about youth in the International Anticorruption Conferences

[Gina Romero]

About the presence of youth in the different IACC that had been held. It is true that it had been reduced, but not completelly forgoten.

Ocasa had participated in four anticorruption conferences: Seoul 2003; Guatemala 2006; Athens 2008; and Bangkok 2010. In this four conferences, different scenarios for
young people had been open. I agree that is not enough and that some
times the menction of youth is not more than a good intention that a
real commitment, but it is necesary to know this past to stablish
really useful and intelligent strategies.

In Seoul 2003, when actually came up the idea of creating what is Ocasa now, an open parallel youth youth forum where held, in this link
it can be found the information about that activity
(http://www.11iacc.org/iacc/html/para_4.html). I do not have the
conclusions on that participation, but will ask for them and see if I
can get them. The important thing to know here is that in that moment
the conference organizers themselves opened up the space for youth.

On the other side, in Guatemala 2006 there was not specific scenario for youth, so some young participants (with the innitiative of Ocasa's representatives) held a youth
paralel declaration that can be seen in this link
(http://guatemaladeclaration.blogspot.com/2006/11/english.html).
And, also, had the change of including a menction of youth in the
final conference's
declaration
(http://www.12iacc.org/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&...).

In Athens 2008, linked with the ICT discussions, there also was held some activities related with youth, but, again, there no was any specific space for youth. In Bangkok
2010, as some of the GYACs representatives had say, there was some
activities related with yout: the youth
journalist contest, the youth
challenge, the rethinking sessions where the youth issue was
address... Also, some of the GYAC's representatives also leaded a
youth declaration, established a point of information about GYAC's
and spread the voice of the existance of the network (specially
participating in the sessions where the youth issue was address) and
the important of working with youth in the fight against corruption.

I do believe that, although insuficient, the voices of youth in the Conferences are rising. What we must do (and unfortunatelly did not do for Bangkok) is to come up
with a strong and eficient strategy. And how to prepare ourselves for
having an incident in this scenarios using the very few tools that
the used, for example, we could have reunite some youth to virtually
attend the activities held in the conference that were being
transmited in Internet. We wanted to do it so in Colombia but the
time difference didnt allow us to do it.

We have two years to preparate it and to see in which other international scenarios the GYAC must be present.

GINA ROMERO

Ocasa's Executive Director

Colombia

NB. Ah, and about the youth challenge, they received just seven videos (three of them where send by Ocasa) unfortunatelly the deadline was too short and the call to weak. I
posted the call on this network and it seems to me that no one took
the advantage of sending the video. Some times, that is the problem
in working with youth, they keep saying that there is no chances for
participating but when the chances are open they dont take them!.

[Sanyi Emmanuel Sanyi]

Progress Gina...Time to fix our strategy in now. If not Brazil 2012 will take the youth once more by surprise and we would be lost. Under GYAC leadership, can we not think of a pre-conference youth forum besides the main IACC? I see it coming and we can now take the opportunity. 14th IACC acknowledged that we could do better.

[Gina Romero]

Great idea Emmanuel. We must come up with a strategy that takes into account those kind of activities. Move them in advance with TI or getting support ourselves for doing it so.