UN advocacy
Women
The Commission on the Status of Women sent recommendations and reports to the Economic and Social Council on promoting women's rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields. It's aim is to promote implementation of the principle that men and women shall have equal rights. Following the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, CSW was mandated to regularly reviewing areas of concern in the Platform for Action.
This year's Commission on the Status of Women took place from March 1-12, 2010. The priority theme was the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action on its 15th Anniversary (Beijing +15) and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly. World Youth Alliance sent a delegation of 12 young people to the Commission.
Social Development
The Commission for Social Development was established as a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1946. As a result of a comprehensive reappraisal of the role of the Commission it was renamed in 1966 and became the Commission for Social Development, in order to clarify its role as a preparatory body of the Council in the whole range of social development policy.
The CSocD is the key UN body in charge of the follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. It meets once a year in New York, usually in February, for a period of eight working days.
This year's Commission on Social Development took place from February 3-12, 2010 at UN Headquarters in NYC. The priority theme was "social integration." If you are interested in participating in this Commission, as part of the WYA delegation, in the future, please contact your regional director.
Population
The Commission on Population and Development began in October 1946 under the Economic and Social Council as The Population Commission. In 1994 the General Assembly renamed the Commission, giving it its current name in a resolution that established a three tiered system between the Council and the Commission that would "follow-up" on the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development.
This year's Commission on Population and Development took place from April 12-16, 2010. The priority theme was "health, morbidity, mortality and development." If you are interested in participating in next year's Commission as a part of the WYA delegation, please contact your regional director.
WYA Celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
On December 10th, 2008, the World Youth Alliance issued the following statement celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Statement of the World Youth Alliance on the Occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The World Youth Alliance is pleased to join world leaders, delegates and members of civil society in celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UDHR affirms the inherent dignity of the human person as the foundation of human rights to be promoted within this family of nations. We welcome this celebration, especially as it recalls the importance of recognizing human rights in contemporary society.
Dignity is the intrinsic, inalienable worth of the human person that extends from conception to natural death. This reality reminds us of our responsibility to each other and our duty to act in solidarity with all people in the face of unjust laws and regimes.
When dignity is cherished in custom and protected by law, human beings can flourish in solidarity with one another. Conversely, when the dignity of the human person is attacked or unrecognized, when human beings are treated as objects, the most extreme human rights violations can occur. The drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, coming from various cultural, ethnic and religious traditions, recognized these truths and created a document that would become a common standard for the human community to aspire to.
That the UDHR was drafted soon after the end of the Second World War tells us that in the face of some of history’s worst violations of human rights, the nations and cultures of the world understood the need to articulate human rights and their foundations. The UDHR was created within the context of a universal realization that genocide had occurred and that we had permitted it because of a mistaken understanding of the value of the human person.
As we celebrate the anniversary of the UDHR, we are aware that mistakes continue to be made about the value of the human person. Today these mistakes lead to the removal of human beings from their position as the focal point and central aim of development policies, to a denial of their right to life, liberty and security of person, and to the objectification of the weakest members of society by the strongest. The World Youth Alliance rejects any attempts to interpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as denying the basic rights, including life and equal protection under the law, to those human beings who are at the earliest stages of their development. By refocusing our efforts on the dignity of the human person, we can, as a human family, accomplish what is necessary to guarantee human rights, promote the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of human beings and help create lasting peace.
We call on all world leaders and members of civil society to reaffirm that the intrinsic dignity of the human person is the foundation of all human rights and to ensure that it is protected in law, policy, and culture as a necessary means to prevent all forms of injustice. We are confident that this celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will help us to promote a culture of dignity, solidarity and life that will endure for generations to come.
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