IPB-ITUC World Youth Summit 2019 – IPB – International Peace Bureau

IPB – ITUC World Youth Summit – Transform! #ChangeTheRules – Just transitions towards peace, social justice and environmental sustainability

Organizers

IPB and IPB Youth Network in partnership with ITUC

With the support of ILO ACTRAV, DFG-VK, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung

Date

20-22 September 2019

Location

Technical University Berlin, Building of Mathematics, Strasse des 17. Juni 136, Berlin, Germany

Introduction

In the 21^st century we are experiencing multiple wars, destruction and injustice. Challenges and problems are becoming more visible at both small and large scales, ranging from threats with the potential to end human life itself to the destruction of the environment and other foundations of life. Militarism and injustice drive these potentials on multiple levels. Certain societal factors – i.e. lack of democracy, distribution of wealth, gender inequalities or the belief in infinite profit maximization – are at the base of many challenges and problems.

Young people are agents of change and need to discuss such matters and exchange their experiences much more. We want to organize in order to amplify our voices and to increase engagement in peace processes and struggles for societal progress.

The World Youth Summit is a youth-led Summit, contributing to the vision of a world in peace and without war and to the vision of a more peaceful, just and sustainable future. The idea of the Summit emerged during the preparations for the youth gathering of the IPB World Congress “Disarm! For a Climate of Peace – Creating an Action Agenda”. Some of the discussions held at this Summit and at an international working meeting on the weekend of the international day of peace 2018 will be continued at the world youth Summit.

The 4th ITUC World Congress in Copenhagen in December 2018 called for a new social contract for the 21^st century that transcends pure economic growth and incorporates the social, environmental and political dimensions as a prerequisite for lasting peace. The Congress decided to work for peace, democracy and rights through social justice, equality and equity, building solidarity between generations with the full inclusion of the hopes and aspirations of young people. The Congress committed to investing in organisational and leadership development for young workers to build a new generation of trade union leaders and introduced the concept of a ‘generation test’ to ensure that campaigns remain relevant to young people. The Summit in Berlin will also serve as a generation test for the ITUC Frontline campaigns and pillars for action and in particular the pillar on peace, democracy and rights. The Summit follows a series of regional intergenerational debates among trade unionists organised across the world in 2018. The International Labour Conference in 2017 adopted the Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience Recommendation (No. 205) replacing the Employment (Transition from War to Peace) Recommendation (No. 71) of 1944 offering a new and up to date just transition framework to address crisis situations arising from all conflicts and disasters.

The Summit will focus on transformation towards a more peaceful, just and sustainable future. This will be achieved by informal learning to develop a sense of personal responsibility and by developing plans for concrete actions in day-to-day life as well as in societal processes. The Youth Summit will engage youth from various different backgrounds and with varying perspectives and approaches to peace, justice and sustainability as well as diverse experts and laypeople from different fields related to the Summit’ issues.

Objectives

The overall objective of the world youth Summit is to build bridges and foster discussions among youth with different perspectives on and approaches to promote peace, justice and sustainability together with non-youth stakeholders active in the peace movement and in the various fields. Voices of youth against war and for peace should be increasingly and strongly heard. Among others, the specific objectives are:

To speak out and act against war, militarism, injustice, and planetary destruction.
To equip young people with the confidence and competencies to build peace, social justice and environmental sustainability.
To bring young people into regional, national and international decision-making processes.
To facilitate intergenerational and interdisciplinary alliance building for peace, justice and sustainability.

Programme

Friday, 20 September 2019

15:00 – 17:00: ITUC Preparatory Briefing for trade union participants (MA 143)

From 17:30: Registration (MA Foyer 1)

19:00 – 21:30: Public Evening Debate (MA 043)

“Transform – #ChangeTheRules – how fundamental and how fast do we need change”

Welcome and Greetings: Jeroen Beirnaert (ITUC), Reiner Braun (IPB), Marie Cucurella (IPB Youth)

With: Joachim Spangenberg (SERI / INES), Sara Medi Jones (CND), Josef Holnburger (DGB Youth), Joseph Gerson (AFSC / IPB), Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker (Club of Rome), Chloé Meulewaeter (Centre Delàs d´Estudis per la Pau)

Moderation: Reiner Braun (IPB), Marie Cucurella (IPB Youth

Saturday, 21 September 2019

From 09:00: Registration (MA Foyer 1)

