The inaugural Pro Carton Student Video Award was a big success amongst media and business schools. The European competition for video storytelling about cartons and cartonboard is open for entries again now!
All students enrolled at a European school/university on a recognized full-time educational course at the time of entry are welcome to join the contest. The video should promote or explain one or more of the benefits of cartons/cartonboard in a creative way and there’s €5,000 to be won!
Cartons and cartonboard are an economically and ecologically balanced packaging medium and we want students to help us to tell the world!
Students can enter as a team of up to 4 people or are welcome to enter as individuals.
Deadline is June 25, 2021. -But don’t wait till then!
The WSA Young Innovators Award is an open call. The participation in the WSA Young Innovators is open to any entrepreneur, company, student group or project team – at least one of the founding members and the majority of the team must be under the age of 26 (born on or after January 1, 1995).
Eligible for young citizens of all UN member states, WSA Young Innovators is open to every start-up, social entrepreneur, NGO, student or individual!
The participation in the WSA Young Innovators is open to any entrepreneur, company, student group or project team – at least one of the founding members and the majority of the team must be under the age of 26 (born on or after January 1, 1995).
Submissions for the WSA Young Innovators can contain all mobile and web-based projects, such as: apps, web pages, applications for wearables, kiosk installations, SMS based products, games and interactive productions. There is no limitation regarding the platforms or channels the projects work with.
All submissions have to be launched products. No drafts, ideas or unfinished projects can be accepted.
By rephrasing our most intractable issues and identifying solutions that empower young people to take action, the YoungHero Scholar Fellows Program 2021 is creating a blueprint for our cultural future – reducing vulnerability through learning and working.
Our deliverable
Each fellow will submit their reframed social vision and the precise tested steps required to accomplish it at the conclusion of the year.
Their future is reframed in a straightforward manner.
The steps necessary to get there are defined.
Their skills polished to meet the job market demand.
The Scholar Fellows
Simple alterations in viewpoint have resulted in massive transformation throughout history. Our global society is today confronted with a slew of apparently insurmountable issues. Suppose we combine learning and working?
The YoungHero Scholar Fellows Program is designed to give young people, and drop-out adults the opportunity to take a step back, gain a new perspective, and develop an action plan in order to address their most critical concerns, while they get a placement in a formal workplace – It is a Learn-by-Doing experience.
The Fellowship program is a full year intense learning opportunity for young people living in Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Eswatini and Namibia. It is hosted at the Centre for eLearning and IT Research in Lusaka once a year. Fellows will be given a year to learn, train, investigate, design, and implement a basic practical change plan. How might we redefine poor? What is the best way to rethink poverty? What is the best way to rethink education? What is the question you have that has the potential to change the world?
The fellowship is cohort-based, including monthly remote collaborations and in-person meetings several times a year. A small startup fund is given to each fellow, at the end of the fellowship as well as ongoing mentoring, support, and access to experts.
Fellows Are Awarded
Free Learning Courses in technology, humanities, business, Fashion Technology and Art & Design (fellows have a choice of a Course).
Conferred with a Diploma by the highest academic institution and the regulatory body in Zambia.
Motivated co-working opportunity and a well-structured work atmosphere.
Expert coaches in your chosen field.
Travels to various locations within and outside the country to conduct research
6 months work experience in our partner organizations and other reputable companies
A $1,000 startup capital is available at the end of the fellowship.
This contribution is based on the previous experiences of a professional life spent in contact with Africa, whether these experiences are operational or result from the author’s last functions as a general officer, turned towards the analysis of crisis situations and strategic intelligence. The positions defended are therefore strictly personal and do not echo those of the Ministry of Defense or the French government.
Where does the importance of military power on the African continent and the role that the armed forces have played or play in the daily functioning of the State come from? The question makes sense when one notes that it has been in the news almost continuously since independence in the early 1960s.
