Our Sauvé year ended with a beautiful Closing Reception and a memorable Closing Dinner with lots of emotional speeches, congratulations and hugs!! Thanks so much, Desiree for giving us a final "hang out together" at karaoke party! It was super fun!! Thank you all- my Sauvé 'family and friends'! The nine months with you has been the most interesting part of my life! Much love to you all! and this is how I feel:
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development Rio +20
From the “Future we want” to the future we get.
By Handy Acosta Cuellar
Introduction
It is well known that the United
Nations is a battleground between developed and developing countries. What we
see in these negotiations is only the tip of the iceberg of more complex
processes and a conflict of interests.
In that context everyone tries to apply pressure and win their share but
very few get benefits and many more are in an accommodated position.
The United Nations struggle is a
reflection of today´s world, the complex society in which we live and the
important changes that we are experiencing.
To understand the weak results of
the last UN Conference on Sustainable Development we need to analyze how the
process was driven and what is the current situation at the UN international
negotiations forums.
Cuban NGO representatives during the Rio+20 Dialogues. |
The Global crisis
In 2008 the financial crisis in
the United States of America and the European Union along with food prices
crisis, the energy crisis and the climate change crisis, create a global
scenario of multiple crisis, caused mainly by the non-sustainable development
patterns.
Concerned about this situation
the United Nations proposed to organize a Conference on the Financial Crisis
and its Impact on Development. The Government of Brazil takes the initiative to
propose a conference on the 20th anniversary of the Summit of Rio 92.
After difficult negotiations the
Conference was approved, but with only 2 points in the agenda: the Green
Economy and the creation of a World Environment Organization. No extra money was allocated for the
Conference with no funds and time for the negotiations the results were
condemned to be very insubstantial.
Preparatory process
In the preparatory process the
multiple interventions revealed the diversity of views and positions on each of
the elements, in particular the Green Economy in the Context Sustainable
Development.
In one side the G-77, pledge for an
effective implementation mechanism and the allocation of adequate financial resources.
In the other side the European Union said the conference should achieve two key
elements: first, a global commitment to the green economy and second the
transformation of UNEP into a specialized agency for the environment.
The document submitted as Zero
draft in January 2012 was named: "The Future We Want".
By June 15th very slight progress
had been made. There were distant positions on the Green Economy, Institutional
Structure for Sustainable Development and the definition of a set of
sustainable development objectives. At that point all the participants asks Brazil
to continue with a process of consultations to finalize the document.
The final text was adopted in
Plenary "ad referendum" by knowing it was the outcome of a difficult
and very hard negotiation.
This is a clear fight of
developed countries to take out from this scenario any negotiation regarding
funding commitments.
Latin American leader Rafael Correa pledge for sustainable development in Rio+20 |
Results
The document "The Future We
Want" is the result of this process and must then be judged in this
context, especially in controversial areas.
The first result to consider is
the effectiveness multilateral system to achieve complex negotiations. This
process opened a path to maintain the paradigm of sustainable development and
poverty eradication in a moment of multiple crises.
Another key result was the
ratification of the Declaration of Principles Rio 92 and the principle of
common but differentiated responsibilities.
The creation of the high level
forum for sustainable development is one of the potentially most important
outcomes.
The final document of the Summit
"The Future We Want” is the kind of
agreements we get if there is no real participation of civil society and other
development agents.
Recommendations
Rio +20 is not over, it had
begun. It is now up to the General Assembly to fulfill its mandate and reach a
consensus to accomplish the agreements.
To monitor this process is
essential that the governments maintain the same energy on sustainable development. It is also
very important that the media, the social movements, academia, professional
organizations, civil society and NGOs keep their observation on the progress
and that UN should give them fully participation in the draft of
recommendations and in the upcoming negotiations.
The future we want will not only
depend on governments and their negotiation talents. The future we want will
mostly depend in our capabilities to make pressure on them and in our
willingness to fully overcome social, economic and environmental challenges.
Now is time to change but, are we ready?
Friday, April 26, 2013
Lifelong Gift
It is Apri 21, less than two weeks to the end
of the program. Nearly every one overwhelmed with the final presentations,
various deadlines, next step in life, and many other “what”s and “how”s. Spending
a beautiful night, all together, in Anita’s house distances us from our daily
frustrations, stresses, and thoughts. For those who do not know, Anita and
Brett are our two senior fellows in the Sauvé program. We could seek their
support in our professional and personal lives. They contributed a lot to the
enrichment of the program. They coloured their presence in our Sauvé life with
inviting us for a lovely dinner in Anita’s pretty house.