Coffee and tea available in Café A from 08:30

9:30 – 12:00: Smaller group discussions in the methodology of non-formal education

Floor for meaningful exchange of experiences and information and floor for open discussions in the framework of the topics of the Summit

Facilitators: Quique Sánchez (GCOMS), Emma Pritchard (IPB Youth), Marie Cucurella (IPB Youth), Maria Tsirantonaki (ITUC Youth) & Roberto Groso (CGIL Italy), Sankalp Pawar (IPB Youth), Franziska Heinisch (IPB Youth), Theresa Kresse (IPB)

Groups: Bertha von Suttner (MA 043), Mahatma Gandhi (MA 544), Mairead Maguire (MA 549), Malala Yousafzai (MA 550), Martin Luther King Jr. (Café A), Nelson Mandela (MA Foyer 1), Rigoberta Menchú (MA Foyer 1)

12:00 – 13:30: Lunch (Café A)

13:30 – 15:00: Panel Discussions on the themes of the Summit (separate rooms)

Parallel panels in the following rooms: MA 043, MA 549, MA 550.

Transformation from militarism to non-violence – just transition from conflict to peace and resilience
- With: Kevin Martin (Peace Action USA), Emma Pritchard (IPB Youth), Jennifer Menninger (WILPF), Glib Kolesov (KVPU Ukraine), Luisa Fernanda Ospina Madera (CUT Colombia), Michael Watt (ILO ACTRAV)
- Moderation: Arielle Denis (IPB)
Transformation from environmental destruction to sustainability – just transition to climate ambition
- With: Tamara Lorincz (IPB), Jagoda Munic (Friends of the Earth Europe), Matt de Vlieger (IPB Youth), Benjamin Alvero (SENTRO Philippines)
- Moderation: Corazon Valdez-Fabre (Nuclear Free Philippines Coalition/IPB)
Transformation from injustice to global justice – democracies for people – just transition to a new social contract
- With: Wong Kit Yip (HKCTU Hong Kong), Giga Bekauri (GTUC Georgia), Chloé Meulewaeter (Centre Delàs d´Estudis per la Pau), Measho Berihu Gebreyohans (CETU Ethiopia), Nicoletta Merlo (CISL Italy)
- Moderation: Maria Tsirantonaki (ITUC Youth)

15:00 – 15:30: Break (MA Foyer 1)

15:30 – 18:00: Parallel Working Groups deepening the panel discussions (see above)

Which strategies and actions can be applied and developed?
What can we do together?

From 18:30: Social Event with light dinner (Café A)

Sunday, 22 September 2019

9:30 – 11:00: Smaller group discussions in the methodology of non-formal education

Developing strategies & actions – Transform! #ChangeTheRules – just transitions towards peace, social justice and environmental sustainability

Coffee and tea available in Café A from 08:30

11:00 – 11:30: Break (MA Foyer 1)

11:30 – 13:30: Panel Discussion with Open Mic: How Do We Transform Our Societies?
(MA 043)

With: Jeroen Beirnaert (ITUC), Corazon Valdez-Fabros (IPB), Fridays for Future, Angelo Cardona (IPB Youth), Jordi Calvo Rufanges (IPB), Josef Holnburger (DGB Youth)

Moderation: Sara Medi Jones (CND), Emma Pritchard (IPB Youth)

Closing: Lucas Wirl (IPB Youth Network), Maria Tsirantonaki (ITUC Youth)

Organizational Information

Please register for the congress at info@ipb-office.berlin

We would like to ask participants for a financial contribution to the conference in the amount of 5 Euro / 20 Euro / 40 Euro. You may submit a contribution upon arrival or via bank/ PayPal transfer (ipb.org/donate/). European bank account holders may transfer a contribution to Bank Account Holder: Unterstützung des Internationalen Friedensbueros e.V.; IBAN: DE23 1005 0000 0190 6331 58; Bank: Berliner Sparkasse. PLEASE give the following reference: IPBYN congress 2019.

How to get there: TU Berlin is located close to S-Bahn station Tiergarten and U-Bahn station Ernst-Reuter-Platz. The entrance to the Mathematics Building is right next to Mathe Café. Geographic coordinates 52.513392, 13.326323

Accommodation: for cheap accommodation check www.booking.com or www.hrs.de. Around S-Bahn station Zoologischer Garten are various hostels and hotels. Furthermore, we will be able to offer limited private accommodation. Please contact us for more details.