July 23, 2013
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København, December 16, 2009
19 youth representatives as part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts delegation to the UN climate change conference have received a major boost from The UPS Foundation, who join WAGGGS as a founding partner of the Global Girls Fund.
The delegation from 13 countries around the world is attending the climate change summit as part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts Environment Programme, launched here at COP 15. The UPS Foundation's commitment of US$2 million over the next five years will support WAGGGS to carry out a range of programs, including creating platforms for girls and young women to learn, engage and have a voice on environmental issues that affect their communities, countries and the world
"Today's youth will live and die as a result of the decisions made here in Copenhagen about climate change and environmental sustainability," said Prisca Randriamampihavana, a 20 year old youth delegate from Madagascar. "Through Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting and our partners, we can educate and mobilize youth in this critical debate about their own futures. Girls and young women have the right and the skill to participate in the process."
The WAGGGS Environment Programme will develop solutions to the difficult issue of climate change and its impact on girls and young women, an area of the debate that has largely gone ignored and continues to be marginalized at COP 15.
"Girls and young women are the most affected by climate change. It is girls' futures that are most at stake because of climate change. Policies, programmes and treaties to combat climate change will be more successful if girls and young women are at their heart. Yet less than half a cent of every US dollar spent on international assistance programmes is invested directly in girls and the UNFCCC does not mention girls or even gender," explained Linden Edgell, Deputy Chair of the WAGGGS World Board and leader of the COP 15 delegation.
The UPS Foundation, which has supported WAGGGS for six years, was recently named global founding partner of the Global Girls Fund, WAGGGS' Centenary Appeal.
"Our partnership with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts over the last six years has helped strengthen a culture of volunteerism and diversity around the world. As a founding partner of the Global Girls Fund, we are excited to expand and globalize our partnership to support the world's girls and young women – whose voices are too often underrepresented. Together, we hope to help them raise their own voices to be agents of change and build more sustainable communities," said Eduardo Martinez, Director, Philanthropy and Community Relations, of The UPS Foundation.
WAGGGS and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) also continue their long and successful partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and a Letter of Agreement, which will see them collaborate with other partners in developing numerous initiative such as the Youth and United Nations Global Alliance (YUNGA), Our World, Our Food, Our Climate publication, 2010 international year of biodiversity initiative, and the development of numerous educational resources and activities such as the Food Security and Climate Change Challenge Badge. The Badge was recently launched to WAGGGS' ten million members to help them learn about issues of environmental protection and food security and inspire them to be an active part of solving the problems.
"FAO is convinced that youth are part of the solution to climate change. For this reason, it has forged a close partnership with WAGGGS to empower girls around the world to raise awareness and undertake concrete action on climate change," said Wendy Mann, Senior Advisor, FAO.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information, helping countries to modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all. www.fao.org/climatechange/youth and www.yunga.org