Second week and results of COP-15

Today I can say that COP-15 has become a part of history. It finished 2 days ago.
It was unforgettable experience for everybody who took part there, who was inside or outside the Bella Center.

It's hard to judge the results of COP-15. Copenhagen Accord of course is not the best result and was the worst prediction of COP-15 but it's better than nothing. World leaders came to the Bella Center during the last two days and gave their speaches. But 2 days could not be enough as 2 weeks for getting a good solution and result.

I agree with the words of Russian President Medvedev that we are going to have long and deep work. And it's only our first step.

The full text of Copenhagen Accord you could find on the unfccc.int website.

In the end I would like to share with you the youth voice at the Plenary sessions at COP-15:

GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION_day 6

Demonstrations on the roads of COPENHAGEN.

Today is the Global Day of Action.

more informations here:

SURVIVAL IS NOT NEGOTIABLE

Today I would like to tell you about my 2 good friends: Anna C Keenan from Australia and Sara Svensson from Sweden. It seems to me that I know them for ages.

( Anna and Sara on the photo)

Anna: ClimateJusticeFast is a moral and principal action to give politics a major wake up call!


These two brave girls are on hunger strike. Today is the 37th day of Global Day of Climate Action in Copenhagen!

more details: ClimateJusticeFast .

Video for COP-15: ~SURVIVAL IS NOT NEGOTIABLE~ written by Emma Lilliestam

some actions during COP - 15

Climate Action Network (CAN) regularly judges three ‘Fossil of The Day’ awards to the countries who perform the worst during the past day’s negotiations at UN climate change conferences. The slightly sarcastic yet highly prestigious awards are presented by Avaaz.org daily at 6pm during climate talks, followed by presentation by local activists at winning embassies in capital cities around the world. The Fossil of the Day awards were first presented at the climate talks in 1999 in Bonn, initiated by the German NGO Forum.


http://avaaz.org/

http://www.fossil-of-the-day.org/

first photo report from COP 15

Some photos from Bella Center:

Climate Wall:

people are working, discussing, eating and relaxing at the same time!!!

Plenary session salle:

at COP 15_day 5

Everything is related to COP-15 in Copenhagen. And I really like it. I feel the atmosphere of the conference not only at Bella Center where I am working during the day. People are so friendly ouside and inside Bella Center.

Signs and indicators are everywhere in the city! You could not be lost! Everybody is ready to help you!

There is a feeling that we are big big family who is ready for big deal and changes.

travel and arrival to COP15_days 2,3,4

Eventually I am in Copenhagen. I am in Bella Center now. Lots of, lots of people are here. The real feeling that you have is trying no to loose yourself and concentrate on your plan which you have with you.

I am a bit tired. I took a train from Brussels to Copenhagen. It took me 15 hours to get here. But it was so excited! I met different people in the train and most of them, of course, are attending COP15.

I am happy that I am here. I have already met my friends, met new people and expected to get more and more new faces on my facebook friends page ;)

I am going to have photos from the Bella center and get news for you!

packing for COP15_day 1

Today I sorted all my things together in my to-do-list for my trip to Copenhagen. I am going to be a part of fantastic event COP15 - The UN Climate Change Negotiations in Copenhagen (the 7th of December - 18th of December 2009).

I am accreditated by 350.org as a youth climate change observer. I prepared my plan of events which I am going to attend. The huge amount of different meetings concerning to climate change are going to be during these 2 weeks.

Today is the opening of COP 15. Diplomats from 192 nations are attending it. Denmark's prime minister said 110 heads of state and government will attend the final days of the two-week conference and President Barack Obama is among them.

I am really inspired, motivated and excited of my participation in COP-15.

Youth Health Initiave: Blog for your health!

Youth Health Initiave: Blog for your health!

