Bonn, 18-24 November 2010
I. Objective
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) initiated this “international learning project” to engage young professionals from different backgrounds (political activists, NGO activists, university students, etc) to introduce and discuss on global issues such as climate change, sustainable growth & development, and global governance.
Commenced with a two-month online discussions, participants were active in provide thoughts on globalization, current global governance, global institutions, South-North asymmetric relations, etc. This background had at least brought some ideas for further discussions during one (1) week conference in Bonn, Germany from 18-24 November 2010. Objective of this program is for this young group (32 participants from 12 countries) to draft a young agenda and to be published as a contribution of youth to current global political affairs.
II. Timor Leste Delegation
Through its country office based in Jakarta, Indonesia, FES invited three (3) participants from Timor Leste to attend this international learning project : Mericio Akara and Emanuel Bria from Luta Hamutuk – Timor Leste Institute for Research, Advocacy & Campaigns and Jose da Costa from Timor Leste Trade Union. Overall we appreciate this opportunity to meet and discuss with other young friends from different countries and backgrounds on current global issues that has obviously affect the world. Decisions of politicians on UN summits on climate change, asymmetric power relations of the states (nation-states), decision making process in international financial institutions have somehow shaped the existing face of the world.
As a new and small country situated between South East Asia and the Pacific, Timor Leste aims to be integrated and contribute in all relevant international or regional affairs. We expect that this thoughts engagement of young generation will shed light on decisions made by politicians at global level.
III. Some Lessons Learnt
We learn that events to engage youth in international politics is necessarily need to be continued as the future belongs to young generations. In all UN summits we learn that voices of youth are systematically marginalized, decisions are made by old politicians with minimal sensitivity of inter-generational justice of mother earth and thus it is necessary to create space for the young to provide thoughts and ideas during UN summits to influence decision making process.
We also learn that great ideas always need to be negotiated and it is also necessary for young people to learn more about negotiation skills. FES has introduced this basic skill during simulation game of UN meetings in Bonn and we feel that it is important for us to keep the vision and at the same time flexible in approaches and techniques.
We learn that the most challenging task as young people to re-shape the current globalization is to face institutionalized ideologies embedded in the UN system or other international organizations such as EU, IMF or World Bank. Without falling into being a pessimist we aware that global justice has been deteriorated by ideologies operating behind these global institutions and thus we need also to change decision making process or mechanism within these organizations. It is a huge task!
Representing a new, small and poor country in an international forum, we from Timor Leste feels the solidarity among countries from the South and we need to enhance more collaboration in the movement of Global South particularly from civil society organizations working in these countries to promote more global justice while consistently build alliance with groups of people or government, civil society organizations, political organizations from the North with similar concerns and visions to create a better world, a just world for this generation and generations to come.
We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors but we borrow it from our children!
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar