate go this, and only removed after we complained that this was not allowed.

While the Portuguese were outraged when I told them what had happened with the legislators form others are just confused at the mess.

I was speaking to the delegate from the USA and he was agreeing that “there is no facilitation, period”.

If you know someone at the Legislators forum, please send them the NGO statement which is on the last post.

I’ll try and file a complete update about today this evening.

Well what a cock up – when presenting the final NGO deceleration they have forgot to add all the amendments that were agreed! Instead they presented a mix of the old and new one.

When this was realised, and after another night re-drafting the final documents are finally available and can be downloaded here (English and Spanish), please download and pass on this information – there has bee a campaign to suppress the NGO statement by a few anti-abortion anti-LGBT rights activists.

ngo-statement-wyc-2010-english1

NGO STATEMENT WYC 2010 ESPAÑOL

For the official link with a run down of the process then look up – http://icmyo.wordpress.com/2010/08/26/ngo-statement-from-the-world-youth-conference/

Well after the first day of the Governmental Forum things have been a bit rocky but with some successes.

The Government forum opened up with a fan fare of video and media – very inexpressive a good looking TV presenter introduced this in an over excited way and the forum was started.

While some people gave speeches the long expected welcome form the Mexican President never came, despite having 40 minister in your country at an international conference that you are hosting no one elected from the government was available to welcome us – while the state governor was very kind there were rumours that the President didn’t turn up for security reasons.

We maybe didn’t have to wait very long for our very own security breach. At the end of the opening a group or anti-abortion anti-gay and women rights campaigners decided to unravel a banner saying “Felipe don’t believe what you hear – the WYC is a lie”. While this critic message may be too much for most delegates it was a reference to the NGO statement which included lines such as “Recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, intersex and queer (LGBTTIQ) identities as part of the spectrum of gender and sexual identities” and “access to a full range of contraceptives and safe abortion.” which while being voted and adopted by over 90% of the delegates a small minority were not happy with. – Good job maybe that Felipe wasn’t there – though I’m not sure he would get the reference.

Well I thought it was at least a try to speak to the protesters. First of all when I went up to one person, holding the banner, I asked him what it was about he replied (in Spanish though a translator). “I’m holding this because someone asked me, I don’t really know what it is about but I am trying to show the feelings of other people”. Now I have no problem with legitimate protests – we had a protest for youth rights and also an anti-abortion protest all this week outside the venue but I do ask myself, if you have no idea what you are protesting about, surly that is the time to sit down and shut up!

When I did get to someone that knew why they were protesting, they said it was because the vote was un-democratic as some people had freely swapped credentials and therefore the votes should be discounted. Well they seem to fail to realise if I have my credentials to someone else then I don’t get an extra vote but give a proxy to vote for me when I am say on the toilet – surly more democratic than my constituency losing out!

While they were briefing the media with their lies – I took one reporter to the side and said. “We had a democratic vote with over 90% votes for” I made clear “it was clear and they took full part at the time – It is like they have failed to win the argument then are throwing their toys and stamping their feet like a baby” – I hope that gets used.

Then the conference changed venue, this was so that young people couldn’t attend the government sessions without a governmental pass so for the rest of the day we were locked out. Unsatisfied, a few emails and phone calls later you can see he result below – the only UK governmental representative here MR Lloyd Russell-Moyle (NGO), so while I shouldn’t make amendments and agree the final document I can at least take part in the rest of the conference. We ended up getting 4 falcons in that way so we are quite well represented but the others now are on holiday!

Say it Aloud! Day:2 // (Youth) MDGs? from European Youth Forum on Vimeo.