'Why do the Global Goals matter to me?'

Why should I care anyway? 

So, a commonly asked question when I explain to other young people about my work and about the Accountability Advocates is 'Why are you doing this now? Why do a degree AND all of this work?'. Why am I juggling a degree and this advocacy work and life in general when I literally have YEARS ahead of me to 'get myself out there'


That's all this position is to a lot of people I talk to. A really great opportunity for me to add something impressive sounding onto my CV. The Sustainable Development Goals, the Big Idea, all of the thousands of hours which have been poured into creating these 17 potentially world changing goals have all cumulated into a bullet point on a 19-year old girls' CV.

Here's why that's wrong.

1. The Global Goals are attempting something that has never been done before. All countries around the world (Including us, Mr Cameron) now have an obligation to make sure that the Goals are carried out. Think that FGM (female genital mutilation) isn't a problem in the UK? Tell that to the 137,000 women and girls that are affected by FGM in England and Wales. 

Poverty? Here? In the global north?? In 2013, 3.8 million households in the US  were unable to provide adequate nutrition for their children. National Geographic ran an article in 2014 called 'The New Face of Hunger' , with the opening paragraph of:

         Millions of working Americans don’t      know where their next meal is coming from. We sent three photographers to explore hunger in three very different parts of the United States, each giving different faces to the same statistic: One-sixth of Americans don’t have enough food to eat.

Does this sound like the kind of world where MDCs (more developed countries, to use a Geographical term) can afford to ignore the Global Goals? 

2. Contrary to popular belief, under-25s are believed to be the most politically active generation yet . 

 It is easy for my generation to admit defeat in more 'white-middle-aged-man' areas of life such as politics, development or even commenting on world affairs. It is even easier for older generations to dismiss our views as irrelevant, because we haven't experienced as much, or because young=liberal=idealistic=irrelevant.

I have as much validity and legitimacy as any other person commenting or analysing world events. I have as much right to constantly work towards a better world through my Accountability Advocates work as the next person. And that person also has a right to write a blog similar to mine, with maybe completely different views on things.

But, in my opinion, with rights and validity come responsibilities. 

If I have the right to be involved in world politics and the Global Goals, then I surely also have the responsibility to make sure I take advantage of that opportunity and make as much of a positive difference as humanly possible.

So, in answer to the question at the beginning of my blog: I'm doing a degree. Great. My academic life is not my entire life. For me, my degree does not mean that for the next 3 years I put everything else on hold. Why do I work as an Accountability Advocate as well as being at university? 

Put simply, it is because I can.

Thanks for reading, please put any comments or criticisms or suggestions in the comments section.

I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing, and if you too are passionate about something, for gods sake fulfil it. 

Raf :) 

I say ACCOUNTABILITY you say ADVOCATES

#TEAMUK (from left) Nazzy Amin, Keya Khandaker and Raf Galdeano (me)

Before getting into the real meat of today's blog post, I wanted to say a little hello from team UK as I realised my first post didn't really do that. We are an eclectic trio, all from different backgrounds and places in the UK. 

In their own words, Nazzy and Keya wanted to introduce themselves, as well as Dan (our fantastic mentor)


Dan:
Hi My name is Dan, I’m a mentor to 3 Advocacy Advocates in the UK.
'I’ve recently returned to the UK from Myanmar (Burma), where I was managing a youth training centre and activism hub for ActionAid. I had the chance to work with youth activists from Burma and across South East Asia, supporting them to engage with democratic reform processes and develop effective rights-based campaigns. Prior to that, I worked for the UK government for 6 years, conducting policy research and influencing policies on topic such as migration, youth violent crime, and local governance.  I enjoy living and working  overseas, travel photography and playing guitar, though my 1-year old daughter takes up much of my free time now!'




