http://mohammed.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/50597
The immediate answer to the question would be, No. Young people today are given an unprecedented opportunity to undertake far more than any preceding generation. The rapid advancement in technology has and will continue to be the thing that distinguishes forthcoming generations-this website is the perfect example. My ability, being based in the United States to communicate directly with someone in Laos is a luxury that was unavailable to my father or his father before him. So the fundamental question is, why aren't we achieving as much as we (and certainly I) would hope? Their are several obstacles that I see and I think it's important that I name them:

The first is that the attention given to young people is quite recent. I believe that in looking at the past twenty years, the past five to seven years has witnessed an overwhelming attention to issues that face young people; in other words "we're happening!" However, this has happened before-In 1975 until 1990 the international community viewed issues of women as a priority that was discussed in virtually every forum and on every issue: it was cross-cutting and welcomed. With this in mind, great achievements would be difficult at this time, as many people, in particular decision makers, are still being orientated to issues of youth and convincing them, as we all know may seem to be impossible at certain times.

The second obstacle is youth, yes us. Many of the problems that we face are problems due to the politics of the movement itself. The rapid growth of youth organizations is quite appealing and encouraging, yet doesn't always serve the purpose-this is also an ongoing problem with women's organizations as well-the excitement and eagerness to work and achieve something leads us to forming groups, clubs, networks, organizations which in the end, hurts us: we're stretching the resources. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the attention to our issues is fairly recent and therefore the willingness to nurture the movement is logically limited. By forming the large amount of youth organizations that we are; we tend to overwhelm donors, supporters and allies. While what we we should be forming are alliances among ourselves which will yield a stronger lobby that will be too large to hush-up!

This naturally is easily said than done. The issue that we face (and I know this faces a whole lot of us) is that we tend to disagree on a lot of issues: as individuals, organizations, networks or groups. This can be looked at as a positive aspect of an individual's growth: we are exploring our trends and thoughts all of which will better mold our personalities. I agree that this is true when observing the growth of one unit, but not a collective. The means to forming alliances can only start when we start exploring and working towards our similarities and issues that bring us together. And the first step to achieving that is to agree that each one of us is a "breath of fresh air" who, in a large or small way, will add something-something positive. How? Just look at the challenges we face. We are all under-represented in decision making processes, we are the most vulnerable to AIDS, the environmental disaster that seems to be inevitable will strike our generation before any other--is this not cause for unification?

I was looking earlier today at the agenda of the UN General Assembly for the current session and noticed that women's issues will be discussed 8 times during the upcoming year; youth issues will only be discussed twice in the context of "marginalized people" (so that's including the disabled and indigenous groups). Is that not depressing? I personally think it is. The UN sponsored Millennium Development Goals should be met by 2015-yes, when we are professionals and running the show, and even worse: failing to achieve these goals will adversley effect our lives forever. Of course more pressing discussions such as limiting armed conflict (which in the past decade alone claimed the lives of 10 million young people according to UNICEF) are not open to us. Political reform in areas such as the Arab Region is a priority and enjoys much discussion, with young people shut out of course, also bearing in mind that reform is a long process: meaning that the decisions of reform taken today is most likely, if met, the political culture we will have to endure!

On a more positive note: One must attest that the achievements undertaken by large youth networks is monumental, and that alone is a positive sign for optimism and hope. I can note that the Global Youth Coalition on AIDS recently presented a most intriguing success story on how young people can and must be integrated in discussions on AIDS during the International AIDS Conference. This is but an example of what we're doing as individual organizations, so what if we unite.

For the past six years I've worked with youth issues and I've come to reach two beliefs: The first is that for youth issues to be seriously looked into we as young people should entertain a different approach-we should start discussing our issues as a part of the larger specturm, i.e. youth issues should not be separated from any other issue and not discussed alone. Youth shouldn't be isolated into their own domains to discuss issues pertinent to them, but rather we should be a part of the "macro game". Through isolation we are becoming marginalized-and again looking at women that's what pulled women's issues down for a long time. We are youth indeed, but we are also citizens of our countries, nations and the world and like adults we have a say, and we should say it to them and with them and not to ourselves, because that's preaching to the choir! Secondly, we should start rethinking our plans and actions and begin engaging in a serious discussion on how we can realistically work towards our goals through a plan of action (and not an outline of it) that can be closely monitored and evaluated-as a unified force and not as sporadic initiatives undertaken by a group here and a group there every now and then.
]]> Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:47:00 EDT http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/50597 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/37426 On April 5, 2006 the city of Dubai witnessed a unique event for youth and youth activists in the Arab Region. This important date witnessed an important turning point for the region where we no longer say no to drugs, but we take actions to protect young people from drug misuse through awareness, training and advocacy to place issues of prevention on the forefront of the drug agenda.

