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Overview
World attention over the last few years has focused exclusively on the growing global threat of terrorism. Too little attention and too few resources are being directed toward social issues that are providing fertile ground for this instability, or toward training the youth, the next generation of leaders, to deal with the emerging crises caused by the AIDS epidemic, the increasing poverty and the growing depletion of the earth's natural resources. Governments alone cannot solve the problems confronting us. It will demand the commitment, resources, and best thinking of all sectors of society, including youth.
The Youth Leadership Summits are
designed to help the next generation of leaders to face their tremendous challenges. The Summits are being organized through an innovative collaboration between the United Nations, UNDP and the GPIW, with the support of the private sector. The goal is to help young leaders develop programs that address these issues, focusing on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and to provide a global platform for the voices of the next generation of leaders.
The eight MDGs established by the United Nations include:
- Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieving universal primary education
- Promoting gender equality
- Reducing child mortality
- Improving maternal health
- Halting the spread of HIV/AIDS
- Ensuring environmental sustainability
- Developing a global partnership for development
Beginning with a series of regional youth leadership summits, the youth of the world will culminate in a global summit in New York at the United Nations. Youth delegates are between the ages of 18-30 years old and are selected by UNDP offices and other on the ground agencies for their involvement in their communities, countries and regions and their leadership potential.
When possible equal numbers of male and female delegates are chosen to represent each country to encourage gender equity.
In The Press » "Listening to the Next Generation" by Dena Merriam
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Africa
Pan-African Youth Leadership Summit
27-30 June 2004, Dakar, Senegal
The Pan-African Youth Leadership Summit held in Dakar, Senegal, from 27 to 30 June 2004 brought together more than 100 young leaders from African countries. During the Dakar Summit, African youth were signed on as MDG advocates. They committed themselves to full involvement in mobilizing their societies to halve poverty by 2015 and protect themselves and others from the spread of AIDS in order to help save the next generation of African leaders from the scourge.
The Pan-African Youth Leadership Summit is part of the Africa 2015 initiative of the United Nations Development Programme, which was launched in 2003 to boost ongoing efforts and trigger new ones to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) all over Africa, using HIV/AIDS as an entry point. Initial components of Africa 2015 brought together cultural and sports leaders throughout the continent to partner with the United Nations in endorsing these goals.
PAYLS Brochure » PDF 
PAYLS Program » PDF
In The Press » PAYLS
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Africa
The Second Pan-African Youth Leadership Summit
18-23 August, 2005, Ifrane, Morocco
At the generous invitation of H.M. King Mohamed VI over 100 emerging African leaders from all over the continent and various sectors of society gathered for The Second Pan-African Youth Leadership Summit at the beautiful Al-Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco August 18th-23rd, 2005. This Summit was organized through the efforts and collaboration of the Royal Kingdom of Morocco, the office of the Prime Minister of Moro
cco under the attentive direction of Mr. Driss Geurraoui, the United Nations system - especially the United Nati
ons NY Office of Sport for Development and Peace and the Global Peace Initiative of Women. This Summit marked the 4th in the series of regional over the last 14 months that seek to bring together young leaders who have shown exceptional ability and commitment to develop projects in their regions around the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
For six days these young leaders, a young man and a young woman from each of 50 African nations along with 40 Moroccan delegates, met to discuss some of the challenges facing Africa and the world community. Themes included poverty eradication, environmental degradation, peace, education, health and gender equity. Discussions and training workshops were held on media as well as technology by experts in those fields, Mr. John Cage of Sun Microsystems and Mr. John Yearwood of the National Black Journalists Association. Using sport as an important entry point for youth around the world to take part in peacebuilding initiatives, Djibril Diallo, Chair of the UN Youth Leadership Summit Series and Director of the United Nations NY Office of Sport for Development and Peace worked to organize a much enjoyed volleyball tournament and soccer match that included a wonderful mix of team members from most of the African nations as well as some of the international delegates, men and women.
Also at the top of the agenda was peacebuilding. Discussions led by Dena Merriam, founder of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, were held on creating among the next generation a deep and abiding commitment to peace and stability. At the Summit the delegates formed the ?Young Leaders Peace Council? composed of young representatives working toward peace in their regions, included Sudan, Rwanda, Cameroon, the Congo, Somalia, and Sierra Leone. One of the first programs this Council will organize is the Sudan Peace Dialogue in early 2006 in Khartoum. This will bring together 100 young people from the north, south and Darfur regions to involve youth in the current peace efforts.