The European Youth Forum is working closely with the European Commission again on the Youth Health Initiative. Since the success of this summer’s health conference that brought together 150 young delegates in Brussels, the initiative will now be kept alive by means of a blog. http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/youth/index_en.htm The latter, which is moderated daily by the European Youth Forum will be the tool for bringing young people together from all over Europe to talk about their health.
Known as ‘Be healthy, be yourself’, the youth health initiative blog raises important public health issues in an attractive way. From sociology to simple tips on hygiene, the portal is an interactive way for young people to have their say on topical or forgotten health issues. As we all know, there is a huge social gap between people within member states, the EU and the whole world so the blog is a way to remind people of these shocking realities. Youth is a priority for the European Commission and they do wish to involve us more in EU health policies so by counting on the European Youth Forum to update this blog, they are taking a postive step forward. By doing so, the EU hopes to strengthen youth partnership in the decision making process, involve other sectors across EU policy areas and at national level on the implementation of prevention programs targeted at young people and support Member States activities on the health of young people.
Young people juggle studies, sport, part-time jobs, internships, relationships and socialising all at the same time. Due to low salaries or precarious job situations, it is often difficult to strike a healthy balance. For many, there is no time or money to invest in preparing a decent dinner. And for others, the financial crisis, education, social background play a huge role.
So, the blog is an attempt to cater for all. It is not a portal that aims to lecture on giving up smoking, the dangers of drinking or the amount of fat in take-away chips, but rather a meeting point to gather facts, learn about doing things in moderation and above all, learn to love our bodies. So, topics like lifestyle, physical acitivity and mental health will be explored through the blog as well as obesity, sexual health and chronic disease.
For the moment, the blog is made up of simple text and photos but over the next few months it will be getting a makeover. More interactive and innovative tools will be used on the blog so that youth opinion reaches out to as many as possible. Users will be able to send in their very own videos and photos and take part in some more hands-on debates and workshops over the coming year. To ensure this success, the blog does need a sigfinicantly high level of participation bringing about a daily, lifely, virtual debate. So, feel free to join in, raise topics or add comments by visiting the blog at the following link. http://ec.europa.eu/health-eu/youth/index_en.htm

Youth Call for Entries- the 2nd Children's environmental health project competition

Dear Friends,

Five years after the launch of the “Children Environmental and Health Action Plan for Europe” (CEHAPE) at the Budapest Ministerial Conference, we are now seeking entries to the second CEHAPE Good Practice Awards.

As the health and environment youth coordinator, I am practically interested in hearing from youth related projects or projects in schools or being led by youth, as these are two of the competition categories. The entry form is only two pages, and will enable your project to feature on our CEHAPE website.

In March 2010, the Fifth Conference of Ministers on Environment and Health - "Protecting Children’s Health in a Changing Environment" - will take place in Parma, Italy. The Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health is the next milestone in the European environment and health process. Focused on protecting children’s health in a changing environment, the Conference will drive Europe’s agenda on emerging environmental health challenges for the years to come.

Keeping children’s health in the spotlight: Awarding good practice
Children’s health continues to be a leading concern; their health is at risk from a changing environment. The second CEHAPE Awards aim to uncover and highlight inspiring and innovative projects that promote children’s environment and health. Entrants must be based in one or more countries of the 53 in the WHO Europe region (map with full list of countries)
The winners of each category will be award 1,000 Euros towards their project, and will be invited to present their project at the Parma Ministerial.

How to enter: Tell us your story
To enter the CEHAPE Good Practice Awards, we want to hear about your projects and campaigns in children’s environment and health.

There are eight individual categories for entry:

• Water and/or Sanitation,
• Accidents and/or Physical Activity,
• Indoor air and/or Outdoor air,
• Chemicals and or Radiation,
• Youth participation,
• Mobility,
• Climate protection,
• Schools

If you are involved in a project to protect children’s environmental health, please send us a completed entry form to Olivia Radu (olivia.radu@wecf.eu).
Information about the call is available in English, Romanian, Russian, Kirghiz, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Armenian and Georgian. However, the entry form can only be filled out in English and Russian.
You can find out more about the competition and the entries from the 1st Children’s Environmental health project competition on the website.

KEY DATES:
• The deadline for submission of entries is 7 December 2009.
• The winners across the eight categories will be announced on 22nd January, 2010.

The 2nd CEHAPE Awards have be developed jointly by Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF), Health & Environmental Alliance (HEAL), ISDE Austria and European Eco Forum, and are sponsored by the governments of Austria, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, and supported by the European Commission.

(On the photo: Sascha Gabizon WECF, Genon Jensen HEAL at the IMR, Vienna, June 2007)

Please help us by disseminating this announcement through your own networks.


Good luck, we look forward to receiving your entries!


Alina Bezhenar

Choosing our Future

The “Choosing our Future” comic strip highlights – in a humorous and simple way – the recent evidence of harm to health from certain widely used chemicals.

Produced jointly by HEAL’s Chemicals Health Monitor project and Mouvement pour les Droits et le Respect des Générations Futures (MDRGF) in English and French, the publication and associated website aim to provide readers with what is currently known about the links between health and man-made chemicals and examples of individual action and EU policy opportunities that can help produce changes for the better.




French comic strip designer, David Ratte has created the stories that bring to life contemporary concerns about the man-made chemicals found in our bodies that are implicated in certain cancers, brain development disorders, asthma, allergies, immune deficiences and falling male fertility. The facts behind the dialogue are explained and supported by scientific and governmental references.

Our aim is provide advocates and the wider public with examples of individual action and European Union policy opportunities that can help change our future for the better.

to know more information and download book in English and French click here