AFI Changemakers Report on World Humanitarian Forum

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© All Rights Reserved Ariel Foundation International 2020

ISBN: 978-1-7346475-5-6

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Acknowledgements

The following report has been written by Madeline Handler, Kanika Sahijwani, Paisley Elliott, Siddharth Satish, Yamini Choudhary and Ballaion Cadet-Joram; and edited by Dr. Ariel Rosita King and Madeline Handler. We thank Ms Sahijwani for designing the cover page of the publication.

As Representatives for Ariel Foundation International (www.arielfoundation.org) from our respected countries, we were selected to participate in the 2020 World Humanitarian Forum (WHF). We were selected based on our passion for change, humanitarian efforts and empowering youth to create impact. We would like to thank Ariel Foundation International (AFI) for the opportunity to be the voice for change on a global scale.

We would like to thank the World Humanitarian Forum for the opportunity to be the voice for change on a global scale, Dr. Ariel Rosita King, and Ariel Foundation International for providing a platform to us to voice our thoughts and use our words to shape the learnings of the future generations to come. All opinions expressed in this report are entirely of the changemakers and not of the World Humanitarian Forum.

Ariel Foundation International, as an innovator of Inspiring leadership in children and youth through AFI Changemakers programme (www.changemakers-un.org) has Special ECOSOC Status with the United Nations in New York, Vienna and Geneva and is a global leader for international humanitarian change.

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Table of Contents

Copyrights

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Acknowledgements

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Introduction

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Local Humanitarian Empowerment – A Personal Reflection

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Education as a Humanitarian Crisis

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Youth leading Humanity

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Empowering the Youth

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Youth in Action – Combatting Climate Change and Acting in SDGs

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Humanitarian Voices – Our Youngest Changemaker’s Personal Reflection

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Biographies

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Introduction

The World Humanitarian Forum (WHF) is a call for action on a global scale that unites and invites global leaders to groundbreaking talks. It is an invitation-only event featuring philanthropists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like the International Red Cross and Oxfam, the United Nations, former government leaders, and private sector representatives from organizations like Google and Microsoft, among others. Launched only recently in early 2019, WHF provides a gathering point for idea generation and impactful dialogues among the world’s leading international development pioneers, as well as upcoming talents.

The following report is born from these world-changing conversations, providing a mechanism to not only reflect, but to share what was discussed and learned in the sessions. What is hoped to be achieved by the authors of this paper is to allow the reader to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the many facets and intricacies that encompasses the future of humanitarian work and especially what leading youth can do to assist.

Each author has contributed an individual piece, reflective of their line of passion, interest and expertise - all in the aim of inspiring others to join them on their journeys as they work to empower youth and engage in more humanitarian action.

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Local Humanitarian Empowerment – A Personal Reflection

MADELINE HANDLER, USA

In the wake of Covid-19, the world seems so much smaller. Our communities have become tighter as rules change and our scope of contacts follow. However, this doesn’t always have to be such a bad thing. Our world was always changing, whether we knew it or not. Covid-19 just created a more rapid shift that we could easily identify. Everyone was affected, therefore no one was protected. That is the exact reason why local empowerment has become the wave of the future.

Currently, most of the world cannot travel, thus it has become increasingly important to develop and support our own local initiatives. Even though online, the World Humanitarian Forum presented groundbreaking speakers and topics that were challenging to discuss. From education to gender empowerment, there was always one elephant in the room, even if it was unspoken -- Covid-19. But with this, there were also monumental discussions on the positive changes happening around the world and it all begins and ends with locality.

Local togetherness in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis has impacted everyone in communities. For example, in the session on Gender, speaker Sheikah Intisar founder of the Intisar Foundation described her organization’s transition into online rather than group therapy. She tells how it was a challenge at first, because there isn’t access to necessary devices or internet in the villages they service. However, rather than give up, the women worked together to host their own sessions and support one another from inside their homes. “It was women uplifting women,” Sheikah Intisar recounts. “Covid-19 has been a curse and a blessing, because we are bringing more women together locally.”

