Thematic Recommendations BEIJING/2017/PI/H/3
Contents Culture in Promoting Positive Peace... 2 Promoting Positive Peace in a Digital Era... 2 Gender-based Violence, Respect for Human Rights and Harmonious Societies... 3 Youth Social Development... 5 Combating Extremism... 6 Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability... 7 1
1. Culture in Promoting Positive Peace a) Governments at the national level to protect endangered cultures through education. b) Governments at the national level to promote cultural tolerance and harmony to facilitate international peace. c) Encourage youth involvement in promoting culture and peace through volunteering. d) Encourage the utilization of social media as an interactive platform to promote culture among youth. e) Encourage the inclusion of youths in promoting cultural awareness at national and international levels. f) Recommend that governments at the national level to take a more proactive measure and work closely with youths at grassroots. g) Recommend that governments at the national level promoted understanding and safeguarding of their local culture and identity, while embracing and appreciating other cultures from different countries or regions. h) Strongly prohibit and replace the cultures that violate basic human rights through regulations and education. i) Strongly urge all governments to adopt the International Covenant in Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) into domestic laws and practices. j) Strongly recommend that youths at the international/regional level work together in specific programs/institutions to promote better understanding and exposure to other cultures. 2. Promoting Positive Peace in a Digital Era a) Call on international organizations to do more to promote peace in the digital era. b) Recommend that internet access be made cheaper and more reliable and geared to promote peace, especially for the young. c) Recommend that technology and the media be used to foster mutual understanding 2
between migrants and hosts. This should be done through the internet for those that have access and the print media for those that do not. d) Call for the promotion of official positive news, storytelling and celebration of other cultures. e) Encourage the use of responsible journalism, including through social media. f) Suggest an award be implemented for young journalists/bloggers who promote positive peace. g) Recommend that access to information about peace building be promoted through digital media. h) Encourage the cooperation of governments to create binding international agreements that promote cybersecurity and bring cybercriminals to justice. i) Recommend that the private and public sector, including religious institutions, promote mutual respect and understanding for all. j) Recommend that investment be made in the telecommunications sector in rural areas, drawn from national budgets and international bodies to subsidize internet connections to be affordable, reliable and accessible to all. This could be achieved through cooperation with private sector IT companies. k) Access to the internet should be recognized as a basic human need in our modern world. Its access is crucial for the development of all peoples for: Economic development; Education programs; Disaster relief strategies; Connectivity to a globalized world. 3. Gender-based Violence, Respect for Human Rights and Harmonious Societies a) Supportive environments are needed for sexual and gender minority groups across the 3
Asia Pacific. In order for youth to be heard by their governments, they should express concerns through regional IOs and NGOs to leverage government support. b) Youth should take action to eliminate GBV through forums, workshops, social media, campaigns, and national and international youth associations. c) We recommend that national and local governments and NGOs to ensure that human rights, sexual reproductive health rights and gender based violence prevention be incorporated into all national education systems. d) We recommend that UNESCO member states create a mobile phone application that can used to report to governments by taking and uploading videos of perpetrators committing gender based violence or abusing human rights. e) We recommend that local communities raise awareness, aside from formal education, so people understand when their rights are violated. f) We suggest that governments create hotlines for victims to call (anonymously) to report abuse of human rights and gender based violence. g) We recommend that governments should collect statistics to inform better solutions for gender based violence and human rights abuse. h) We recommend that governments create opportunities for youth to own businesses on equal footing with big business. i) We recommend that participants from the APYD connect with more youths in rural areas to drive the above changes. j) We call on UNESCO to urge its member countries to increase their capacity to address social development (particularly for small island developing states). k) We call for an officially recognized and funded organization that promotes LGBT rights, as well as promotes and increases political representation of the LGBT community. l) We call for governments to implement more robust legislation and penalties for perpetrators of gender based violence. 4