April 5, 2006 was a date through which the UNODC, WHO, Right Start Foundation and Dubai Police Force all came together to say, let us work diligently to prevent our youth and children from drug misuse by supporting Mentor Arabia, a foundation launched on that date for that purpose by building the perfect triangle of partnerships: Civil Society, Governments and the Private Sector=Proper strategic and long term planning to ensure youth empowerment, youth wellness, and a drug-free Arab society.

Mentor Arabia, as a branch of Mentor Foundation International (www.mentorfoundation.org) comes to the Arab region at a stage where we can no longer stand to be indifferent to this destructive phenomenon. Young people have been invited to take part in this organization through the establishment of direct projects that target youth involvement and by including young people in the decision-making process of the organization through a Youth Advisory Panel (the first in all regional civil society organizations in the region) and a Youth Representative on the Board of Trustees, whose role is to ensure that young people’s views are incorporated in the organization’s policies and strategies.

It is really inspiring to see such efforts unfold as a reality after long work. I invite young people to visit Mentor Arabia’s section on the Mentor website, and invite all Arab youth to join Mentor Arabia in its endeavors to help us in our cause.
]]> Sat, 08 Apr 2006 00:03:00 EDT http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/37426 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/33543
Having worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Planning, I always found the political commitment to youth causes in Kuwait, but nothing tangible ever followed. Two years ago I had read a piece in a weekly newspaper based in Kuwait about a young woman by the name of Rana Kamshad who voluntarily covered the Iraqi war for the Kuwaiti Al-Seyassah, being the only Kuwaiti woman to take-on this difficult and dangerous task. I called Al-Taleea and they immediately responded to my request for a connection. We met 2 days later and I honestly did not see any prospects for cooperation -I guess it was too early.

One month ago, I received an email from her telling me that she had been recently appointed as the Executive Director of Junior Achievements’ (Injaz) Kuwait branch and that she is also a board member of a newly formed youth entity under the name “Kuwait Youth Organization.” As luck would have it, I returned to Kuwait ten days later and met with their board. I was so intrigued by that dedicated group of young people who were determined to undertake the almost impossible task of working with youth in Kuwait!

Today, I ran a workshop for their board on the history of the international youth movement, WPAY and GYAN’s 5-Level Model on Youth Participation. Although we were a small group (following TIG’s “Guide to Action’s” motto, “the people who showed up are the right number of people”). We were scheduled for one hour and it ended up being for two! I was simply inspired by their questions and note-taking skills. And although those who were present have rough schedules (all being committed to full-time jobs) they remained fully alert and very much active.

As a youth activist I always ask myself, “Is the work I am doing really worth it?” After mesmerizing experiences like tonight’s workshop, the YES is always intensified, and gives me such a strong boost to continue the commitment I have taken to work with youth in Arab States as a part of our collective effort within GYAN International that aims to “unite our efforts for a better world.”

Good Luck KYO in all your future endeavors!
]]> Wed, 28 Dec 2005 17:37:00 EST http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/33543 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/30967
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9670893/

------------------------------------------------------

GENEVA - Declining soil fertility, drought, deforestation and other gradual environmental problems could force up to 50 million people from their homes by 2010, U.N. experts predicted Tuesday.

Rising sea levels, expanding deserts and catastrophic weather-induced flooding have already contributed to large permanent migrations and could eventually displace hundreds of millions of people, said the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security in Bonn, Germany.

“There are well-founded fears that the number of people fleeing untenable environmental conditions may grow exponentially as the world experiences the effects of climate change and other phenomena,” said Janos Bogardi, the director of the institute.

The U.N. refugee agency estimates the current number of refugees worldwide at 19.2 million. But UNU says the number of people forced to move because of environmental deterioration already equals and may someday dwarf that number.

Amid such predictions, the institute is urging the international community to “define, recognize and extend support” for such refugees.

Victims of sudden and highly publicized catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina or the 2004 tsunami in Asia benefit from the generosity of the private and public sectors as well as humanitarian relief, UNU said. But millions of others around the world, uprooted by more gradual environmental change receive comparatively little support and are not recognized as “refugees” with the associated benefits, it said.

Among the examples cited by the institute was the Gobi desert in China, which it said expands more than 4,000 square miles per year, threatening many villages. In Turkey 62,000 square miles of farmlands are affected by soil erosion.

Louisiana now loses roughly 25 square miles of land to the sea every year, according to Anthony Oliver-Smith, an anthropology professor at the University of Florida. In Alaska, 213 communities are threatened by tides that creep roughly 10 feet farther inland each year.

]]> Fri, 21 Oct 2005 17:29:00 EDT http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/30967 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/30623
For the past five years, world leaders have been debating the means to eradicate poverty (or half it) by 2015. The Millennium Project, headed by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, has given a doable plan to achieve this goal and all others by the set time. Looking at it from a religious perspective (being Muslim who practices Islam out of my own will-long story, I will be happy to explain later). I think that a “PRSP” has already been unveiled to the world, fourteen centuries ago.

It is not enough for people to envision what poverty is doing to the lives of people, but the destruction that it causes can only be realized if you have a “feel” of its affect. This, is the rationale that Islam gives to fasting. Currently, Muslims around the world are observing their monthly fast during the Holy month of Ramadan, which we believe is when Gabriel first started his revelations to the Prophet. Having observed the fast myself since I was the age of 9, I can honestly say that it does work. Everyday, when it is time for breakfast I thank God for the great gift that he has given me-water and 3 pieces of dates (followed by a meal of course, but it is customary to break your fast with that first).

This allows me to reflect and feel for those who are living in poverty-many of whom, especially those in Sub-Sahara Africa, consider dates and water at the same time, a luxury. A relevant quote to how Islam views poverty is referenced to Ali bin Abi Taleb, the last Muslim Khalifha (Ruler) during the Muslim Golden Age who said “God Damn Poverty. Had it been a man, I would have ordered his execution.”

My friend Jonah Wittkamper has been trying to work with young philanthropists to realize an evident truth which many philanthropists seem to overlook-humility in giving. Islam advocates that every year, any person who makes a continued income through a job, business etc…is obliged to give 2.5% of their annual income to the poor. This is what we call Zakat. It is believed among Muslims, that those who give alms should not publically announce who they gave their alms to, as a means to preserve the latter party’s dignity. Of course, not every Muslim does this anymore. If we all did, we wouldn’t have the shocking statistics which prove that the Islamic States have the lowest development indicators worldwide.

Religion doesn’t have all the answers. I believe that. But some dilemmas can be answered through faith. Alms and Fasting are two examples of how every Muslim can contribute to poverty reduction. In short, put yourself in the shoes of those who live in poverty so that you can “humbly” support them to ease their pain. Although this may not be a substantial way to solve nation-wide poverty, but it can certainly be a way for everyone, not just Muslims, to contribute to the MDGs.
]]> Sun, 09 Oct 2005 21:38:00 EDT http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/30623 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/30385
------------------------------------------------------

أمضيت الثالث أسابيع الماضية في مدينة نيو يورك للعمل على تحضير دور الانعقاد الخاص للجمعية العامة للأمم المتحدة لمراجعة برنامج العمل العالمي للشباب لسنة 2000 وما بعدها بعد مرور عشر سنوات على إطلاقه. العمل في أروقة الأمم المتحدة له طعم خاص لطالما أحببته وثابرت دائما على المشاركة فيه. ومن خلال عملي في الشبكة العالمية للشباب (وهي منظمة شبابية غير حكومية تتخذ من نيو يورك مقرا لها وحاصلة على الصفة الاستشارية في الجمعية الاقتصادية والاجتماعية للأمم المتحدة) وأيضا كوني عضو مؤسس للهيئة الاستشارية الشبابية لصندوق الأمم المتحدة للسكان، أعمل وبشكل دائم مع برنامج الأمم المتحدة للشباب على متابعة مستجدات الحركة الشبابية في الدول العربية التي بدأ صداها يأخذ حيزا مهما في بعض الدول خاصة في المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية، مملكة البحرين والمملكة المغربية.

لمدة عام مضى، عملنا في الفريق الإقليمي للشبكة في بيروت للتحضير للمشاركة الشبابية العربية الرسمية وغير الرسمية في دور الانعقاد الخاص للجمعية العامة لمراجعة برنامج العمل العالمي للشباب لسنة 2000 وما بعدها. هذا البرنامج، أطلق في عام 1995 عبر قرار من قبل الجمعية العامة. ويتبنى البرنامج خمسة عشر أولوية للتعامل مع الشباب. ومن المفترض، أن تضع الحكومات والمنظمات الدولية والمنظمات الشبابية خططا لتنفيذ هذا البرنامج، والذي يعتبر السقف الأعلى للتعامل مع قضايا الشباب. ومن أبرز ما ورد في هذا البرنامج، دعوة الدول الأعضاء في الأمم المتحدة للمرة الثالثة (أطلقت الدعوة الأولى في عام 1971)، بتفويض شباب لتمثيل الدولة للمشاركة في أعمل اللجنة الثالثة حين مناقشة بند الشباب، إضافة إلى إشراك الشباب في وفود الدول، حين انعقاد اجتماعات دولية كبرى.

وعلى الرغم من هذه الدعوات المتكررة، إلا أن حتى الأسبوع الماضي، لم تبادر أي دولة عربية بأخذ مثل هذه الخطوة. ومن يشارك في اجتماعات الأمم المتحدة، يعلم بأن "الكوتا" العربية ضئيلة جدا، وهذا لا يقتصر على اجتماعات الشباب فحسب، بل واقع جميع الاجتماعات التي تشرك فيها منظمات المجتمع المدني. ويرجع إخفاق المشاركة العربية إلى عدة أمور، من أهمها عدم توافر الأموال اللازمة للسفر والإقامة وعدم وجود علاقة وثيقة بين المنظمات الأهلية في عالمنا العربي والأمم المتحدة وأجهزتها المختلفة.

في السنوات الثلاث الماضية، شاركت في ما يزيد عن 12 اجتماع في الأمم المتحدة في بيروت، نيو يورك و نيروبي. وعندما تكون الاجتماعات خاصة بالشباب، أصدم بالحقيقة ذاتها: أنا الوحيد من دولة الكويت. وعلى الرغم من أن مشاركتي تأتي في إطار عملي مع المنظمات الشبابية الدولية ومنظمات الأمم المتحدة المتخصصة، إلا أنني أتسائل، لماذا مقعد الكويت الرسمي فاضي؟ ما الهدف؟ هل يعود السبب إلى عدم توثيق العلاقات بين المنظمات الأهلية في الكويت والأمم المتحدة (وهذه حقيقة) أم أن الدولة ليس لها اهتمام في قطاع الشباب، على الرغم من وجود جهة رسمية ممولة بالكامل، وهي الهيئة العامة للشباب والرياضة، والتي من المفترض أن تتابع هذه الأمور؟

وكما هو متوقع، فان دور الانعقاد الخاص للجمعية العامة لن يشهد مشاركة شبابية من الكويت، بينما كانت الريادة بين أيدينا لنكون أول دولة عربية لاتخاذ هذا القرار. فأثناء تواجدي في نيو يورك، سعدت باتصال من أحد الأخوة في الوفد الدائم للمملكة العربية السعودية يزف لي بشرى بأن المملكة ستكون أول دولة عربية لأخذ هذه الخطوة. لا أخفيكم، أغمرت بالسعادة، لأنني في النهاية أعمل مع جميع الدول العربية، وهذا إنجاز يسجل للمملكة والمنطقة. 2005 شهد أول مشاركة شبابية عربية رسمية في اجتماع خاص للأمم المتحدة حول الشباب، فهنيئا للمملكة على هذا الدور الريادي المعتاد، وان شاء الله تكون هذه الخطوة خير بادرة لبقيت الدول العربية لأخذ مثل هذا القرار الصائب.

وعلى الرغم من أنني عربي الانتماء، إلا أن حبي لوطني جلب لي شيء من الخيبة. أين شباب بلدي؟ لماذا لا نقوم نحن بمثل هذا العمل الجميل للارتقاء بمستوى الشباب؟ لا يجوز أن تكون دولة رائدة مثل الكويت معرضة تماما عن قطاع حيوي ومهم مثل قطاع الشباب. فالشباب هم الحل وليسوا المشكلة، والعمل على تنمية قدراتهم وتمكينهم من المشاركة يخلق قادة قادرين على تحمل المسؤولية، وهذا مفتاح العودة إلى عهد النهضة الذي يفتقده كل كويتي.