Similarly, in the Keynote Session A Commitment: Leaving No One Behind, community-based approaches have been the most successful as local activists have provided more support for displaced migrants than ever before. Rather than creating outcasts, local communities have learned to welcome outsiders as we all are together in 6

the struggle and understanding of a Covid-19 world. Furthermore, in the session From Aid to Development -- A Focus on Africa, speakers like Mr. Richard Blewitt from the United Nations took listeners through a conversation highlighting how even though challenges have always been present in the continent, Africans, more than ever, have needed to lean on and support each other in locally tailored interventions. “Covid-19 is a marathon not a sprint, and we must remember this,� he reminds us.

Shortly before the World Humanitarian Forum, Heads of States and leaders within the United Nations gathered for the Global Manufacturing and Industrialization Summit to discuss how nations like Angola, Jordan, Brazil, Ghana, Armenia, and Cambodia can recover from the pandemic. The general consensus and theme of this meeting -Glocalization: Towards Sustainable and Inclusive Global Value Chains. Thus, the United Nations and global leaders continue to encourage local relevance in all facets of society from industrialization and supply chain to humanitarian logistics.

Whether we are blatantly aware or not, the future of our post-Covid-19 world is one of togetherness. In a time when it can be easy to fall into feelings of isolation due restriction on travel, business, and movement in general. However, it is these exact moments where we need to remember that everyone, no matter refugee or king, are impacted by this pandemic and the central solution is to know that we are all in this together.

REFERENCES

Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (2020).

Reference: https://www.gmisummit.com/

Intisar Foundation (2020). Reference: https://intisarfoundation.org/

World Humanitarian Forum (2020).

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Education as a Humanitarian Crisis: Empowering Our Youth During the Covid-19 Crisis

BALLAION CADET-JORAM, USA

As of currently there is an estimate of 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 in the world. -Global Partnership for Education

Globally, we have been combating education as a humanitarian crisis before COVID-19 struck. Education is seen as a privilege and not as a human right in many developing countries.

According to the UNESCO, more than 250 million children were out of school, and nearly 800 million adults were illiterate (2018). To bring things more into perspective, 387 million or 56% of primary school age children worldwide were estimated to lack basic reading skills (UIS, 2017) It is these statistics that are correlated with today’s and the future’s economic, social, and political growth.

COVID-19 is creating the largest disruption in educational systems in modern history and it is exacerbating disparities amongst vulnerable children, who live in poor or rural areas, girls, refugees, and disabled youths. Due to the pandemic educational institutions had to make a critical decision of shutting down their operations. In most developing countries, school is a safe space for some youths and due to COVID-19 there will be in increase of students that are will vulnerable to being marginalized. Violence and exploitation will increase along with forced labor and marriages, lack of full nutritional meals, lack of educational and emotional support, and chances of going back to school for most children globally will surely decrease. UNESCO estimates that 23.8 million additional children and youth may drop out or not have access to school next year due the effect of the global pandemic alone (June 2020).

More than 1.6 billion learners are affected by the global pandemic in more than 190 countries and all continents. -UN 2020

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Providing ways for our youth to receive a quality education will instill hope and opportunities to create a positive impact in our future. If we as a globe do not act now in prioritizing and investing in our youth’s education, there will be a generational loss in the extremely near future.

Ways we can empower our youth: 

Give the youth opportunities to address their own concerns on formal and informal platforms

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Develop tools and resources for learners with disabilities and their parents.

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Address and focus on equity and inclusion

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Support the teachers that are investing their time for their students

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Allocated education funding needs to be protected and utilized directly to educational institutions

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Offer the youth after school programs for individual help with their schoolwork due to learning losses

REFERENCES

https://www.globalpartnership.org/

https://www.whf.london/

http://uis.unesco.org/

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Youth Leading Humanity

KANIKA SAHIJWANI, INDIA

The United Nations Youth Agenda 2030 formulated as part of the UN Youth Strategy encompasses the 17 UN SDGs and outlines how the youth can be instrumental in realizing the changes that we seek and shape the future that we want. “Its aim: scale up global, regional and national actions to meet young people’s needs, realize their rights and tap their possibilities as agents of change… The strategy’s thematic priority areas reflect all three pillars of the UN system: sustainable development, peace and security, and human rights.

Young people today want the sustainable, peaceful world envisioned in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Realizing their aspirations depends on realizing their rights—to empowerment and development, participation and choice. They offer 1.8 billion reasons for the United Nations to stand by their side.”

The 17 SDGs are interlinked and the Strategy explores the wide scope of existing and new avenues where the Youth can lead, and possible avenues to expand the same for the betterment of youth leadership, involvement and entrepreneurship.

The World Humanitarian Forum provided a platform where leading global leaders discussed their values on Humanitarian works and their future plans. The Youth Roundtable was a significantly important section of the Forum where selected young leaders leading youth development worldwide elaborated on their ideals, current work and way forward to work around the 17 SDGs and make this world a better place.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.”

AFI Founder and President Dr Ariel R King extrapolates on the thought of Ginsburg and says, “Young people should belong in all places where decisions are being made.” With youth constituting 1.8 billion of the world’s population, it is imperative that they be present at all levels of decision making for all decisions directly and indirectly impact them.

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Creating spaces for youth development and empowerment is now more important than ever to not only mobilize future leaders, but also to prepare them by helping them refine and redefine their strategies and lead their thinking into global sustainable practices. Youth needs mentorship and platforms to share their ideas, allow room for debates to understand the ideas of other leaders and modify and re-modify until their ideas are redefined to best suit the interests of people worldwide. Sustainability and Humanitarian values go hand in hand. One can simply not exist without the other. Times are constantly changing and especially with the pandemic Covid19, it is integral that we stay steps ahead of future emerging problems by carefully assessing current practices and ensure speedy and strategic handhold of solutions.

It is of extreme importance that mistakes of our past leaders not be repeated by our future leaders. The current system of businesses and leadership is clearly not working. We see it with the climate change crisis being poorly dealt with. We see it with the lack of proper structure in ensuring businesses are sustainable and follow sustainable practices with regards to worker welfare, human rights practices, carbon emissions, careful disposal of waste, regulating waste, efficient supply chain systems in various levels of business amongst many others.

How are youth to lead the future where current problems are mounting? The youth will lead by careful examination of all these problems at present and being provided room for constantly upgrading their knowledge, amend their working strategies and developing negation skills. The purpose of various global platforms catalyzed by the Youth Agenda 2030 outlines the need to expand current practices and involve young leaders for they will foresee the future developments. The reality of a sustainable future lies at the hands of young people. How are you empowering them?

REFERENCES

https://www.un.org/youthenvoy/youth-un/ https://www.un.org/development/desa/youth/wpcontent/uploads/sites/21/2019/08/WYP2019_10-Key-Messages_GZ_8AUG19.pdf

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Empowering the Youth: Facilitating Global Development and International CoOperation for the SDGs

SIDDHARH SATISH, USA

With approximately 1.8 billion people between the age of 10 and 24 in the world, the concept of youth empowerment and representation has become increasingly important.

The world that generation Z is inheriting is one littered with problems, and up to them to fix.

From climate change to pandemics, the future holds anything but certainty, and as these children transform into adults it is important to empower them to become future changemakers in the world.

The sustainable development goals, outlined by the UN serve as goalposts for NGOs, governments and people across the globe. However, now it should serve as a goal post in every single classroom of the developed world. Students are often taught how to do math and science without really applying the practical skills to problems in the real world.

Sure, there are word problems that create hypothetical scenarios, but why play with the hypothetical when the reality is all yours?