Keya: 

Hi my name is Keya Khandaker and I am from the UK and, currently studying International Development BA at Sussex University. From 2010, I have been a member of Plan UK’s Youth Advisory Panel, where I have been able to evaluate the child­centred community development agenda as to challenge any tokenism behind youth engagement. In both an advisory and ambassadorial role, I have seen (and been apart of) the crucial participation and partnership of young people in youth­centered development. In 2014 I took part in the UK Government’s International Citizen Service scheme wherein I undertook a work placement in Bolivia, developing and facilitating microfinance education for young children and their parents. Owing to both my studies and experience in International Development, I am committed to understanding the ways in which we can end the mechanisms that perpetuate poverty and bring about justice for the most marginalised people.


Nazzy: 
My name is Nazzy Amin and I currently work for a charity that helps women who have gone through domestic violence. Whilst being a member of the UK Youth Climate Coalition, The Patchwork Foundation and The National Alliance of Women’s Organisations. My Journey in to International development started when volunteering in a village in Nepal and made me realise this is the sector I want to delve into and from then on I have been an active volunteer in the field. I have campaigned on issues like Gender Inequality and Climate Change; lobbied decision makers and have attended international conferences. I am excited about the Accountability Advocate role and all the opportunities it will bring. I am especially excited to work with young people from across the globe to make sure we hold our governments accountable when the Sustainable Development Goals are being implemented and amplify more youth voices.

Anyway, back to business. I've had a bit of a bad week, life-wise; the combination of packing for university and generally being a capable adult is actually really hard (who knew?). HOWEVER, some pretty exciting (and awful) things have happened. In case you didn't know, or didn't care previously, here is my comprehensive guide to the 

NEWS OF THE WEEK 

1. The Conservative Party annual Conference is now in full swing, and will be until Wednesday. This at first doesn't sound interesting, because who actually cares about the Conservatives? Well actually, because the Conservatives are the ones setting the agenda for the next four years, it becomes extremely important. For example, Jeremy Hunt's defence of the Tax Cuts due to hit the poorest in society. A party conference doesn't sound like it would mean much to non-party members, but actually they act as a platform to strengthen policy, a chance to take Labour voters feeling unrepresented by Corbyn and for, obviously, boosting the image of a party.

2. The US government  has bombed a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. This news has shocked me, personally to the core, and has resulted in MSF to withdraw from the hospital. Whatever way you try to spin this, it breaks international law. A leading US commander has claimed 'it was an accident'. Honestly, I don't have words. Give the linked articles a read, come to your own conclusions.

3. On a happier note, Nottingham City Council has announced that all schools in the local area must all include education on porn, forced marriage and FGM. Which is pretty damn exciting, if you ask me. Education in schools about safe relationships, forced marriage and about FGM is where attitudes and stigmas change. If schools can educate pupils, essentially the stakeholders and decision-makers of the future, on these sort of controversial but important topics, then that is a step in the right direction to a world without violence against women.

One last thing before I go, 

THE SDGs HAVE FINALLY BEEN LAUNCHED 

I watched with admiration and jealously on the internet as they were launched, with full knowledge that my friends Wilber and Derick were in New York, in the thick of things. There were lights,pomp and circumstance and celebrity; coupled with an unspoken anxiety that unless governmental commitments are fully actualised, little will change. As The Guardian's Liz Ford writes 'beyond the fanfare there was a quieter recognition that without adequate 
financing, strong data collection and the political will to implement the goals, 2030 will not deliver the transformative agenda desired.' 

I live in hope that there is adequate financing, that data collection is possible, and that political will does not wane. In a way, it is a part of my job as an Accountability Advocate to ensure that these things happen. Without grassroots organisations and every day citizens making sure that the SDGs don't fade from view, it would undoubtedly be easier for governments to ignore the SDGs entirely.

Thanks for reading, I hope to not be so long between now and the next time I write a post. As always, PLEASE PLEASE leave  comments or improvements, I really do appreciate them. :) 

Lots of love, Raf 

The start of the Magic Road

Let's start at the very beginning....