أتمنى أن تصل رسالتي إلى من يهمه الأمر في الدولة، خصوصا وأن سمو رئيس مجلس الوزراء لديه رغبة خالصة للالتفاف حول الشباب وتفعيل دورهم في المجتمع. ندائي نداء شاب مخلصا لبلده: أعطونا الفرصة ولن نخيب أملكم، خاصة إذا وجدنا الجدية من قبل المسئولين!
]]> Mon, 03 Oct 2005 06:08:00 EDT http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/30385 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/30113 This entry is about: Health Wellness


Oprah Winfrey is a woman that goes the extra mile to portray the achievements of all peoples: women, men, young and old. Although Oprah has become a controversial figure in the Arab Region, where she was proved to distort the story of a Saudi journalist who was beaten by her husband, I must say that Oprah does, in most cases recommend good books to read.

Personally, I love to read. I’ve learned to take at least 30 minutes before I go to bed every night to read a book/novel/essay of my choosing. Nothing to do with school or work, my time! Recently Oprah recommended a book called A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. I was watching the show in New York with my sister and immediately I thought to myself: Who is James Frey? I went to a movie that night with my sister, and we both decided we’d get the book.

Being in New York doing GYAN related issues and meetings with UN agencies takes a lot of time and energy as we all know. I simply never got to the book. I decided to take a one week leave before I head back to Beirut and start school again. I took a flight from NY to LA to visit a cousin of mine who studies here. Flying for six hours is a long time, and you simply don’t have much to do! I decided to pull out Frey’s book and take a shot at it. I simply couldn’t put the book down. Although I haven’t finished the book, I read a good portion of it on the plane.

This book relates to many things that I work for and more importantly it’s a memoir, which happens to be my favorite type of books! This book covers the six weeks that Frey spent in a rehab center recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. While at the center, at the age of 23, he was told that if he doesn’t take on a different life style as of that moment, he would not live to be 24.

This account is (as I said, I haven’t finished the book yet) a great reminder of: The Need for Family Support, Courage, Self Respect, and the willingness of a person to help themselves to take-on a transition from being a self loathing person to a strong and able human being. Too optimistic I hear you say? Not really. James Frey was on the verge of death and today he is someone that advocates for drug misuse treatment and prevention.

As we all know, young people are the primary targets of drug producers and trade. This famine has brought destruction to many homes and families; I’ve personally seen how this plague works having known some addicts myself. Along side the work I do for GYAN (www.youthlink.org), I am also the Youth Representative on the Arab Region Development Committee of an international organization called Mentor Foundation (www.mentorfoundation.org). This organization aims to seek and promote best practices of drug misuse prevention. Reading this book, engraves my belief in the importance of youth activism and the work of Mentor even more.

How so? As I said in the previous paragraph, we, young people, are the primary targets of drug traffickers. This lifestyle that some young people pursue (forcefully or willingly) makes me realize that the only way for us to transform from being vulnerable and marginalized (as we are referred to by many) to active citizens is by taking action. Hence the title I chose for this entry, “Pull the Rug on Drugs.” (It was also a title of newspaper coverage on Mentor’s Arab Conference in December 2004). The power of youth becomes stronger and stronger everyday. We have come to the realization that if we want something done, we shouldn’t depend on others, but should take action on doing it ourselves. As young people we have much to learn from Frey’s account. In an indirect manner, he promotes an important factor which many of us lack: The need to ask for help and advice when we need it. That is why, networking and forming partnerships is essential to any field related to social change, in particular that of youth activism. If the international youth movement has any hope-which it does-we need to strengthen our abilities to work with each other by sharing experiences and forming solidified and long-term partnerships. This requires experience and is something that we can certainly gain from adults; hence the importance of intergenerational partnership-a priority that GYAN continues to advocate for.

