For all of you interested in youth participation in international organisations, but not really knowing where to start, the workshop at Agora Patra held by AEGEE-Europe Liaison Officers towards OSCE can be the first step!
We will introduce the basic information on what Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe stands for, the context of its work and the opportunities for youth to become involved in processes of such huge organization. The functioning of this organization might seem very complex, yet there are many projects and initiatives open to the youth that follow models applied in the real professional context. And we will tell you why it’s worth taking part in them.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world’s largest intergovernmental organization focused on the issue of security. It operates also in the fields of arms control, the promotion of human rights, freedom of the press or transparent elections. The headquarters of the organisation is in Vienna. The organisation has originated from the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) that took place in 1975 in Helsinki. 57 states from Europe, Asia and North America are members of this organisation.
We want to make AEGEE members more aware and involve them in the opportunities for direct participation provided by OSCE for young people, such as Model OSCE – Youth Ambassadors programme, Human Dimension Implementation Meeting or Election Observation missions.
We would like to get your input to develop the Youth Action Plan, listen to your ideas to organise an AEGEE side-event at the annual HDIM meeting and discuss with you the biggest challenges OSCE is currently facing, in such fields as peacebuilding, democratic development or human rights.
After the presentation of the bodies and the opportunities for participation, we will have a more detailed look into each of these conferences. Starting with HDIM, we hope to collect your ideas for the side-event during group work and recruit participants for the next edition of the event.
In fact, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) organises an annual meeting in Warsaw to review the implementation of a broad range of OSCE human dimension commitments, including such fields, as human rights and fundamental freedoms, elections, the promotion of tolerance, use of the death penalty and the rights of national minorities. The Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) lasts 10 working days and is attended by representatives of OSCE participating States, NGOs, and international organizations and institutions. It is a place where AEGEE should be present and this is why we want to create an AEGEE delegation to participate in Europe’s largest conference on human rights and democracy! For further information, check the article about the attendance of the AEGEE delegation to the HDIM 2013.
Another part of the session will be devoted to the Youth Action Plan that is being developed this year during Model OSCE meetings organised in the framework of Swiss Chairmanship in the OSCE. This document is supposed to be a set of recommendations drafted by young people for the OSCE Member States and the organisation as a whole, which will be handed in to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of participating States this December. The document contains recommendations on a variety of topics, such as education, employment and entrepreneurship, human rights, youth participation, peace and reconciliation, the issue of discrimination or promoting cultural co-operation. As you can notice, many of those fields are also relevant for AEGEE. That is why we would like to hear your opinions on them and give you the floor to identify the most urgent challenges in these areas and potential solutions that could be added to the Youth Action Plan.
We hope to see many of you in Patra!
Written by Aleksandra Kluczka, AEGEE-Kraków and Ermanno Napolitano, AEGEE-Milano