The monopoly of the legitimate use of force is a fundamental regalian prerogative of the armed forces. The temptation is strong to divert the use of force to categorical, partisan, dictatorial or even personal ends, when sometimes even the mixing of genres is not the rule. There is no need for sophisticated arguments to demonstrate this. The facts, including the most recent ones, are still too often taken for granted.
On March 22, 2012, in Bamako, a military coup led by Captain Amadou Sanogo overthrew President Amadou Toumani Touré, who had been democratically elected in 2007 after a consultation held without “exaggerated” fraud. Since then, the replacement of the junta by a civilian transitional government has not, unfortunately, brought the demonstration into question, and the current conflict has some of its roots in this.
The institutional model inherited mainly from a common political system set up at independence by the former colonial power, partly explains the importance of the armed forces. The second reason is a consequence of the previous one. As holders of the legitimate use of force, the “people-at-arms ” take on a variety of functions and claim to be in the exclusive service of the country, in the name of an ethic of which they alone are the guardians. The weight of traditional cultural, ethnic, tribal and family factors in relation to national sentiment is a third reason. Finally, the continent is in the grip of economic difficulties, which the global crisis has only served to underline more strongly, leaving the field open for armed force to bring its powers to bear.
Some avenues for long-term change will serve as an opening for further reflection. However, the problem of transformation involves several antinomic aspects intrinsically linked to the divergent logics of action of the actors involved. One of the keys to success probably lies in a return to the “original” mission of the armed forces: the defense of the land and, from now on, in a much more significant way, also the defense of citizens.
In a detailed statement Armed conflict, corona virus pandemic and a ceasefire: Impact on children in Africa, Divina Maloum (pictured above), founder of Children for Peace and co-winner with Greta Thunberg of the influential 2019 International Children’s Peace Prize, outlines the impact of armed conflict on children and on public health systems in Africa. She warns about the dire humanitarian consequences if governments and militias continue fighting rather than cooperating to prevent spread of the coronavirus and mitigate its impact on public health and the economy
‘Healthcare systems across Africa could collapse under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic since conflict-hit regions have many hospitals that have already been damaged and the basics such as clean water and soap necessary to fight the virus are in short supply due to armed conflict. The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war. The global ceasefire is absolutely essential for an effective response to the crisis in areas of conflict. War doesn’t make any sense when we have an epidemic that affects us all.’ Divina Maloum, founder of Children for Peace and winner of the 2019 International Children’s Peace Prize.
The Guardian reports that eleven countries that are locked in long-term conflicts have now responded to the UN call for a worldwide ceasefire, and the total number of countries supporting the ceasefire call has risen to 70. (Click here for a joint statement from 53 supporting countries). However, the UN Secretary-General notes that “there was still a distance between declarations and deeds in many countries”. He has asked his special envoys across the globe to redouble their efforts to persuade combatants to lower their guns to allow humanitarian workers to combat the coronavirus.
A global petition supporting the ceasefire has already gained over 1.6 million endorsers. Click here to add your support.
Divina and other members of Children for Peace and ANYL4PSD, have also submitted memes for the Move the Nuclear Weapons Money social media campaign, making the connections between nuclear disarmament, peace, sustainable development and public health. Below are a few of these.
New research published earlier this year shows how tackling supply chain emissions can be a game-changer in the worldwide battle against climate change. Net-Zero Challenge: The Supply Chain Opportunity from the World Economic Forum and the Boston Consulting Group looks at the top eight worldwide supply chains that produce more than 50% of global greenhouse (GHG) emissions. They find that several corporations can multiply their climate impact by focusing on supply chain decarbonization.
On the other hand, even leading corporations struggle to set clear goals and standards for their suppliers and get the data they need.
How best can corporations build a meaningful pathway to deep decarbonization within their supply chains?
In this article, the GHG emissions management experts at SINAI explain what corporations should consider when getting to grips with supply chain emissions. We present practical and scalable ways in which corporations can achieve deep decarbonization, from setting a carbon baseline to automating data collection throughout your corporation’s supply chain.