Our evening was full of deep enjoyments and happiness. We chatted
and ate dinner. After, we all sat together and shared memorable minutes
together. Anita’s and Brett’s initiative built authentic moments for all of us:
giving each of us a tangible lifelong gift. They gave an adjective to each of
us, an adjective that best describes our being. Those who know us can say how
these words fit us:
Thinh:
Fearless. We found resonance with this adjective; it can be our impression of
Thinh, a young lady who does not stop in what she aims to do. A strong head girl
moving forward toward her dreams with fierce steps.
Naomi:
Pioneering. What Naomi is doing with her project is pioneering. But it is more
than that. Naomi is pioneering not just in the scale of an enterprise, but also
in other aspects of life, which we experienced at Sauvé house.
Tosin:
Upstanding. I did not know what this word means. But it adequately describes a
man who irons his shirt so crispy, speaks and articulates every syllabus, and
is honest and responsible. It well describes Tosin.
Tairah:
Tenacious. It is the best description of Tairah’s action on opening the world’s
eyes to the reality behind the beautiful scarfs and sweaters of Kashmir. Tairah
is determined to show the torturing stories of the largest democracy in the
world. Tairah, you need to be tenacious to do what you are doing.
Micah:
Remarkable. Those who have experienced the warm hugs of Micah would never
forget it. Micah’s openness and willingness to challenge norms catches our
attention. Micah is remarkable with hear strength and sweetness.
Jonathan:
Sparkling. This adjective describes how Jonathan is intelligent and full of
life. Jonathan would remain in our hearts with his smiles and joyful purposes.
“Jonathan has exactly the right size bubbles, not too small you do not notice
them, not so big that they bug you. It is just likely ever best suits.” Brett.
Mame:
Regal. What could better describe Mame’s Great pose and posture, with her fancy
dresses and her sweet smiles and deep eyes. Mame is a person who lives in a
community and leads the community and is a strong representative of a
community.
Handy:
Romantic. A man who thinks with his heart. A man who does not think linearly.
Handy embodies romance and is a dreamer, with all of different kinds of dream.
You feel that in his approach to problems and people.
Gioel:
Force of the Nature. Gioel cannot be described in one word. She breaks open the
words, she needs more space, she is boundless. Giole’s energy fills everywhere,
including our Sauvé house.
Najme:
Earnest. *Oh, it is so immodest to talk about myself. I directly quote from
Brett: “An essentially Canadian adjective for a non-Canadian who embodies that
so essentially. Najme is so much of what she does. Disciplined, positive thinking,
empathetic, contributory, concerned about doing a right thing, and ...”. (I
turned red by this time)
Guy:
Nobel. A man who was not born into royalty, a man despite whatever the
beginning, is standing here, respectful, precisely because of what he represents.
Guy is the best of humanity, trying being over circumstances, and gives us a
new window of the world we are living in.
Gerald:
Enthusiasm. Have you ever seen anyone tweeter feeds and facebook posts that so
encapsulate enthusiasm for whatever he is doing. You would love to tell Gerald
something new and hear and see the response OOOH. But after a while you might
find yourself doing it and imitate that Ugandan posture.
The night did not finish here. Now it was our
turn to come with adjective for Brett and Anita. It was an interesting but hard
game. It was then when we realized that Anita and Brett should have spent ages
to come with those adjectives.
We wanted to describe Brett as a philosopher, a resource of
knowledge, an alive body that all kinds of knowledge flow in an out. Erudite
was an adjective for Brett, but it is not enough to fully describe his manner,
support, deep friendship, and creativity. He still owes us a Ping-Pong
tournament though!
Anita
for us is a person with big ideas and thought. She never stops. When this
professionalism is combined with generosity, empathy, and openness, a unique
character like Anita can be imagined. Magnanimous was an adjective that we gave
to AniTa. A positive thinker with a great network of people that we saw just
one glimpse of that in her 40th birthday.
We
were all full of appreciation for the opportunity of being together, and
enjoying the last moments of our companionship. We finished this fabulous night
by sharing a sentence each:
·
It
will not be as bad as you think it is
·
Do
not wait for the second chance. Take the first chance.
·
Smile
and be happy in your life.
·
Hope
for the best but be prepared for the worse.
·
Be
kind to yourself. Complement yourself. Admire yourself. Love yourself.
·
Do
not stay in the past, it makes you depressed. Do not be in the future, it makes
you anxious. Be mindful and present, it gives you inner peace.
·
Remember
to acknowledge what you do not know. Embrace humility.
·
Read
the little prince.
·
Be
who you are, you need to be who you are.
·
Be
intimate. Search intimacy in others and find the beautiful parts of others.
·
Do
not be over analytical about things.
·
Have
curiosity and constant hunger to know people and things, BUT LET OTHER PEOPLE
TO KNOW YOU too, open up yourself.
·
“US”
is always stronger than you and me. Be “us” J
·
Try
and fail. But do not fail to try.
·
Give
more than you take.
·
Be
committed to healing.
·
Believe
in your strength and power and amazing human spiritual being.
·
Be empathic.
·
Do
not be entitled to what you have. Entitle to what you aim at.
·
Sit
and have meal with the people you like every day, and sit on the table as long
as you can.
·
Embrace
who you are, so the world would open up to you.
·
Open
up yourself to all the things that world offers you.
·
Acknowledge
your choices which are present in every second of your life, meet all new
people
Have we, Sauve Scholars, embraced diversity?
Receiving an email of complaint a few weeks ago
made me disappointed and reflective. We had failed to fully be present in the
sessions that we have had guest speakers at home. The complaints were around
not being entirely attentive while listening to our lovely guests, for example
sleeping during the session. Of course the guests would be offended … But, is
it all true?
To what extent have we, Sauve Scholars,
embraced diversity? Here may be a place to start.
Leaving as part of the Sauve family for nearly
six months, I have always been amazed by the massive diversity that exists in
our small community. But, the question goes around the extent that this
diversity is understood, and is a positive force in working together.
Chatting about the came up issue in the house,
opened my eyes to a reality; we have not wholly embraced the existing diverse
culture. No one was sleeping during our guest’s peach. Someone was carefully
listening with closed eyes!!! Closing eyes is an effective way of
concentration, reflection, and listening in some of our cultures and
communities. We might not know enough about each others’ cultures …
Diversity is a positive force in our Sauvé family. We should understand it and realize how to work with that to make it a reinforcing factor. Now that the program is coming to its end, I think we could have recognized and known our cultures more in depth. The beginning of the Sauvé program could be a space for bringing high degree of awareness about cultural differences. It is a ladder that starts with trying to be politically correct. The next rung is to understanding ethnic, cultural and gender differences. From there we can see the broad dimension of diversity. We can then go higher and step on the rung of accepting different perspectives, and finally get to the highest rung and value differences.
I would never forget the amazing personal and
professional development program that we had in and outside the Sauvé house.
However, if I could start the program all again, I would suggest a more structures
plan to focus more on group building and promoting skills to facilitate
climbing the awareness ladder, early in the Sauvé year.
The experience of living in a beautiful house
with 12 incredible people from all over the world would remain the highlight of
my life forever. However, spending quality of time and focusing on some skills
at the beginning and during the program, might have even made this experience
richer. In a series of sessions we could focus on self-monitoring and speaking
about our own background and unique qualities. We do not know enough how our
housemates have been behaved back home and what are their expectations of being
behaved in the house. Earlier we knew about our differences and similarities,
earlier we could form stronger and more transparent friendships. Managing
diversity and the related conflicts would be much easier if we know enough
about each others` backgrounds and culture. Then it is the time for being an
ally and championing each other with different background.
Sauvé
program taught me in order to effectively use diversity as a positive force in
our group, we should be able to hold two truths at the same time: a) we are all
different; b) we are all the same. It was a journey from self-exploration to
exploration of otherness and to the beauty of integration. As we moved on, we
went deeper and deeper, from visible diversity to the invisible diversities. It
was incredible to realize who maintains and who avoids eye contact when talking
to me, as well as how close we stand to one another in our conversations. To
establish a sense of privacy we need different spaces. But, how do we establish
our space and how do we manage to respect others` spaces?
Body languages and facial expressions are integral part
of our communications. Let me give you an example. Imagine you enter a country
and the first body language that you face is thumb up. This is offensive in my
culture. Can you believe that? It has a special and humiliating meaning in my
country. And, it took me a few days to get the whole story. There are tens of other examples that we
could have talked about at the beginning of the program and still we might not
know completely about each other. For example, how comfortable each of us is
with silence; how long can a period of silence be maintained before it is
considered uncomfortable or a void to be filled; what value each of us give
time; how late is too late, what are the signs of authority; what behaviours
indicates superior/subordinate relationships; what role do factors such as age,
sex, class, occupation, nationality, and … play in determining hierarchy in
relationship; and etc.
