Dear fellow Global Young Greens,

In this issue:

• News from the Steering Committee;

• CALL OUT: Congress Prep Team;

• COP25 - A reflection from Young Green Georgia Stanley;

• Regional news from around the world. 

As usual, if you would like to write anything for our next newsletter, promote a campaign that you have been working on or simply write an article about what’s going on in your country, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us via secretary@globalyounggreens.org!
 

Best wishes,
The GYG Steering Committee

News from the GYG Steering Committee

This month, we have been working on:

• Establishing the GYG Prep Team for our upcoming Congress in Seoul, 2021. If you’re interested in being on the team see more information here! 
• Connecting with Young Greens in Seoul in preparing for the establishment of a local prep team for Congress 2021.
• Updating our contact databases in preparation for our biggest online vote for Steering Committee members (due to take place April/May)! If your details have changed/are about to change, please let us know via secretary@globalyounggreens.org!
• Planning our transition strategy before our term ends and the new GYG Steering Committee is elected. 

As usual, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions or want to know more!

Best wishes, 

Alice, Eva, Janmejai, Zoe, Ian, Martha, Samantha and Lionel

CALL OUT: Congress Preparation Team

Calling all event organisers, fundraisers IT nerds, language experts, green networkers and enthusiastic and internationally minded young greens! We need YOU! 

Our next Global Young Green Congress will be held alongside the Global Greens Congress in Seoul, Korea 2021. We are looking for an international team of young greens to lead the preparations for congress organisation, liaise with the local prep team, fundraise to facilitate attendance for young greens from the global south, organise seminars, webinars, workshops and much more!

This is an incredible opportunity to organise one of the most important global young green events and to gain experience working with a young, international and intercultural team. 

Please note, this role is voluntary. 

Deadline: 21st February 2020

Find out more information here.

COP25: A Reflection from Georgia Stanley

In December 2019, I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the UNFCCC COP25 conference in Madrid, Spain with the Federation of Young European Greens. Accredited as an observer, I had the chance to sit in on negotiations, meet with civil society actors attending the conference, and learn from a variety of side events and panels on topics relating to environmental issues and the climate crisis. Overall, it was a tremendous learning opportunity and a wonderful chance to connect with Greens from around the globe who are fighting for a more just and sustainable world!

There are many things that I will take away from this experience, but what struck me the most during my time there was how much the climate action movement is unifying people around the world. During the side events and panels, I heard many young climate activists talk about how connected they feel to youth in other countries through this movement. While divisions between governments have prevented substantive action on the climate crisis time and time again, the climate action movement continues to transcend borders and build solidarity and empathy. Despite the many disappointments in the COP25 negotiations themselves, I draw so much hope from the multitude of brave civil society actors, indigenous peoples, youth, and activists from every country and nation in the world who are putting everything on the line to demand real climate action. The next year is going to be so important as governments finalize their nationally determined contributions in the lead up to COP26. Let's keep the pressure on!

Africa

Young Green Sayoba Zongo speaks up for youth and the environment in Burkina Faso

“Political ecology is the only alternative,''says Sayoba Zongo of RDEBF (Union of Ecologists of Burkina Faso, President of the West African Green Youth Network). 

In an interview with FasoPic, Sayoba Zongo talks about the increasing presence of young people playing active roles in politics and their intention to have a say in the major decision making bodies of their homeland. Sayoba explains that youth bring a lot to the country and that in the green movement young people are fighting to restore social justice, for an equitable distribution of national resources, a reduction in the gap between the rich and the poor and the need to respect cultural and religious diversity. Amazing work Sayoba! Read the full interview here. 

Young Greens in Kenya tackle period poverty

Period poverty is widespread throughout many parts of the world, often meaning that women and girls miss school whilst menstruating and cannot afford sanitary products. Some girls repeatedly lose 20% of their education for this reason, making them more likely to drop out of school altogether and leading to socioeconomic disparities between women and men later in life. Young Greens from the Green Congress of Kenya are campaigning to tackle this issue by distributing sanitary towels to Nyalkinyi and Rangwena Primary Schools in Homa Bay County in an effort to empower and educate young girls and boys. Great work!

  

Asia Pacific

Promoting the legalisation of medical marijuana in Taiwan

The Green Party of Taiwan nominated our Steering Committee member Zoe Lee as candidate of legislator-at-large to promote the legalization of medical marijuana. This is the first time that a political party in Taiwan would push for such legalization, knowing that Cannabis is listed as a category 2 narcotic by the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act in Taiwan. (same as the amphetamines). The Green Party of Taiwan got the highest voter share in their history in their recent elections with approximately 340,000 votes, 2.6% of the total vote share.

Congratulations on this victory, a sign of greater things to come!
 

Young Greens defend Pakistani poet and equality in India

On 25th January, the Uttarakhand Students Organisation (Young Greens of India) along with Uttarakhand Parivartan Party and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), staged a protest against the central government for its agenda and setting up an inquiry into a poem by renowned Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed (Hum dekhenge), which was sung by the students in protests against the discriminatory new law brought in by the government via the Citizen Amendment Act.

The leaders of organisations sang the songs of Faiz as a protest and read the preamble of Indian Constitution, highlighting India as a secular and equal country and the need for citizens to defend its constitution. 



Europe

Preparing for General Elections in Ireland: 8 February 2020

Irish Young Greens/Óige Ghlas are running several young candidates in the General Elections. Tate Donelly is the youngest candidate standing and his message to those who criticise his age is clear: “A couple of people tell me that they think I don’t have the experience for the job but I say to them that there are others who have experience of doing a bad job...” On the last weekend of January, you could find FYEG co-spokesperson Antoine Tifine on the campaign trail with Irish Young Greens. 


Photo: Antoine Tifine, FYEG co-spokesperson, canvassing with Lorna Bogue in Cork. Photo credit: Gavin Nugent.

Call for Participants – FYEG Seminar: It’s Not Just a Transition

The Federation of Young European Greens is announcing an open call for participants to our Seminar It’s Not Just a Transition taking place April 21-25 (arrival 20, departure 26 April) in Barcelona, Spain.

In these five full intense working days we will explore what implications the transition towards a carbon-neutral society might have on social and human rights in an urban setting, and how young people can shape this process just without leaving anyone behind. We are looking for 39 young people between 16-35, residing in one of the Council of Europe member states, Belarus or Kosovo. More details can be found here.