Young people from Group of eight (G8) industrialsed
nations and from the developing world are meeting with German
Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin as part of the Junior 8 Summit,
an international youth conference with an agenda that mirrors
that of the G8 Summit commencing tomorrow in Heiligendamm, Germany.
In addition to their meeting with Chancellor Merkel, J8 representatives
also holded a press conference with UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
Sir Roger Moore in Berlin.
The Junior 8 Summit is a joint initiative sponsored and spearheaded
by UNICEF and the Morgan Stanley International Foundation (MSIF).
It aims to strengthen the voice of children and young people and
enhance their ability to influence decisions at the G8. In addition
to direct interaction with world leaders at the G8, the J8 program
empowers young people to discuss key global issues and to advocate
for urgent solutions and actions by G8 leaders, by fostering a
global youth movement around issues on the international agenda.
In preparation for their meeting with G8 leaders, 64 young people
from G8 countries and ten children from developing countries gathered
in Wismar, Germany, for a week-long forum to debate four key issues:
Prospects for economic development in Africa, HIV/AIDS, climate
change and energy efficiency, and new global challenges –
among them intellectual property rights and corporate social responsibility.
On 7 June, eight of the young people will have the chance to voice
their concerns directly to G8 leaders when they meet them face-to-face
in a live televised conference.
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who invited Junior 8 participants
to her office in Berlin prior to her departure for Heiligendamm,
applauded their participation and input.
“The G8 has set out an ambitious agenda for the upcoming
summit in Heiligendamm,” Chancellor Merkel said. “We
want to address questions around world economics, achieve better
climate protection, and further deepen our partnership with Africa.
I am looking forward to discuss these issues particularly with
young people and to learn about their ideas and wishes for the
future. These discussions are an important part of our preparations
for the summit.”
Speaking from New York, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman
said, “Issues being discussed at the G8 directly impact
on the lives of children and young people. UNICEF applauds the
G8 for taking the time to listen to the voices of youth. And we
congratulate the J8 participants for giving serious thought to
the kind of world they wish to inherit.”
Morgan Stanley Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John J. Mack
commented: “The Junior 8 teams are an outstanding example
of the commitment of today’s young people to dealing with
the most significant social, environmental and economic issues.
Morgan Stanley is proud to be a co-founder and sponsor of the
J8, which gives today’s youth a much-needed voice on the
global policy stage. It is critical that these students’
progressive views be shared with the world they are inheriting”,
he concluded.
Too often the issues central to the G8 are not considered children’s
issues. However, a closer look at startling statistics on HIV/AIDS,
poverty and global climate change shows that these topics are
all too real for the world’s children.
For example:
* Around 2.3 million children under 15 have been infected with
HIV and 15 million children have been orphaned by AIDS. Of those
requiring pediatric treatment, only 10 per cent have access to
such treatment, and only 11 per cent of HIV-positive pregnant
women have access to services to prevent mother-to-child transmission.
* Every three seconds a child dies as a result of poverty, and
300 million people are still suffering from hunger. Around 5.5
million children die from malnutrition every year.
* According to Save the Children, in the next decade, up to 175
million children are likely to be affected every year by natural
disasters brought about by climate change. By 2010, 50 million
people will be ‘environmentally displaced,’ most of
whom will be women and children.
Background:
J8 participants include teams of eight young people aged 13-17
years from each of the G8 member countries: Canada, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, UK and USA. An additional
ten J8 delegates from developing countries – Algeria, Brazil,
Cameroon, Central African Republic, China, Ethiopia, India, Moldova,
Sierra Leone and Tanzania were selected by UNICEF.
On 7 June, all of the J8 participants are traveling to Heiligendamm,
eight of whom will be selected to present their views to world
leaders gathered for the summit.