Sitting
in my cozy room, looking outside the window, drinking my mint tea, and thinking
to what extent we know the answers to all of these questions. It is nearly the
end of the program. How effectively have we been working with diversity? Sauvé
program was a practice which helped me: know myself and my framework better,
gain knowledge about others’ frameworks, do not make assumptions, use inclusive
language in and outside the house, avoid stereotyping and generalizations, be
aware of the judgements I make, adopt an attitude of respectful curiosity,
develop empathy, encourage open communication, and be an ally.
All of these improvements happened by the
nature of the Sauvé program and throughout time. Planning and making strategies
from the beginning of the program for fostering community and group building
would facilitate accomplishing these goals earlier and to a larger scale.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Building the Best Gingerbread House
On December 8th and 9th, the Sauvé Scholars, embarked on a mission to build the best gingerbread house we could. Josh found blue prints of Maison Jeanne Sauvé and crafted a scaled replica of the house in sketch-up. We then printed scaled plans of the house and cut our gingerbread to match. The result: a beautiful, bright red gingerbread house with a chocolate bear to represent each Sauvé Scholar!
Step 1: Cut gingerbread pieces according to correct dimensions
Step 2: Hold up the walls of the house... it's time to assemble!
Pictured above: Charlotte and Josh proudly hold up their gingerbread walls
Step 3: Ensure that the walls fit together
Pictured above: Charlotte, Josh and Paul assemble the structure
Step 4: Begin gluing the structure together (enlist the help of a partner to prevent collapse)
Pictured above: Alia and Josh glue the structure together
Step 5: Decorate!!
Pictured above: Maria ices the house
Step 6: Enjoy the beauty of your final home.
Pictured above: Maison Jeanne Sauvé
Website Design and Website Development by Switto
Labels:
Christmas,
Gingerbread,
Holidays,
winter
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Things I Will Miss...
It's impossible to describe all of the magical memories that were made this year. As we wrap up our time here at Sauvé House, here are just a few memories I will take with me...
Food - so much food. We've eaten together, cooked together, been out-spiced by Dechen together.
|
Preparing for winter, many for the first time
|
More food. And, a great Halloween party... |
Friendship and late night chats
|
More food (and special treats on birthdays)... Are you sensing a theme?
Building the best gingerbread house and decorating the Sauvé tree |
National dinners |
Fun in the snow |
One amazing group of friends (men too!! they just aren't in this picture) |
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
LA PARTICIPATION DES JEUNES DANS LA GOUVERNANCE :
UNE VOIE QUI MENE VERS LE DEVELOPPEMENT DURABLE
Que
d’engagement rhétorique
Depuis quelques années, la problématique de la gouvernance a été identifiée comme un défi majeur que doivent relever tous les acteurs du développement.
L’ancien
Secrétaire Général de l’Organisation des Nations Unies, Koffi Annan déclarait « la bonne gouvernance et le
développement durable sont indivisibles. De l’Amérique Latine à l’Asie en
passant par l’Afrique, tous nos efforts, toutes nos expériences le montrent.
Sans bonne gouvernance, sans état de droit, sans administration prévisible,
sans pouvoir légitime et sans une réglementation adaptée, les financements et
les dons les plus abondants ne sauraient assurer la prospérité ».
Il conviendrait aussi de préciser que la bonne
gouvernance ne sauraient être réalisés sans l’intégration effective de cette
catégorie qui constitue plus de la moitié de la population mondiale, je veux
nommer les jeunes, au processus de gestion et de prise de décisions collectives.
La bonne
gouvernance, s’entendant au niveau local, régional voire international, implique
la participation de tous les acteurs
sociaux, notamment les jeunes, l’évaluation de leurs besoins, leur information,
leur consultation, leur concertation et nécessite la codécision à toutes les
étapes de concrétisation des aspirations communautaires.
Il
semblerait que, au regard des instruments et des institutions et mis en place aux niveaux international,
régional et local, au regard des recommandations émanant des grandes
conférences des Nations Unies ainsi que des conférences tenues à l’échelle
régionale et nationale, tout est en
place pour une collaboration et une
implication directes des jeunes dans les programmes et plans d’actions de nos
communautés.