Slowing down climate change
The Paris agreement is a legally binding global treaty on climate change aiming to slow down climate change. Unfortunately, current pledges do not go far enough. Many agree that to hit the targets set, deep decarbonization is needed, particularly in global supply chains across a variety of industries.
What is decarbonization?
The term “decarbonization” is used to represent the process of reducing and removing the carbon dioxide, or CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent, meaning, all 7 greenhouse gases included), output from a country’s economy. The most common way this is done is by decreasing the amount of CO2e released from active industries within each economy – including but not limited to utilities, transportation, consumer goods, construction, and materials.
A robust picture of emissions
The first step every corporation should take to get a handle on supply chain emissions is to gain a complete view of what those emissions are. The GHG Protocol’s Scope 3 Standard provides corporations with a methodology that can be used to account for and report carbon emissions from companies of all sectors, worldwide.
Corporations should consider building a detailed view of emissions with supplier-specific data to set ambitious targets for reducing carbon emissions. You can take control of your supply chain’s carbon emissions by performing a carbon inventory.
You should be able to compare emissions sources and resource consumption together with quickly identifying trends and patterns. Ensure you can aggregate, sort, and filter your emissions data to manage risk better and help/support suppliers to find deep decarbonization opportunities.
A detailed carbon baseline
Corporations should consider exploring historical activity data to project emissions as their business grows and changes, creating forecast baselines they can use to monitor progress.
Establishing a comprehensive emissions baseline for your corporation is vital. Baselines are built according to business growth, and you can combine these with supply chain emissions with different levels of detail, to generate multiple baselines according to additional premises. Use granular data to analyze suppliers that contribute the most significant emissions.
Emerging software can help corporations easily match procurement data with environmentally extended input/output factors, building a high-level picture of their supply chain’s overall carbon footprint. Corporations can also leverage predictive analytics on resource consumption and emissions trends to gain better insight and business intelligence.
Automated GHG inventories
Corporations should consider engaging diverse partners in their supply chain in a meaningful way, assisting them in a value-based exchange of emissions data.
Work towards a flexible data collection process to move away from generic data sources and create custom emissions factors that you can track with ease.
Collaboration is crucial, and we know supply chain emissions data can be messy. By automating data collection, corporations can consolidate, analyze and organize data from various sources quickly and easily, leading to more accountable reporting and better decision making.
Smarter carbon emissions strategies
Corporations should look to optimize their carbon emissions strategy through scenario and sensitivity analysis and enhanced risk management for deep supply chain decarbonization.
Intelligent, data-driven scenario analysis can future-proof your corporation and your supply chain, with a heightened understanding of your projected deep decarbonization pathways.
Accurate and precise data can show which assets of the corporation are most at risk. Explore any reduction opportunities that exist and what cost-positive opportunities may be worth investing in, in the long-term. Suppliers that go over the same type of analysis, will ultimately reduce their scope 1 and 2, which will reflect back to their buyers’ scope 3. The overall approach helps everyone in the supply chain to reduce emissions, with their own individual definition of success.
Technology to help your organization to remain accountable
Front runners in several global industries are using innovative and cutting-edge technology to better manage their supply chain’s journey to deep decarbonization. They have a complete view of carbon emissions throughout their supply chain and baseline definitions in place, reviewing more granular data of those with the highest emissions. They are working towards deep decarbonization through automated carbon inventories from suppliers and following carbon emissions strategies, backed by data.
SINAI’s GHG emissions management solution can help you achieve supply chain decarbonization. Our software provides a seamless way to measure, analyze, price, and reduce emissions. Supply chain carbon management doesn’t have to be difficult, with the right solution that’s customizable to your corporation’s unique needs, you can move closer to net-zero.
To see SINAI in action, reach out for a demo today. This article originally appeared at SINAI
Earth Hour 2021: New Deal for Nature and People Coalition Advocacy
WWF’s report called Living Planet, released in October 2018, showed that globally, nature continues to degrade with devastating consequences for species and the planet. The global populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles decreased by 60% on average from 1970 and 2014. This is also true for the fauna and flora species of the Virunga National Park (PNVi) and of Salonga National Park, all declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and whose oil exploitation in these two protected areas would lead to the disappearance of ecosystems of incomparable flora and fauna, of exceptional economic value. Lake Edward, which once had 30,000 hippos in 1974, now numbers more than 300 hippos due to oil exploitation by several companies such as SOCO.