News sources and social media increases awareness but fear as well. Having been told that climate change, poverty and lack of healthcare access is bad, children are often afraid to take action. The UN SDGs combat this by introducing global dilemmas as problems that can be solved one block at a time.

This connection between the classroom and the real world is not the first of its kind.

The Flocabulary workshop conducted in 2016 in New York City saw 4th graders solving problems like water pollution and obesity. Teams came up with underwater machines to pick up water pollutants and vending machines to dispense candy, all without significant help or guidance from adults. This serves as testament to the fact that the naturally inquisitive and creative mind of the child needs to be put to use.

One of the SDGs for the year 2030 is partnerships (SDG 17). This does not have to be the typical public private partnerships. It can also be intergenerational partnerships to empower youth and make sure their voices and ideas are heard no matter what.

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REFERENCES

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

https://amp.businessinsider.com/fourth-graders-solve-the-worlds-biggest-problems2016-5

https://www.stephenhicks.org/2019/04/07/can-frightened-children-solve-the-worldsproblems/

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Youth in Action – Combatting Climate Change and Acting in SDGs

YAMINI CHOUDHARY, INDIA “Children are the least responsible for climate change, yet they will bear the greatest burden of its impact.”

In September 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was formally adopted along with 17 Goals and 169 targets to end poverty, protect the planet, and bring prosperity to all human beings over the next 15 years. Youth are not just beneficiaries of this process – they are essential in bridging the gaps to achieving these Goals. Young people have enormous ability to make a change not only for themselves, but also for the society and the rest of the world.

UN SDG’s Goal 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Global warming is causing long-lasting changes to our climate system, which threatens irreversible consequences if we do not act. Supporting vulnerable regions will directly contribute not only to Goal 13 but also to the other SDGs. These actions must also go hand in hand with efforts to integrate disaster risk measures, sustainable natural resource management, and human security into national development strategies.

Sustainable Development elements have taken into account the economic growth and environmental well-being to enable the generation to continue to enjoy the benefits without compromising the opportunities for future generations. With the concept of sustainable development, quality of life also demands the economic balance as well as environmental care that should start from the awareness of each individual to practice healthy lifestyle.

The first step toward achieving a successful sustainability development is to create awareness. With the right tools and information, children and young people can play a critical role in the implementation and monitoring of the SDGs, sparking action in their communities and holding leaders to account. The second step is taking actions and accountability on commitments, with millions of children and young people becoming aware of the goals, more and more are taking action across the globe.

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Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives, costing people, communities and countries dearly today and even more tomorrow. People are experiencing the significant impacts of climate change, which include changing weather patterns, rising sea level, and more extreme weather events. Motivated young people all over the world are doing a great work to address climate change on the ground level and are pushing not only the governments but also general public to do more and more. Youth-led organizations and networks, in particular, should be supported and strengthened, because they contribute to the development of civic leadership skills among young people, especially marginalized youth.

Today, there are approximately 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10-24, connected to each other like never before, young people want to and already contribute to the resilience of their communities, proposing innovative solutions, driving social progress and inspiring political change. They also act as agents of change, mobilizing to advance the Sustainable Development Goals to improve the lives of people and the health of the planet. Provided with the necessary skills and opportunities needed to reach their potential, young people can be a driving force for supporting development and contributing to peace and security.

REFERENCES https://www.whf.london/ https://www.undp.org/ https://link.springer.com/

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Humanitarian Voices – Our Youngest Changemaker’s Personal Reflection

PAISLEY ELLIOTT, USA

This year, I was able to virtually attend the World Humanitarian Forum, where I learned a lot! I like that the young speakers said that even little kids, like me, should have a voice. They talked about ways to push the boundaries so young people’s voices are heard.