The University of Al-Akawayn provided the perfect setting in which discussions could take place. A highlight of the opening ceremony on the 18th of August was the joy of 10 young leaders who had been selected to receive a special award for a humanitarian project they had implemented in their nation. With great applause from all the delegates, they were greeted by His Majesty Prince Moulay Rachid and President Abdulaya Wade of Senegal as well as Adolf Ogi, former president of Switzerland and now the Special Advisor to the United Nations Office of Sport for Development and Peace in Geneva, who presided over this opening day.
All present at this Summit extend gratitude and
admiration for the warm and often magnificent way in which the Moroccan?s hosted this Summit. Many deep bonds were created that promise to bloom into viable programs and positive new models of development for the great continent of Africa.
We acknowledge the generous support of ITRI, a partner of GPIW, that made possible the participation of many delegates.
Dena Merriam's » Prayer for Africa
In The Press » 2nd Pan African Youth Summit
Quotes and Statements from Youth Delegates »
Tamao Koyama, Shumei International, Japan » PDF
Yukako Niimi, Japan » PDF
Follow-up Report » Coming Soon
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Asia & Pacific
Pan-Asian Youth Leadership Summit
19-21 September 2004, Hiroshima, Japan
The Pan-Asian Youth Leadership Summit will take place in Hiroshima, Japan, from 19 to 21 September 2004. It draws delegates from across the region who have demonstrated leadership in advancing the Millennium Development Goals. The objective is to allow them to discuss, develop and lead projects in an internationally cooperative manner in support of those goals.
The Summit forms an important part of Asia Pacific 2015, an initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to boost ongoing efforts and trigger bold new steps to support achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the region. A critical challenge is HIV/AIDS, where early policy response can save millions of lives. This is an area where young people have to take the lead. The Summit looks at how the MDGs are faring in Asian and Pacific countries and what projects youth leaders can initiate to increase the momentum.
PAPYLS Brochure » PDF
PAPYLS Program » PDF
In The Press » PAPYLS
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Latin America & Caribbean
Latin American and Caribbean Youth Leadership Summit
May 2005, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
LACYLS » Special Coverage
LACYLS Brochure » PDF
LACYLS Program » PDF 
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Regional Youth Leadership Summit Outcomes
¤ Pan-African Youth Leadership Summit (PAYLS)
¤ Pan-Asian & Pacific Youth Leadership Summit (PAPYLS)
- Generated Visibility and International Platform for Youth Leaders
- After Summit, PAYLS youth delegation invited to speak at the annual African Union meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in July 2004.
- In October 2004 and January 2005, delegate from Vietnam invited as guest speaker on two trips with Peace Boat, an environmental non-profit organization, to tour China, Japan, Philippines and Vietnam.
- In October 2004, PAPYLS delegate from Pakistan helped organize a seminar on "Engaging Youth with the MDGs" in Lahore, Pakistan.
- In November 2004, PAPYLS delegate from Vietnam organized a national youth leadership summit in Danang,
Vietnam.
- In December 2004, PAYLS delegates from Egypt and Sudan and a PAPYLS delegate from Iran joined Middle East youth delegation in Jordan to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians at the Women's Partnership for Peace in the Middle East consortium.
- Delegate from the Central African Republic appointment as a MDG Youth Advocate helped him gain support and recognition in his local community to start a youth initiative.
- PAYLS regional chair from Tunisia joined caravan traveling around Tunisia to promote the MDGs.
- Developed National Focus on Need to Support Youth Programs
- Each regional chair will receive communications equipment from the government of Senegal to establish regional support groups.
- After the PAYLS presentation at the African Union, Youth Ministers organized a meeting to explore the possibility of setting up youth councils in every African country to represent the priorities and perspectives of young people to their governments.
- Initiated International Partnerships to Support Millennium Development Goals
- An internationally renowned environmental group from Japan has invested in southern African development by supporting a natural agriculture project initiated by a PAYLS regional chair in Zambia.
- Zambian regional chair currently p
articipates in a cultural exchange and media training program in Thailand, where she teaches in an orphanage supported by a local community organization and is learning to work with the media.