4. Youth Social Development a) Create regional youth platforms to share information such as employment and educational opportunities. b) Initiate classes for skills development, training especially for young girls and gender minority group, etc. c) Promote sustainable volunteering programs by well-educated youth to teach students in remote communities without qualified teachers and classes. d) Establish a school curriculum providing enhancement of critical thinking and innovative skills, and integration of peace building and humanitarian studies. e) Provide full scholarships for socially and economically challenged youth up to undergraduate level based on the condition of good grades and skills. f) Initiate talk caravans spreading the awareness on the proper hygiene management, AIDS, drug addictions. g) Provide healthcare awareness activities to the youth through application of good practices in oral healthcare, physical activities, personal hygiene and nutrition. h) Offer an avenue for mental healthcare awareness to young people through proper education, workshops, and stereotype prevention campaigns. i) Provide dialogues for secondary students to empower passive youth. j) Establish a youth parliament which will serve as an official avenue for the youth to provide its representation in the government deciding body of a country. k) Persuade international organizations to provide paid internship opportunities such as United Nations internship programs. l) Enhance housing affordability by investing more in infrastructure and providing incentives to relocate to areas with affordable economic opportunities. m) Encourage companies to employ recent graduates. n) Train and employ people regardless of gender. o) Create and implement employment strategy plans, and balance the number of professionals in each field. 5
p) Make organizations offer strictly followed structured internships. q) Offer opportunities for high school students to experience various professions. 5. Combating Extremism a) Eliminate extremist ideology through dialogue among government, civil society and active citizens. b) Recommend all the governments in Asia Pacific to cooperate in combating terrorism. c) Place emphasis on increased cooperation in countering cyber terrorism among key stakeholders. d) Establish Investment Channel and Entrepreneurship training to decrease the unemployment rate of youth with initiatives such as entrepreneurship and youth employment programs by UN, NGO and government). e) Establish an Asia-Pacific Counter-Extremism Cooperation Protocol /Intelligence sharing, etc. f) Introduce counter - extremism and terrorism curriculum in secondary school. g) Every government should monitor the religious institutions with regard to content and allied activities. h) Analyze the activities of individuals on social media instead of banning social media. i) Focus on reaching out to people who do not have access to social media. j) The youth should push the government on peace processes (campaign, lobbying, etc). k) Encourage the youth to become involved in government and decision making process. l) Emphasize de-radicalization processes. m) Call for tactful dealing of extremism like Islamophobia, Xenophobia, racism and similar sorts. n) Urge all to extirpate misconceptions and stereotyping and encourage them to learn from the right sources and people. 6
6. Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability a) Recommend that UNESCO utilize the day currently reserved for afforestation to spread greater awareness and build greater social responsibility for all sectors, including public and private sectors on issues relating to environmental sustainability. b) Call on UNESCO to urge Australia and New Zealand to develop resettlement and displacement policies for Pacific peoples displaced by processes of climate change. c) Call on UNESCO to urge national governments to invest in youth focused climate change initiatives. d) Call on UNESCO to collaborate with both larger economic nations and nations facing displacement due to the effects of climate change, to establish a traditional and cultural school, particularly for the preservation of the Kiribati tradition and culture. e) Recommend that influential bodies, including UNESCO and national governments encourage companies and small to medium businesses to collaborate directly with the youth in their efforts to promote sustainability. f) Request a review of every major environmental sustainability forum, preceding the development of quantitative measures designed to measure the impacts of such forums. g) Demand that United Nations and its relative bodies publish a bi-yearly report monitoring the status of recommendations and their implementation discussed in preceding youth forums on environmental sustainability, and for the language used in such reports be easily understood by youths around the world. h) Recommend greater investment in engaging youth in the development of indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge, promoting intergenerational and intercultural dialogue in order to devise innovative solutions to combating climate change. This knowledge sharing should take place through facilitated action-based exchanges, youth-adult partnerships, internships and social enterprise initiatives, mobilizing a youth-centered approach to enhancing capacity-building around climate change and environmental sustainability. i) Recommend resource mobilization for global environmental projects, including REDD (Reducing Emissions, Deforestation and Environmental Degradation) through Green Climate Funds and Global Environmental Facility. 7
j) Advise national governments to consider the introduction of market-based instruments including a carbon tax, emissions trading scheme and green bonds to motivate the private sector to stimulate investment in low-carbon emitting technologies. k) Recommend that all countries implement environmental studies as a core area of learning at primary and secondary years of schooling. This will reinforce the significance of the sustainable development agenda, enhancing youth education and engagement in environmental programs. l) Recommend all natural non state entities are granted legal status in national legislation thereby guaranteeing that the rights of ecosystems are protected and preserved. m) Encourage the Youth Ambassadors to the UNESCO Asia Pacific Youth Dialogue 2016 in Chengdu, China to aid the practice and implementation of these recommendations by being ambassadors of climate change mitigation and environmental sustainability at the various governmental and societal levels, including: Local youth led initiatives; Local, regional and national governments; Increased dialogue with other youths of their countries and region. 8