Jagriti Yatra 2015 – Train ride for a better world
By Sailesh Singhal
Ever wonder what can happen during an epic train ride across India to talk about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Here’s your answer! I was a part of a Jagriti Yatra journey, with 449 other young people, to 12 destinations in India to share news about the SDGs and the World We Want. Jagriti Yatra is a 15-day, 8000 kilometre train journey across India. It’s the world’s largest national train journey which takes selected youth through a rigorous selection process to meet the role models who are developing unique solutions to India’s developmental challenges.
During the journey were taken along the major challenges and learned how to shape our own ideas. It dived into the rich cultural heritage that our country is honored with and experienced the shift in climate as the train proceeded from South to North. The Yatra is the germinating ground for ideas and exchange of culture. It is a place where individuals from different backgrounds come together and feel the responsibility of becoming agents of change. Fifteen years is what we have to create a better society and youth is the only catalyst. Yatra teaches you the best way to contribute – to get down within society and get your hands dirty!
Jagriti Yatra receives over 17,000 applicants throughout India and other parts of the world of which only 450 of the most qualified are selected. The train stops in 12 locations and youth delegates have the opportunity to personally meet exceptional change-makers who are transforming India. Jagriti Yatra is a transformational journey, aiming for equal representation of young women and men to achieve the “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality” initiative. Jagriti Yatra had 40% girls and women represented in 2015. During my journey experience, I advocated for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the World We Want platform. Sustainable Development Goals need to be trickled down in the society through the youth body channels and it’s very important for youth to know about the SDGs. Unfortunately, a minority of youth know about our vision of 2030. Thereby, it’s essential for us to show a clear vision of the next 15 years before we actually jump right into achieving the goals.
Gender equality is not a short-term goal. However, we need to start bringing a shift in the mentality of people starting today by talking about equal opportunities. Through the MY World 2015 Survey, we can see that of the 902,300 people who have voted in India, over 400,000 prioritized equality between men and women, making gender equality the number five most prioritized issue in the survey.
Young women and men are the carriers of our vision and we need to engage discussions with more young people. The role of young people is not only important as actors in attaining gender equality, but also as partners in creating a world that is equal if we want to achieve the goal of Planet 50-50 by 2030. Campaigns such as HeForShe, MARD, #YouthForGenderEquality need strengthening as we move towards the SDGs.
Life on the train is as busy as it gets! With a packed schedule of debates, presentations and conversations, and a blend of art, music and poetry, Yatris participants find themselves fully involved at all times. The Yatra sets out to be a life changing experience for us to catalyse that shift in mindset. Not only for the people but through the people, the millions of youth who watched this expedition as it curved across this great and beautiful land. When we heard how our inspiring role models have created their institutions surmounting all odds, and when we heard stories of leadership and courage from our co-travellers, we discovered an India that waits to be unleashed. You are that dynamic spirit that will unleash a new society.
About the Author:
Sailesh Singhal is a social worker and an enthusiastic youth activist, driving towards an active inclusion of youth through transparent and accountable methods. He serves Asian Arab Chambers Of Commerce as the Secretary for the Young Business Leaders Forum committee. He is committed to work towards advocating our Sustainable Development Goals Glocally (Global+Local). He is dedicated towards empowerment of women, social justice and education to all. He is the elected General Secretary of SJC Student Council. He is working with youth all across the country to empower the voice of youth.
60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (14-24 March 2014)
The sixtieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60) took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 14 to 24 March 2016. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world attended the session. The priority theme of the CSW60 is "Women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development" and the review theme is "The elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls". More
Inter-Agency Update
The Annual Meeting of the UN Inter-agency Network on Youth Development is taking place from 29-30 March 2016 in UN Women headquarters, New York. UN DESA is the permanent co-chair of the Network, and for 2016/2017 is joined by rotating co-chair UN Women. The Network draws together over 40 UN entities to coordinate and collaborate on youth related issues across the UN system, including the implementation and monitoring of the UN System-wide Action Plan on Youth. More information on the Network can be found here.
UN Entities Highlighted News
ILO: Global Research Symposium: Labour Market Transitions of Young Women and Men (23-24 March 2016)
This ILO research symposium, to be held in Geneva from 23-24 March 2016, is an international forum for sharing results of the second ILO’s Call for Papers on labour market transitions of young women and men in developing countries. The symposium, organized in partnership with the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), offers an opportunity for researchers and development practitioners to discuss innovative research on themes of youth employment and labour market transitions and applicability to policy and programme advice and implementation. More
ILO: Impact research on youth employment programmes in the Middle East and North Africa
The Taqeem Initiative of the ILO supports impact research on youth employment
programmes in the Middle East and North Africa. Research on Entrepreneurship Edutainment in Egypt (RCT baseline report) presents the baseline analysis of the impact evaluation of a youth entrepreneurship reality TV show called El Mashrou3 in Egypt. The reports on MEDA Maroc’s 100 Hours to Success programme in Morocco (Qualitative assessment and RCT baseline report) explore the impact of employability, finance and entrepreneurship training combined with job placement support to better understand young people’s transitions from school to the labour market.
ILO: Taqeem Impact Brief Series for results measurement in youth employment
ILO: Youth Employment Inventories (YEI) in China, Tunisia, Egypt and Kenya (infographics)
The Youth Employment Inventory (YEI) provides comparative information about the design, characteristics and achievements of youth employment interventions worldwide. From 2013 to 2015, the ILO carried out country inventories of youth employment interventions in Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia and China to shed light on intervention trends. Information about skills training, entrepreneurship promotion, employment services and subsidized employment interventions are presented as infographics in brochures for YEI Egypt (2013), YEI Kenya (2013), YEI Tunisia (2014) and YEI China (2015).
