04/03/2016
Information note on UNCTAD YOUTH FORUM and its Application process
From 19 to 21 July 2016 the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) organizes a Youth Forum that will take place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya as part of a larger event, namely the fourteenth session of the Ministerial Conference of UNCTAD (UNCTAD 14) from 17 to 22 July 2016.
If you are a student or a young professional between the age of 18 to 30, you are interested in trade and development issues, want to debate with other millennials from all continents to contribute to shaping the future you want - which is the theme of UNCTAD Youth Forum, and to participate in the Forum, please read carefully what follows.
Objectives of the Forum
• Allow Youth to raise awareness with global leaders participating in UNCTAD 14 on issues they consider of major concern and that they want to see included in the world agenda
• Raise awareness about UNCTAD's work and projects among Youth
• Give Youth the opportunity to interact with global leaders and learn from their
experience
• Create a network of future leaders from different places around the world
Programme of the Forum
The Forum consists of a three-day event from 19 to 21 July 2016.
It will cover topics that have been identified by Youth worldwide to be major issues of concern following a United Nations survey that was carried out in 2015. These are better education, more and better jobs and state accountability.
Day 1
• Opening ceremony
• Setting the tone for discussions
• Breakout sessions on three main topics: education, more and better job opportunities,
and government accountability
• Afternoon free for the participants to attend UNCTAD 14 thematic side events
UNCTAD, March 2016
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Day 2
• Breakout sessions on three main topics: education, more and better job opportunities, and government accountability
• Afternoon free for the participants to attend UNCTAD 14 thematic side events Day 3
• Plenary session to present results to UNCTAD
• Interventions from special guests
• Closing ceremony
Participation Criteria
Participants in the Forum will be pre-selected based on the following criteria:
• Be between the age of 18 and 30
• Able to speak in and understand English
• Have a valid passport (for applicants outside of Kenya)
• Have experience (from their studies or work) in the areas of work of UNCTAD. Evidence
of projects related to trade and development (academic and professional) will be considered as experience in the field; participants will be invited to describe their experience in their video and/or letter of motivation (please see the application process section below)
Funding
UNCTAD will invite its member States, and the private sector, to provide a contribution for the travel, accommodation and organizational costs related to the Youth Forum. As funds are made available by donors and sponsors, successful applicants will receive confirmation of the funding opportunities available. Applicants are also invited to look for their own sources of funding to attend the Forum (please note that self-funding will not form part of the selection criteria; all applications will be considered on the same basis).
UNCTAD, March 2016
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Application process
The application process consists of two steps:
Step 1 - Click on the application link (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YBKT3TW) and fill in the online form. Please ensure that you:
� Create a short video (maximum two minutes and mp4 format only) demonstrating your motivation for participating in UNCTAD Youth Forum. Creativity and originality are encouraged. You can upload the video from a computer to for instance Youtube or Vimeo as follows :
o To YouTube :
1) Sign into your YouTube account; 2) Click on “Upload” at the top of the page; 3) Select the video you would like to upload from your computer; 4) Click “Publish” to finish uploading. If you set the video privacy setting to Private or Unlisted, just click "Done" to finish the upload or click “Share” to privately share your video. For more guidance, please see: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57407?hl=en
o ToVimeo:
1) Sign into your Vimeo account. 2) Click the “Upload Video” button which is
located on the home page of the site; 3) Once you click the upload link, you will be taken to the upload page; 4) Click the “Choose a File to Upload” button which will launch an upload dialog box. Choose the file that you want to upload and then click on “Select”.
For more guidance, please see: https://vimeo.com/help/faq/uploading-to-
vimeo
� Fully complete the online application form, including the URL of your video and, in the space provided therefore, your letter of motivation (300 words maximum). The letter of motivation should address some of the following points:
o Why do you want to participate in the Forum?
o In which way do you intend to contribute to the Forum?
o What knowledge and skills have you gathered from any previous experience and
how will these be useful?
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Step 2 - Provide a letter of recommendation from a high-level official or authority at a University or Organization. The letter must be sent to the email address [email protected] and clearly mention your name.
Selection criteria
The Youth Forum is designed for a maximum attendance of 250 participants from all continents. The selection criteria will be based on principles of equitable geographical representation, balanced gender distribution, diversity of backgrounds (e.g. age, areas of studies and additional experience), and the quality of the material attached to the application, explaining the contribution of the participant to the Forum (e.g. originality in the video and letter of motivation).
A Committee from UNCTAD will select Youth Forum participants.
If you are not selected to come to Nairobi, you can still participate in the preparatory process of discussions and follow the event in Nairobi via social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).
Conditions to participate
Full time attendance at the Forum by the chosen participant is mandatory.
Participants should be committed to invest time to prepare for and actively participate in the Youth Forum.
Deadline of application submissions No applications will be considered after 20 April 2016.
UNCTAD, March 2016
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