This memoir is an important lesson learned by Frey on behalf of all young people. It’s a significant image of what obstruction drug misuse can have on us. We all need to be the person that Frey represents: Learn from your mistakes and BECOME ACTIVE VOICES OF CHANGE. I strongly urge you to read this book
]]> Tue, 27 Sep 2005 16:59:00 EDT http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/30113 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/29841
According to the UN Population Fund this amount could prevent 8 million unwanted pregnancies, and 18,800 maternal deaths among women in developing countries. What does this have to do with anything?

Well, on September 16, 2005 the Bush administration officially announced that it would not release the $34 Million Dollars allocated to the international fund, for the fourth consecutive year, which totals to $136 Million. The Bush administration first halted US funding after hearing allegations that UNFPA supports abortion among Chinese women. The fund, invited a team from the US Administration which found no basis to this rumor. On the contrary, the investigation committee report stated that the fund was finding alternate and safe solutions to Chinese mothers-a process which should be helped.

To this day, the Bush Administration continues to veto the appropriated funds for UNFPA. In honesty, I think this is a perfect example of an oxymoron. While the Bush Administration preaches to the world on the right of choice, it takes decisions such as this that are directly responsible for the massacre of 18,800 women worldwide.

I’ve personally worked with UNFPA for 1 ½ years as a founding member of its Youth Advisory Panel, and can vouch for its efficiency and seriousness in tackling issues that face women’s health and promoting the sexual and reproductive rights of both women and young people. The fund, realizes the seriousness of its mandate, and achieves it goals through a culturally sensitive lens. This is not a personal opinion, but is echoed by many, including governments, namely US allies in the European Union who continue to contribute greatly to UNFPA’s budget regardless of the Bush Administration’s decision.

This administration has seriously hindered the United States’ credibility on the international front. It has continued to build-on non factual information (UNFPA’s case and the Iraq War which got the support from a miniscule number of countries, who were under the assumption that Iraq’s WMD reserves would threaten World Peace and Security).

I am not calling on the Bush Administration to yield the US’s right to ensure that its money is being put to use in the proper way. However, I am expecting that the World’s only remaining super-power assumes its role as today’s leading nation by acknowledging when its wrong and correcting its error. This is the essence of true leadership and so long as the US does not exert transparency on itself, it should not expect it from others.

In closing, I’d like to pose a question to President Bush, Secretary Rice and others in the current US Administration: Can UNFPA tell the families of those 18,800 women who have died, that they lost their loved ones because the US decided they were not worthy of life?]]> Sun, 18 Sep 2005 22:53:00 EDT http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/29841 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/29827
Regardless of this valid argument, young people were not allowed to voice their views on this matter to world leaders during the 2005 World Summit held in New York only last week.

GYAN and TIG, collaborated on yet a new endevour to "bring the summit to young people." This endevour marked an inspiring event, a reception which was oragnized by GYAN with the sponsorship of: The Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations, People Speak/UN Foundation, and the NGO Committee on Youth.

The reception which was held at the Roger Smith Hotel on Friday September 16, 2005 had a good turn-out (which totalled to about 100 people) including Dr. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid the Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNFPA, who was also our event's keynote speaker and Dr. Peter Piot, the Under Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN AIDS. We also had a wonderful chance to follow-up with our dear friend and ally, Dr. Jane Goodall, who as always, came to show her support before she went off to a previous engagement. In addition to our regular friends and colleagues, we were also joined by Representatives from Finland, Kuwait, Norway, The Netherlands, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Sweden.

Helen Tombo from Kenya and Jessica Rimmington from the US two youth activits, gave inspirational speeches which presented the excellent projects they have going to ensure youth participation in MDG related activities. In addition to all the presentations, (which didn't take as long as we had expected) our friends from Next/Next Entertainment put on a beautiful presentation on Youth involvement in the MDG's from all over the world, which was a great inspiration to almost conclude our evening!

As our grande finale, Jennifer (our dear and great friend) came all the way from Tornto to launch TIG's beautiful exhibition "Creative Change" which brought a selection of excellent pieces of art, by our friends (TIG members) on each goal of the MDG's (Franziska you did a great job!)

After that, we all had a good time to chat, talk and network...This was an excellent event that showed without a doubt, the wonderful work that young people are doing to achieve the MDG's and to promote social change worldwide!

NB-The picture above is of Dr. Obaid (UNFPA) and Dr. Piot (UNAIDS) during the reception]]> Sun, 18 Sep 2005 16:01:00 EDT http://mohammed.tigblog.org/post/29827 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667