Déjà en
1995, l’Assemblée Générale des Nations Unies soulignait dans le cadre du plan
d’action mondial pour la jeunesse que « pour pouvoir progresser, nos sociétés doivent, entre autres éléments,
être capables d’incorporer ce que les jeunes peuvent apporter à la construction
et à la conception de l’avenir. Outre leur contribution intellectuelle et leur
pouvoir de mobilisation, les jeunes ont un regard neuf, dont il faut tenir
compte ». Mais on se rend compte que malgré cette déclaration de haut
niveau, l’état des lieux n’a pas évolué avec les mêmes diagnostics pessimistes qui se succèdent et se ressemblent,
du moins en ce qui concerne l’implication des jeunes dans les processus de
prise de décisions comme condition de bonne gouvernance.
S’inscrivant sur cette lancée, l’actuel Secrétaire Général Ban Ki-moon
avait promis lors de la présentation du plan d’action de son deuxième mandat en janvier 2011, la
nomination d’un Représentant spécial pour la jeunesse à l’instar de l’ONUFEMMES
pour les femmes ou de l’Unicef pour les enfants.
Mais
n’a-t-on pas l’habitude de dire qu’entre la théorie et la pratique, il y a
toujours un fossé décevant et la participation effective des jeunes dans la
définition, l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre des programmes et politiques
publics n’échappe pas à cette réalité.
La voix des jeunes s’entend, s’entendent leurs aspirations ultimes
L’implication
des jeunes dans les actions de bonne gouvernance constitue une exigence de
démocratie et une garantie de respect de leurs droits fondamentaux. Elle rend
obligatoire la participation des jeunes au processus de prise de décisions.
Cette implication
des jeunes dont on fait allusion dans les grandes conférences et dans
les politiques des Etats, n’est en fait qu’une illusion. En réalité, il y
a plus d’engagement rhétorique à l’intégration des jeunes dans les processus de
prise de décisions comme base de politique intérieure ou étrangère, au regard
des nombreux défis auxquels la jeunesse est confrontée.
Des
difficultés de formation à la recherche
d’emploi en passant par les problèmes de santé, de violences et de délinquance
juvénile ainsi que d’autres risques sociaux, les jeunes se sentent
marginalisés, abandonnés à leur sort. Le plus souvent leurs causes ne semblent
pas être entendues ou prises en compte de manière efficace par la société.
Et cette
situation est beaucoup plus préoccupante en Afrique où la jeunesse fait face à un
manque criard d’accompagnement sur tous les plans alors qu’elle compose plus de
60% de sa population âgée de 25 ans et
65 % âgée de 30 ans. La jeunesse africaine souffre d’un mal d’éducation et de
formation, d’un mal de santé, d’un mal d’insertion professionnelle avec un taux
de chômage extrêmement élevé chez les jeunes qui les expose à un avenir incertain.
A cela s’ajoute la guerre et les conflits internes aux Etats qui dissipent tous
leurs espoirs et accentuent leurs misères.
N’a-ton pas
l’habitude de déclarer que la jeunesse est la force vive de nos nations,
l’espoir et la relève de demain. Mais la force de la jeunesse est généralement
utilisées à des fins politiques rendant évidente l’inégalité de traitement,
l’exclusion des uns, le favoritisme des autres. C’est en tout cas ce qui
ressort du constat qui peut être fait entre les jeunes adhérents au parti
politique au pouvoir et les jeunes non adhérents qui ne bénéficient pas des
mêmes avantages que les premiers car
leurs compétences et leurs profils mis à l’écart devant les mêmes privilèges
sociaux.
Cette
situation n’est pas sans susciter la réaction des jeunes un peu partout dans le
monde pour apporter un souffle de changement imposant la bonne gouvernance à
tous les niveaux.
La voix des
jeunes dans la voie du changement
Les préoccupations
des jeunes doiventfigurer parmi les questions prioritaires pour mériter une
attention plus sérieuse. Elles doivent être analysées comme des questions de
développement et de respects des droits humains.
Mais on ne
saurait réussir ce pari sans pour autant essayer d’intégrer la société des
jeunes et recueillir leurs idées, leurs points de vue. Cela constitue en effet une
source non négligeable d’imprégnation des maux et des besoins auxquels les
jeunes sont confrontés pour pouvoir mieux les prendre en charge.
Les jeunes
doivent être responsabilisés pour pouvoir aspirer à un changement positif et durable des
tendances actuelles. Mais cette responsabilisation doit au préalable répondre
au besoin de consultation des jeunes dans les prises de décisions.