I also learned that it is important to connect with like-minded people. One of the activists said that kids have an unpolluted view, which I think is a cool way to say that we have our own ideas that should be listened to. I also enjoyed hearing young entrepreneurs say that kids can change the world too. I think we need more kids to feel empowered to create change now, and not think they have to be an adult before making an impact. I think kids have superpowers that help us become changemakers and peacemakers.

We will lead the way!

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Biographies

MADELINE HANDLER is the Program Coordinator for the Global Business School Network, where she supports the development and execution of GBSN international events and programs that engage members through the exchange of knowledge and best practice across the network. Maddie graduated from Southeastern University in Florida with degrees in international business, marketing, and French after studying abroad in Italy and publishing an international business thesis. Her penchant for international work led her to GBSN member school, Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, where she recently graduated with a Masters in Business Administration. During her studies, she lived and worked in Jordan with Syrian refugee women and children to develop an outside-school curriculum. This included professional correspondance with royalty, ambassadors, and other world leaders in order to better establish gender equality within Jordanian tertiary education. She was nominated as a 2019 UNLEASH SDG Innovation Talent in Shenzhen, China for her work with the UN SDG 4 Access to Quality education.

She joins the AFI Team to curate important partnerships and collaborate with international representatives to impact students all over the world.

KANIKA SAHIJWANI is the youngest Board of Director for AFI. She is a youth leader with over ten years of experience with different nonprofit organizations. She graduated from the University of Delhi, India with her Bachelor of Arts (Honors) degree in English in 2017.

After co-founding two startups, one an education management company and another in the personal care sector, she worked with a leading Marketing and Advertising agency where she provided creative brand solutions to corporate giants. Kanika moderated a panel discussion at UNCTAD Youth Forum’18 held at UN Headquarters in Geneva and also worked as a Facilitator for a session on SDG 8 at the ECOSOC Youth Forum’19 at UN in New York.

She is an aspiring social entrepreneur focused on empowering underprivileged women through skill building and employment generation in India.

YAMINI CHOUDHARY is an AFI Youth Ambassador to the UN and a member of the above-19 Changemaker group. She is also a Marketing & Data Research Associate who helps corporate organizations build the database and identify prospective clients through extensive market research. Yamini graduated from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (India) with her Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) degree in 2019. She has a strong passion for helping the youth, and a genuine desire to make a change in the world. She is passionate about changing the global scenario of youth development and entrepreneurship by contributing her bit into elevating youth through her marketing and fundraising endeavours.

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PAISLEY ELLIOTT is the Founder and Chief Ideas Officer of Paisley’s Pals, Paisley Elliott is determined to change the world.

Paisley’s International NGO is a love-based organization that is working to build a community of changemakers. With bold creativity, radical empathy and a desire to create a more inclusive world, Paisley is focused on raising global awareness and access to quality education. Having already touched the lives of children across the globe, she believes that kids have the power to change the world.

Building a more peaceful and sustainable planet requires compassion and ingenuity to gain an understanding of the world and sparking an urge to respond constructively to our shared global challenges.

When Paisley is not busy designing mobile MakerSpaces or learning from her peers, she loves surfing, learning about geography and traveling around the world. Peru is the #1 place on her Bucket List, and she hopes to become an architect or an engineer one day and maybe even win a Nobel Peace Prize.

SIDDHARTH SATISH is a high school junior at WWP HSN in the US. He is a youth ambassador for Ariel Foundation International and a member of the under-19 Changemaker group. Siddharth has founded two non-profit (NGOs) focused on health, wellness, social justice, and education. His NGO, Rememoirs, helps youth create memory boxes and letters for the elderly suffering from alzheimers and dementia. Rememoirs also connects women and people of color to STEM opportunities.

His magazine, PEP, which stands for Politics, Economics and Philosophy educates youth from K-12 about current events in the aforementioned categories. His magazine is gender androgynous and includes racially diverse images - to foster inclusivity for all youth. He also runs a podcast (ProCon) around the importance of communication. When he is not working he can be found spending time with his family, facetiming his grandparents and cousins in India or sipping on boba tea at a park.