Just like during Earth Day, on this day of April 22, 2021 dedicated to Earth Hour, the organizations of the coalition on the New Pact for Nature and People led by the African Network of Young platform Leaders for Peace and Sustainable Development , strengthen advocacy for climate action, preservation and restoration of ecosystems. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, member organizations of the African Network of Young Leaders for Peace and Sustainable Development are increasing synergies to further address the issues of degradation of national parks and aquatic ecosystems through advocacy with local and national authorities. and polluting companies.
The object of the action is clear: their involvement in reversing the trend of the decrease in animal and plant species in Virunga and Solanga by promoting renewable energies as a source of sustainable socioeconomic development as opposed to the exploitation of fossil fuels in these protected areas.
—————— Heure de la terre 2021 : Plaidoyer de la Coalition sur le Nouveau Pacte pour la Nature et les Personnes.
Le rapport de WWF appelé Planète Vivante, publié en octobre 2018, a montré qu’au niveau mondial, la nature continue à se dégrader avec les conséquences dévastatrices pour les espèces et la planète. Les populations mondiales des poissons, d’oiseaux, des mammifères, d’amphibiens et des reptiles ont diminué de 60% en moyenne de 1970 et 2014. Cela est aussi vrais pour les espèces fauniques et floristiques du Parc National des Virunga (PNVi) et du Parc National de Salonga, tous déclaré site du Patrimoine Mondiale de l’UNESCO et dont
l’exploitation du pétrole dans ces deux aires protégées conduirait à la disparition
d’écosystèmes de faune et de flore incomparable, d’une valeur économique exceptionnelle. Le lac Édouard qui autrefois comptait en 1974, 30 000 hippopotames, aujourd’hui ne dénombre plutôt que 300 hippopotames à cause de l’exploitation pétrolière par plusieurs entreprises telles que SOCO.
Tout comme au cours de la journée de la Terre, en cette journée du 22 avril 2021 consacrée à l’Heure de la Terre, les organisations de la coalition sur le Nouveau Pacte pour la Nature et les Personnes conduite par la plateforme African Network of Young Leaders for Peace and Sustainable Development , renforcent des plaidoyers pour l’action climatique, la sauvegarde et la restauration des écosystèmes. En République Démocratique du Congo, les organisations membres de African Network of Young Leaders for Peace and Sustainable Development multiplient des synergies pour davantage adresser les questions de dégradation des parc nationaux et écosystèmes aquatiques à travers des plaidoyers effectués à l’égard des autorités locales et nationales et des compagnies polluantes.
L’objet de l’action est clair : leur implication pour inverser la tendance de la diminution des espèces animales et végétales dans le Virunga et la solanga par la promotion des énergies renouvelables en tant que source de développement socioéconomique durable contrairement à l’exploitation des énergies fossiles dans ces aires protégées.
The humanity is causing a catastrophic loss of species and exacerbating already dangerous levels of climate change. Over the past two decades, the number of endangered species and the rate of ecosystem degradation have increased dramatically across all regions. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) noted that approximately 1 million plants and animal species are now at risk of extinction. Climate change is adding to and worsening the impact of biodiversity losses. Together climate change and biodiversity losses threaten the viability of crucial ecosystems in many regions of the world. The main drivers threatening biodiversity and our life support systems are: (1) changes in land and sea use including through the expansion of agriculture; (2) direct exploitation of living creatures, such as overfishing; (3) climate change; (4) pollution and (5) invasive alien species. These are underpinned by more indirect drivers, such as increasing consumption and, critically, issues of governance and accountability. We rely on nature, half of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) depends on nature, and yet we are destroying and degrading natural systems at a rate much faster than they can replenish themselves. Nature is in crisis. The future of humanity depends on action now.” The COVID19 pandemic has highlighted the need for governments and the international community to focus more on health, environment, climate, land degradation and human security issues.