Firstly, hello. This is my first blog and my first ever blog post, so bear with me as I try to document this amazing journey I find myself on. I belong to a dynamic group of 20 young people from the UK, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi.

So who are we? We are a part of the #BigIdea, a youth-led accountability project from Restless Development (their website is here). We are tasked with an amazing job, which I will explain in a moment. This is us! (look below) 

All of the #BigIdea Accountability Advocates
(I'm the short haired girl, 3rd down on the right)

"If the world today is a reality of yesterday's Imagination,there is nothing more I can do now but to imagine an inclusive, accountable and transparent Government in my country "

Kakaire Wilber

And who am I? I’m a 19 year old vegetarian recycling guru from a tiny village in the back-end of Wiltshire with a passion for politics and cacti. I am a member of Restless Developments’ crack team of Accountability Advocates with the purpose of holding our respective governments to account for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals which matter most to young people in their country.

‘What are the Sustainable Development Goals?’, You all cry. ‘What on earth did you just say??’

Patience, my dear friend. To begin the journey, you have to cast your minds back to 2000, when UN leaders and countries set 8 MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS with targets such as ‘halve the number of people in extreme poverty’ ‘eliminate child mortality’ ‘achieve environmental sustainability’. These goals were, sorry to say, poorly planned and mostly only focused on less developed nations around the world, meaning that western countries such as the UK and the US could consign the MDGs to their aid departments, and not integrate them into the everyday lives of their population. This is why, 15 years later, little has changed. 1.2 billion people are still in extreme poverty, and global partnerships firmly remain in an 'economic' space. 

This is where the Sustainable Development Goals come in.

 The sustainable development goals, or SDGs, are a set of 17 goals set by the UN which all countries in the UN must sign up to, with the aim of completing the goals by 2030. This time, a more holistic approach has been made with regards to forming the goals, and calls upon ALL governments around the world to make change in their nation, not just ones in which some inhabitants have to live on less than USD$1 a day.

‘Right, okay. So what do you have to do with all of this?’

Based on the research done by Team UK with the help of the Post-15 agenda priorities, we have decided to focus on 2 key areas which young people in the UK have said are most important to them: Violence against women (VAW) including FGM, and sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR). Based on these priorities, it is now the job of Keya, Nazzy and I to track the commitments made by the government surrounding those two priorities, and hold the UK government accountable for its actions.. It sounds scary and complicated, so here is a diagram to help make it easier to understand:

So, the next stage in the great plan is finding other passionate people to help us fulfil our aims. This is so that our crack Accountability Advocates team can work effectively, as well as building the capacity of the member organisations we will be working with to do youth accountability work. It’s going to be a long journey, and I’m learning as I go (playing things by ear is a big part of this position), but that doesn’t mean that I am not extremely excited to start this year of work. Lastly, big shoutout to all of the NGOs that have made this project possible: African Monitor, YES Ghana, Plan, Restless Development and our partner the European Commission.  

Finally, a quick word from Rachel Litster, our fantastic Project Manager

“The Accountability Advocates project is part of Restless Development's Big Idea programme, which aims to empower young people with the knowledge, skills and networks needed to analyse official data and generate their own to track progress towards national and international development commitments. With this support we believe that young people will become leaders in seeking accountability.  Implemented by Restless Development, in partnership African Monitor, Plan UK and YES Ghana - and cofunded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union - the Accountability Advocates project aims to equip young leaders from youth-led organisations across Africa and Europe with the skills needed to monitor the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the course of the project, in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders, the Accountability Advocates will be developing a national accountability framework to support them in collecting and generating data to seek social accountability on an issue that they and their peers identify as a key priority in their local context. To find out more about the project, please email the Big Idea Project Manager, Rachel Litster (rach@restlessdevelopment.org).”  

I hope that this has been an informative blog post, and if anybody has any questions/critiques/ comments, don't hesitate! Thanks for reading, Raf :) 

                                                  

Youth Empowerment Synergy