Beaucoup de politiques et programmes élaborés à
l’endroit de nos communautés en général et des jeunes en particulier ont échoué
à cause du manque voire de l’absence de concertation avec les jeunes qui sont
les premiers et les principaux concernés.
Force est
de constater que la non prise en compte des voix des jeunes dans les processus
de gouvernance participative constitue un déni total à leur droit à la vie, à l’égalité,
à la participation et à la liberté.
Ainsi, en
mal d’accompagnement et de reconnaissance, plusieurs moyens d’expression sont
utilisés par les jeunes pour faire valoir leurs causes. A cet effet, des genres
musicaux comme le Rap ou le Slam, traduits dans des paroles engagées, dominent
et s’inscrivent dans un mouvement de fortes revendications sociales et
d’incitation à l’engagement de la jeunesse.
Les
nouvelles technologies de l’information et de communication, notamment les
réseaux sociaux sont aussi des porteurs de voix pour la jeunesse.
Mais l’un
des moyens d’expression les plus répandus ces dernières années et qui ont
apporté plus de changement ont surtout été les manifestations des jeunes dans
toutes leurs formes. A travers ces manifestations un peu partout dans le monde,
la jeunesse a démontré qu’elle est loin d’être une « spectatrice » du
non respect des principes de bonne gouvernance. Elle a su imposer sa force
physique et intellectuelle pour pouvoir apporter une ère de changement surtout
en ce qui concerne les attitudes antidémocratiques.
La révolution
Jasmin qui a pris ses débuts en décembre 2010 en est une illustration parfaite.
Comme l’effet de la peste, elle s’est propagée un peu partout dans le monde
arabe. Cette descente des jeunes dans les rues pour manifester les malaises
sociaux dont ils souffrent n’a pas épargné l’Afrique de l’ouest avec le cas sénégalais et
les villes de Londres en Grande Bretagne, entre autres.
Si
certaines de ces manifestations ont connu des répressions policières ou armées
violentes, d’autres par contre ont conduit à la prise en compte des revendications
sociales imposant le départ de chefs d’Etat ou le retrait de lois tyranniques
et arbitraires.
L’implication
des jeunes dans les processus de prise de décision, un impératif qui s’impose.
Mais quelle approche?
Ne dit-on
pas que les jeunes constituent la plus grande richesse et le meilleur espoir
pour toute communauté. Mais pour en avoir la confirmation, faudrait-il que la
jeunesse soit formée, motivée et imprégnée des principes de bonne gouvernance.
Dès lors se
pose l’urgence et la nécessité de l’implication effective et efficace des
jeunes à tous les niveaux de prise de décisions relatives aussi bien aux sujets
et problèmes les concernant directement que ceux qui affectent les communautés.
A cet
égard, les politiques de gouvernance locale peuvent être d’un apport considérable
et un cadre premier d’intégration, si elles tiennent compte des aspirations des
jeunes dans la gestion de proximité des affaires de leurs communes ou
communautés rurales.
Dans la
manière de prendre en compte la voix des jeunes
dans les processus de développement et de bonne gouvernance, une
nouvelle approche a été dégagée lors de la réunion de haut niveau de
l’Assemblée Générale des Nations Unies sur la Jeunesse en juillet 2011.
Cette conférence
internationale prône l’instauration d’un
dialogue intergénérationnel et la compréhension mutuelle à tous les secteurs de
décisions et de mise en œuvre des plans d’actions pour faire face aux défis de
l’avenir.
Pour
conclure, j’évoquerai juste la phrase magique des jeunes lors de notre dernière
réunion régionale de concertation sur la participation des jeunes au
développement durable et a la bonne gouvernance au Mali : « Ce qui
est fait pour la jeunesse, sans la jeunesse, n’est pas pour la
jeunesse ».
Le
développement international, particulièrement en Afrique ou la population est
jeunes, dépendra en grande partie de la participation des Jeunesse.
Un
développement durable sans la participation forte et centrale des jeunes et de
leurs organisations, est en effet impossible dans ce monde en construction.
Et c’est
pourquoi, maintenant, plus que jamais, il est nécessaire de développer un
nouveau paradigme en faisant des organisations de jeunesse la porte d’entrée
pour assurer leur participation en tant acteur a part entière, dans tous les
processus de transformation sociale et de
gouvernance.
Toute
personne à un potentiel porteur de progrès, et la jeunes peut constituer une
réponse pour elle même et pour la société.