The current position paper is a consolidated document of several scientific works performed by African Network of Young leaders for Peace and Sustainable development and its platform including some relevant studies. It is enriched by children, youth and civil society organizations that have been involved during the regional Leading the Change Regional Webinar entitled African Youth and Civil Society Green growth Hub: From the pandemic to Agenda 2030, Mobilized for Change. And the subsequent working session and activities organized by ANYL4PSD from September 28 to October 03, 2020 with the support of Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). As part of the New Deal for Nature and People Coalition led by African Network of Young Leaders for Peace and Sustainable Development (ANYL4PSD), African Youth and Civil Society organizations as well as others youth organizations situated in others continents and belonging to the platform welcome the Draft of the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. African Youth and Civil Society strongly support the structure of five high levels 2030-2050 Goals, consistent with the three objectives of the Convention and its definition of biodiversity and the theory of change as presented should be strengthened. Youth and Civil Society believe that
o The framework must be a comprehensive and transformational package that clearly articulates both (1) where we need to be (mission, goals, targets) to halt and start to reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2030 and (2) how to ensure that we get there (implementation):
The plan must aspire to halt and start to reverse the loss of biodiversity, putting nature on the path to recovery by 2030, transitioning to a nature-positive world. This is ambitious, but necessary and doable if we want to stand a chance of achieving the CBD vision of living in harmony with nature by 2050.
The goals must focus on the key outcomes that need to be achieved by 2030, including goals to: halt habitat loss and restore natural habitats and ecosystems – protecting at least 30% and sustainably managing the rest, stop human-induced species extinctions, halve the footprint of our production and consumption, and ensure that nature’s benefits to people are secured and shared fairly and equitably – applying a human rights-based approach and respecting the special role and relationship to nature held by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
2030 action targets must transform the sectors that drive biodiversity loss towards sustainable practices: Agriculture and food systems; forestry; fisheries; infrastructure; mining and extractives; other sectors with significant use of natural resources; the financial sector. For example, in order to avoid further negative impacts to biodiversity, public and private financial flows must be aligned with a mission to halt and start to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.
The ambitious global goals and targets need to be backed up by ambition to implement. Therefore there must be a regular cycle of transparent check-backs and reviews – requiring countries to ratchet up action if the implementation of global goals and targets is not on track. This can only be achieved if goals and targets are measurable.
Financial resources from all sources should be available to increase substantially from current levels to enable implementation of the framework, alongside the alignment of investments and subsidies so that these benefit nature rather than harming it. An increase in capacity building, technical and scientific cooperation, and technology transfer towards developing countries is also needed.
Main actions and key recommendations towards the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework are as follows: 1. Mainstreaming young people-championed elements from a gender perspective in the Post-2020 Framework focusing on intergenerational equity, human rights
and the rights of nature, transformative education and the promotion of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. 2. Develop an effective and robust mechanism of the Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework based on transparency, accountability monitoring and reporting. 3. Enable more synergies and alignment between the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework with other biodiversity-related multilateral agreements, processes and instruments (UNCCD, UNFCC; Ramsar; Future BBNJ, CITES…) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development so as to enable the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework systematically cross-maps its goals and targets and seeks to reinforce synergies in implementation and enabling conditions 4. Greening the financial sector (economics of biodiversity) – integrating environmental issues to support the post 2020 implementation framework and enabling conditions for resilience and transformative change 5. High level leadership and a whole-of-government approach mobilizing all the layers of the society including private sector and civil society.
Get the full document here: https://anyl4psd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Eng_ANYL4PSD_DECLARATION-AFRICAN-CSO-AND-YOUTH_POST-2020-FRAMEWORK_OCTOBER-2.pdf
Without healthy nature people will not survive. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the need for governments and the international community to focus more on health, environment, climate, land degradation and human security issues. African Network of Young Leaders for Peace and Sustainable Development (ANYL4PSD) has been engaged with several African youth and civil society organizations to fight against COVID19 and pandemics so as to build a common future for all life on Earth in the frame of the New Deal for Nature and People.
