EU LAUNCHES 20M EUROS….. EMPOWERS 150 NON-STATE ACTORS (NSAs) IN THE SOUTH EAST GEOPOLITICAL ZONE OF THE FEDERATION

The European Union (EU) has empowered 150 Non-State Actors’ implantation and Development Expertise (INSIDE) programme, which took place from the 8th of August to 22nd of August, 2010 at the Nike Lake Hotel, Enugu State .

NSAs (Non-State Actors) selected from three states- Enugu , Anambra and Enugu State which make up the South East Geopolitical Zone benefited from the capacity building workshop. The EU-INSIUDE, Team Leader, Walter Bresseleers stress that the two weeks programme was designed to help NSAs build their expertise for development on the thematic areas of EU-INSIDE Programme which are: Peace and Security, Human Rights, Good Governance, Managerial Issues, financial management, leadership skills, Monitoring and Evaluation, Climate Change, water and Environmental Sanitation so as to strengthen the enhancement of peace and good governance, advocacy and eventually meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Eventually, experts on various fields facilitated the events which ended with the award of certificates and training manuals to the participants. Some of the NGOs awardees include: Life-skills Initiative for Youth Empowerment and Development; Crown-Kop Capacity Foundation, Anambra State; Neighborhood Initiative for Women Advancement, Ebonyi State ; Centre for Children and Youth Counseling, Enugu ; South Saharan Social Development Organization, Oak of Hope Foundation and many others.

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE ON INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY 12 August 2010


This year's commemoration of International Youth Day also marks the launch of the International Year of Youth, under the theme “Dialogue and Mutual Understanding”.

Today's challenging social and economic environment warrant a special focus on youth. Eighty-seven per cent of people aged 15 to 24 live in developing countries. The global economic crisis has had a disproportionate impact on young people; they have lost jobs, struggled to find even low-wage employment and seen access to education curtailed. As economies slowly begin to stabilize, the needs of young people should be paramount.

This is a moral imperative and a developmental necessity. But it is also an opportunity: the energy of youth can ignite faltering economies. I am regularly inspired by the good will, talent and idealism of the young people I meet across the world. They are making important contributions to our work to eradicate poverty, contain the spread disease, combat climate change and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. I call on Member States to increase their investments in young people so they can do even more.

During the International Year, the United Nations and its youth organization partners will focus on the need to encourage dialogue and understanding across generations, cultures and religions. In a world in which different peoples and traditions are coming into closer, more frequent contact than ever before, it is crucial that young people learn how to listen