BALLAION CADET-JORAM is a global changemaker. In the year of 2021, Ballaion will be serving in Ghana as a High School Science Teacher with the Peace Corps. She is deeply passionate about advocacy and public service.

Recently, she has graduated as Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science at Keiser University. She aspires to ger her master’s in International Affairs, Public Policy and Nonprofit Management.

Ballaion has been involved with multiple extra-curricular activities and nonprofits while being a full-time student and track and field athlete during her undergraduates. Some of the organizations that she has led were: Student Government Association, and International Student Ambassador (International Peer Mentor), and Campus Code of Conduct Advocate.

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DR. ARIEL ROSITA KING, PHD, MPH, MBA, DTM&H Dr. King was chosen to be on the Expert AIDS Prevention working Group with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (USA) and Human Science Research Council (South Africa). Prof. Dr. Ariel R. King is the Founder, and President Ariel Consulting International, Inc. founded in 2000, a company that creates and enhances PublicPrivate Partnerships in international health, policy, and management with focus on developing countries. She also founded The Ariel Foundation International founded in 2002 as a non-profit organization with an international focus on children and youth in Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Community Service world-wide. In 2008 Dr. King founded the Ariana-Leilani Children’s Foundation International to educate and advocate for Children’s Human Rights Worldwide. Dr. Ariel King now as President of AFI, which has Economic, Cultural and Social Council (ECOSOC) status, has been a representative for various Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) at the United Nations in Geneva, the United Nations in Vienna (UNOV) and United Nations in New York. Dr. King’s life focus is on the worlds children and youth.

Dr. King has over 35 years of experience in international health, international public health policy and international management in government, business and NGOs. As a Professor in International Health, Management, Policy and Environment she has taught at Universities in the USA, Europe and Africa.

Dr. King was a part of SAHARA: Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research as the Chair of the Continental Advisory Board, and worked on forging public private partnerships, including a MOI between University of Bayreuth (Germany) and SAHAA. She was on the Friends of Madagascar Advisory Council (FOMAC) led by the late Madagascar Ambassador to the USA, H. E. Ambassador Jocelyn Radifera. Dr. King’s focus is on International Public-Private Partnerships in Development that has its foundation of 35 years of living and working in 11 countries and traveling to over 65 countries in Asia, Africa, Americas, Middle-East, Americas and Europe.

Dr. King is currently a Trustee of CRAE- Children’ Rights Alliance of England. She has also represented the International Council of Women (Paris) at various UN meetings and has served on the Boards of Directors including currently, the Acid Survivors Trust International (ASTI) based in London, UK; and had served on the board of directors of the National Black Women’s Health Project (Atlanta, USA), Positive Art: Women and Children with HIV/AIDS (South Africa), The Life Foundation: AIDS Foundation of Hawaii, The Black Alliance for AIDS Prevention, the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Care, Inc., and the Ronald McDonald House.

Dr. King is a Founding and Board member of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), member of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group (WFPG), and has been active member of various International Rotary Clubs for fifteen years.

Dr. King is currently completing a research degree (PhD). She also has completed advance certificates in the study of Children’s Human Rights, from the UER Droits de l’enfant/Children’s Rights Unit, Institut Universitaire Kurt Bösch (IUKB) in Switzerland.

Dr. King holds a Diploma Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H); Doctorate (PhD) in Philosophy in Public Health and Policy from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of London; a Master in Business Administration (MBA) in International Health Management from Thunderbird American Graduate School of International Management, Master in Public Health (MPH) in international Health from the University of Texas School of Public Health; and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Hawaii.

Dr. King is the very proud mother the 11-year old “Little Ambassador” Ariana-Leilani Margarita Alexandra King-Pfeiffer, whose life has inspired the founding of the Ariana-Leilani Children’s Foundation International (2008) to educate and advocate for children’s human rights worldwide. (Updated October 2014)

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