The current declaration is a consolidated document of several scientific works performed by African Network of Young leaders for Peace and Sustainable development and its platforms over COVID19 and its impacts. It is a document of position and roadmap enriched by children, youth and civil society organizations that have taken part and contributed to the regional online certified workshop and the subsequent working session and activities organized by ANYL4PSD from May 26 -31, 2020 with the support of Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). Main actions and key recommendations are as follows: 1. Strengthen multilateralism: Develop a whole -of-society coordinated approach and accelerate implementation of the “New Way of Working” mobilizing all the stakeholders and taking into account all the layers and sectors (that no one is left behind) in the implementation of innovative measures at different levels 2. Ensure continued access to people in need in line with humanitarian principles and recommit to Disaster Risk Reduction to build Back Better 3. Increase funding to Children, Youth, and Civil Society Organizations/NGOs and adapt funding mechanisms to maximize flexible COVID-19 responses
10 4. Keep gender and vulnerable groups front and centre: Support to a youth, women and indigenous group led, localized response to COVID-19. 5. Strengthen investment and the implementation of One Health and EcoHeath through policy frameworks and initiatives aiming to restore ecosystem integrity indispensable for human health and development and to prevent and mitigate future pandemics 6. Strengthen partnerships for food security and agriculture monitoring and assessment for evidence based programming while increasing critical humanitarian food and livelihood assistance to the most vulnerable 7. Accelerate and enlarge the contribution worldwide of sustainable energy strategies, technologies, and applications for the purpose of achieving a sustainable quality of life for all 8. Durably implement the UN Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire – Disinvest in nuclear and military weapons to invest in sustainable development goals for present and next generation.
We intend to widely share, implement and follow the implementation of this policy framework during and beyond the African Youth Resilience Initiatives Against COVID19 and Pandemics project.
We commend those in many corners of the world who are heeding the UN Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire. We express our heartfelt gratitude to the diverse populations especially children, youth, women and indigenous and vulnerable groups working and volunteering on the front lines as well as health care and other essential workers putting themselves at increased risk so that communities can continue to thrive.
We offer our condolences to the families of those who have already been lost to this illness, and our sympathies to those who have lost employment as a result. The effects of a pandemic are felt far more deeply than the illness itself, and we are hopeful that our governing institutions and communities are able to have responses that can mitigate the harm.
We call upon governments, local elected, traditional and religious leaders, social and traditional media, communities, private sector and other civil society organizations and NGO/INGO to take into account this declaration in their daily duties, act in lock-step with medical professionals and share information which prioritizes the health and wellbeing of people over economies and ensure that misinformation is not permitted to enter the popular discourse. Moreover, decisions taken by such leaders must be clear and evidence based in order to have the greatest impact.
Get the full Document here: https://anyl4psd.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Eng_DECLARATION_AFRICAN-CSO-AND-YOUTH_COVID19-PANDEMICS-1.pdf
The application to become an organizer of the Open Dialogues on Climate Change is still open! Join the global movement and help us make all voices heard!
Submit you team application before 10 April 2021 to join the first group of applicants and get a response from us on 20 April. Enjoy all benefits of being part of a supportive international community with great plans and great energy!
WHO ARE WE?
Open Dialogues on Climate Change is an international project that aims to bring together different stakeholder groups to create a meaningful dialogue on the climate crisis. This will be done both on regional, national, and international levels with a final summative event at the COP26 in Glasgow.
WHAT IS OUR PLAN
We want to create a space and an opportunity for each region of the world to voice their concerns and possible solutions concerning climate action. To achieve this we plan on organizing the events through specialized regional groups that know their region on both national and local scale best and hence, know which stakeholders are crucial in such dialogue. The teams will be selected through an application process. We are planning to present the inputs gathered at those events at the COP26 in front of politicians as well as civil groups and NGOs.