- Asia-Africa technology partnership. A Thai and Zambian delegate from PAYLS & PAPYLS are using technology resources available in Asia to design an interactive website for an AIDS prevention and awareness organization in Lusaka, Zambia. Currently the two are collaborating on a web-based youth leadership initiative called the PullFactor.
- Tsunami relief efforts. PAPYLS delegate from Sri Lanka started youth led project to aid the victims of the Tsunami. Using the PAPYLS network he is reaching out to fellow youth delegates and international organizations for support.
- Creation of Permanent Body to Identify and Support a New Generation of African Leaders
- A Pan-African Youth Leadership Foundation is being established to identify and train young Africans with outstanding leadership potential to facilitate and monitor the development of youth progress in achieving the MDGs regionally, as well as to serve as an education and resource center addressing African affairs.
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UN Global Youth Leadership Summit
United Nations Headquarters, New York
29-31 October 2006
Accelerating the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and Peace
The series of previously held Regional Youth Leadership Summits will now culminate at the United Nations headquarters this October for the United Nations Global Youth Leadership Summit. This important dialogue will again bring together two young leaders – one young man and one young woman, between the ages of 18-30 – from each of the 192 Member States of the United Nations.
The Global Peace Initiative of Women (GPIW) will again partner with the United Nations Office of Sport for Development and Peace in the co-organization of this event that enjoys the support of the Secretary General and other world leaders. GPIW was able to assist the UN in securing civil society partners such as Geeta-Mohan Foundation, ITRI of Japan and the Maybach Foundation to make the Summit possible. ITRI has provided support and been engaged in the previous regional Summits and were pleased to once again take a strong role in this effort. All sponsors of this and previous Summits have been encouraged by the outcomes they have witnessed as a result of the efforts of young people. Their energy, idealism and enthusiasm, coupled with access to training, knowledge, resources can help push communities around the world towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals as well as planting in these young leaders awareness of the importance of creative conflict resolution, respect for the ‘other’ community and peacebuilding.
This Summit will continue to build a worldwide program to identify a new generation of government and civil society leaders and to help them join forces across the continents. The UN Global Youth Leadership Summit will take place in New York on October 29th-October 31st, 2006. This Summit will represent the culmination of a series of youth summits in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean, and will help ensure that the contributions young people can make are highlighted. The three-day program will involve young people from government, business, religion and other non-governmental organizations.
The Global Youth Leadership Summit to be held at the United Nations in 2006 aims to:
- Educate youth leaders on the Millennium Development Goals and inspire them to work toward the achievement of these goals in their local communities;
- Educate, empower, train and inspire young people to take active roles in working for peace
- Seek ways to integrate sport-based initiatives into the development and peace agenda
- Identify youth with leadership potential who can together form a global network of next generation leaders;
- Reach large numbers of the next generation by training a core group of community leaders charged with helping reach out to young people and working to improve living conditions and uplift communities;
- Cultivate global partnerships and an understanding of the interconnected nature of communities around the world;
- Connect youth to the United Nations system locally and globally so they will become part of the effort to build a more secure, sustainable and prosperous world.
Pre-Summit Peacebuilding Retreat
In addition to the three days of meetings at the United Nations, the Global Peace Initiative of Women is working with Dharma Drum Mountain Foundation to organize a training program for young peacebuilders. Sponsored by Dharma Drum Mountain, it will be held at their beautiful retreat facility in upstate New York.
The two-day program will bring together 72 young leaders who are working in the field of reconciliation or who are living in an area of conflict or post-conflict. Delegates will include young people from countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, Cambodia and Vietnam. At the Second Pan-African Youth Leadership Summit that was held in Morocco in 2005 the “Young Leaders Peace Council” was born. This Council is comprised of committed young people who have been active in the past year on issues pertaining to youth and conflict and who have a genuine interest to continue in this field and see the role of young people as being extremely valuable. As part of the mission of GPIW to work toward peace on a global scale and to involve women and young people at a greater level in this process, this program is of great significance. Development and poverty eradication cannot take place unless there is stability and security. GPIW would draw upon its networks of experts in this field to lead the discussions for the training program, including senior members of the United Nations University for Peace.
In an effort to encourage more participation from young people in the United States, this specific program will include participation of 15 delegates from the United States and Canada.
Brochure » Coming Soon!
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