ILO/IZA Conference on “Assessing the Effects of Labour Market Reforms – A Global Perspective” (10-11 March 2016)
The ILO/IZA Conference on “Assessing the Effects of Labour Market Reforms – A Global Perspective” was held in Geneva from 10-11 March 2016. The purpose of the Conference was to take stock of the effects that labour market reforms have had in terms of job quality, inequality and employment creation, including for young people. ILO Director-General, Mr Guy Ryder, moderated a Panel Discussion on “Future of Work and Labour Market Reforms” to discuss the transformational changes taking place in the world of work.
UNAOC/IOM: PLURAL+ 2016 - call for entries
PLURAL+ is a youth video festival, organized by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Organization for Migrations (IOM), which focuses on migration while celebrating diversity and social inclusion. PLURAL+ recognizes youth as powerful agents of social change, and supports cooperative efforts to reduce tensions in a world often characterized by conflict and division. The 3 applicants who submit the winning videos will be invited to New York (all travel expenses paid) for an awards ceremony in the fall of 2016. Deadline: 29 May 2016.
UNDESA/Population Division: Leaving no one behind: Counting all people, because all of them count
The world is facing the reality of the largest youth population ever. Knowing how many young people there are, where they live and if they move, whether they marry and have babies, and if they die and from what, is essential for reviewing progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. The upcoming session of the Commission on Population and Development will examine means of strengthening the demographic evidence base in support of the new development agenda (New York, 11-15 April 2016). More
UNESCO Beirut: NET-MED-Lebanon - April 2016 Activities
For a long time, young people all over Colombia’s different regions have created their own processes, projects, and initiatives aimed at building peace and promoting their rights and participation in the decision-making processes that affect their lives. These include the youth platform for peace in Meta, the network for young peacebuilders in Antioquia and the School for Youth Leadership in Nariño - all of which have been supported by UNDP’s Local Partnerships for Peace and Development. More
UNESCO and CEMCA engage Indian youth to build awareness about community radio’s potential for disaster management
UNESCO and CEMCA’s Community Radio Video Challenge (CRVC) is a youth engagement and advocacy programme that seeks to build public awareness about the importance of community radio (CR) for local self-expression, learning and development. The CRVC 2016 is on the theme "Community Radio: Addressing Disasters, Saving Lives" and focuses on CR’s potential for contributing to disaster management. The CRVC invites media students at Indian educational institutions to submit films with a maximum of 3 minutes duration for the contest. More
UNESCO San Jose: Multi-partisan Group of Young Parliamentarians created in El Salvador
On 1 March 2016 an important agreement was reached at the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador for the establishment of a multi-partisan Group of Young Parliamentarians, with support from UNESCO. This group, composed of members of parliament below the age of 35, will work to build an agenda of inclusive policies with an intergenerational perspective, and promote mechanisms for youth participation in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of public policies. The group will have impact and coordinate participation in all Parliamentary Commissions. Its main priorities will include the strengthening of the legislation relative to sports, the General Law for Youth and the Law for Juvenile Reintegration. More
UN-Habitat: Nigeria hosts the African Urban Youth Round Table towards Habitat III
UN-Habitat in partnership with the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Youth and Development and the Nigeria Habitat Network hosted a two-day youth round table towards Habitat III just before the Habitat III Africa Regional Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria. The youth discussed critical issues affecting urban youth in Africa including unemployment, safety, and climate change. The round table recommended key strategies to strengthen youth inclusion and participation in the implementation of the SDG’s, Addis Ababa Declaration, Agenda 2063 and Habitat III in Africa. More
In response to the health needs of adolescents, WHO and partners are developing a Global Framework for Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (the Global AA-HA! Framework). Initial input is now requested from governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, youth groups and citizens. The online survey is open from 7–28 March 2016. Click here for English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic.
Youth in Action
Green Hope: Lighting up lives with solar energy
Youth organisation, Green Hope, believes in engaging all sections of civil society, especially those who are marginalized, in the road to progress. A team of three Green Hope members travelled to the desolate salt pans in the Indian state of Gujrat and distributed solar powered lamps amongst the migrant labourers who live in huts and have never seen electricity. Their children, some of whom attend school, can now study at night with the help of these solar lamps. More
Hands-On Institute: International Sustainability School 2016 in Nepal
International Sustainability School revolves around an 8 day experience designed to give youth skills, ideas and inspiration. It involves learning about sustainability while trekking in the Himalayas, living with communities, learning from experts, meeting changemakers, all while being accompanied by like-minded friends from different parts of the world. The fellows return with a project to impact a larger community back home. Scholarships are available based on ability and commitment to lead sustainability actions. More
The 2nd Building Bridges is launched: Road to Nairobi 2016!
From the metropolis Johannesburg to rural communities in Northern Zambia, from Uganda's agricultural sector to Nairobi's ICT hubs. The Road to Nairobi 2016 project will connect with youth entrepreneurs, local policymakers, youth organizations, UN entities, private companies and others to discuss youth employment and to find real-life solutions. The goal: not empty words, but concrete action. During the High Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation we will showcase our findings and present recommendations for further action. More
