Our world is one in which 1.5 billion people live in extreme poverty, 9 million children die every year,
and 75 million more are denied primary education. Our world is still plighted by diseases like HIV and
AIDS that together kill 2 million people every year, a world where women are often relegated to second
rank, and the struggle for wealth is destroying the conditions of life for future generations.
In 2000, world leaders set far-reaching goals to free humanity from poverty, hunger, illiteracy and
disease, to ensure gender equality, a global partnership for development and respect for the
environment. These were the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
Aware of our role and potential as the youth of today’s world, we have decided to respond to this global
call for action by launching, in the framework of AEGEE’s Flagship Project “Beyond Europe –
Perspectives for Tomorrow’s World”, the initiative “UN Millennium Development Goals – A Challenge
for Today’s Youth?”.
The project aims to empower young people to contribute to the achievement of the UN Millennium
Development Goals by 2015. The project mobilises youth in Europe, India and South Africa, and lays the
basis for a sustainable partnership between young citizens in these three regions.
The project will have a duration of 12 months, and it will consist of four main activities:
- Preliminary Meeting In Brussels (Belgium) in December 2009
- Case-study trip to Baroda (India) in June 2010
- Case-study trip to Cape Town (South Africa) in September 2010
- Final Conference in Utrecht (The Netherlands) in November 2010.
The two case study trips will give the opportunity to members of AEGEE to experience first-hand the
efforts towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in India and South Africa. The Final
Conference, which will be attended by a group of young Indians and South Africans, will present the
results of the two case study trips.
This initiative is financed by the Youth in Action programme of the European Commission (Action 3.2 Youth in the World).