Political Party Youth Organisations Common Statement on the Elections in the F.Y.R.O. Macedonia

6th December 20166th December 2016admin

The elections on December 11th provide the people of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.Macedonia) with the possibility of a new start, and the unification of all democratic forces. And foremost, it offers the people of F.Y.R.O.Macedonia the possibility to choose the direction for the future of their country.

Free and fair elections are the cornerstones of robust democratic states. These principles are not negotiable and must be respected by all political forces. Ensuring clean electoral lists, and preventing manipulation of the electorate must have absolute priority in order to secure not only transparency and accountability, but most of all legitimacy. It is crucial that citizens are presented with a variety of meaningful options from which they can choose what kind of lives and systems they consider to be the most desirable for their very own community. This means, free and open competition between different parties. Considering that the latest European Commission report on the F.Y.R.O. Macedonia mention the increasing risk of “state capture” and expresses serious concerns regarding civil liberties, it is crucial that these elections are conducted in a free and fair way so that the country can get back on democratic track and take action in order to give a more positive outlook for the next report .

Vivid discussions focussing on the political content and ideological differences do not only allow all people to enjoy their fundamental rights, such as the freedom of speech, freedom of association and assembly, and freedom of the press, it is also a tool which fosters deeper political participation and paves the way for the emancipation of both individuals and groups. We call on all the candidates to use their opportunities and participate in public debates, thus providing enough information, so that the public can make an informed choice.

The people of F.Y.R.O.Macedonia have lived in a polarized society for many years and they deserve to once and for all enjoy their fundamental rights and democracy. Everything else is not giving them the adequate respect they deserve.

As young people, who are not only living today, but who will also bear the consequences of today’s decisions in the future, we call upon all parties and all other relevant institutions and organisations to collectively ensure that all citizens can practice the democracy they are entitled to through the constitution.

EFAy- European Free Alliance Youth

FYEG- Federation of Young European Greens

IFLRY- International Federation of Liberal Youth

IUSY- International Union of Socialist Youth

JEF- Young European Federalists

LYMEC- European Liberal Youth

YDE- Young Democrats for Europe

YES- Young European Socialists

American Committee ’16 Statement on the Region [EN & ES]

30th November 2016admin

The American Committee Leadership Conference ’16 took place in Santiago, Chile from the 17 to the 20 of November. In the programme we had the opportunity to discuss important issues such as the difference conflicts active in the region, meet the President and other important political figures of the country and the region.

We also had the chance to discuss on the current state of the different countries and organisation on the region in a session facilitated by the Pool of Trainers in cooperation with the Vicepresidents of the region. Another of the main sessions was on the socialist vision of socialism in America.
At the end of the meeting a work plan was drafted so you will be hearing more news about the upcoming work in the region.

All this issues and more are reflected in the statement released by the committee, check it out!

American Committee ’16 Statement

The American Committee of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) met from 17 to 20 November 2016 in the city of Santiago de Chile with the aim to reflect on the current situation in our region and the challenges of socialism in complex moments for the progressive proposals in our countries.

On a global stage of deepening of the capitalist economic system we see how in America the wave of conservative governments threatens the political and social transformations conquered. This is accompanied by a general discredit of traditional politics, deepening in individualizing story and an estrangement between parties and their social bases.

Worrying in turn is the growth of right-wing populist speeches that, showing racist positions, macho, xenophobic; they are the ultimate expression of the anti policy. Manifestation of this is the promise of construction of the wall that separates the United States of Mexico.

We oppose the violation of the guarantee of due process in the political judgment made to the Chairperson Dilma Rousseff and the use of the institutional channels by the groups in power for the dismissal of a Government legitimately elected by the people.

We note with concern the increase in the inequality, poverty and unemployment in Argentina that has increased since the last change of national government. It is, to all lights, a indisputable reality that this government of the new right, Argentina has accentuated the policies of exclusion, marked by the benefit to the privileged sectors at the expense of the work and the effort of the medium and low social sectors.

It is alarming the advance of organized crime in the region where the networks of drug trafficking and trafficking demand the coordination of policies, of international cooperation in the defence and guarantee of human rights. Special mention should be made of the situation in Mexico with thousands of women exploited and killed on a daily basis.

IUSY welcomes the announcement of the new agreements between the Government and the FARC, which constitutes a new opportunity for reconciliation between Colombians, configuring a crucial moment not only for Colombia, but also for the region. We hope that progress will be made soon on the ratification and implementation of the agreements, for the consolidation of a stable peace, lasting, to ensure the protection of human rights in order to achieve a more equitable nation.

We also insist that the dialog process in Venezuela needs to be plural and address the underlying problems that are the cause of the political crisis in the country today. The way out to this conflict must be through constitutionally established democratic processes, therefore we see with concern the deliberate lock in the recall process on the part of the government.

We believe it to be more than necessary to forge closer links with the grassroots social organizations, promote new forms of citizen participation that will contribute to the strengthening of institutions and the democratization of our societies. For all this is essential to consolidate the unity of the left movements throughout the continent.

The American Committee extends a greeting to host organizations for the activities organised, as well as many successes to electoral processes that are approaching in Ecuador and Chile. It also supports the candidacy of former President Fernando Lugo in Paraguay, driven by the front Guasú, with a view to the elections of 2018.

YES to peace in Colombia 2
Ni Una Menos!
Vivas nos queremos!
All Over The World to Change It!

IUSY American Committee ‘16, Santiago, Chile 19^th November

AC Resolution [en]
Resolución CA [es]

IUSY and YES Condemn arrest of President Lee and other opposition members in Malaysia

19th November 201619th November 2016admin

IUSY and YES condemn the sudden and unfair arrest of IUSY President Howard Lee and other members of the opposition in Malaysia. Howard is a Representative in the Perak State Assembly in Malaysia and he was taken into custody by the police for participating in the Bersih 5 protest, a rally asking for clean elections, clean government, the strengthening of parliamentary democracy, right to dissent, empowering Sabah and Sarawak, denounce the abuse of power by the current Prime Minister, and denounce the gerrymandering of the election commission for the upcoming elections.

Other members of the opposition were also arrested, including MP Anthony Loke, the Chairperson for Bersih, Maria Chin Abdullah, and Bersih Secretary Mandeep Singh.

At the present time, President Lee is being held at the State Police Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and no lawyers have been let in. Howard Lee is a member of the Democratic Action Party and is the International Secretary for the party’s youth wing, DAPSY.

IUSY and YES demand the immediate release of President Lee and the cease of all politically driven arrests in Malaysia, calling for their human and political rights to be respected.

#LetLeeGo

Bring back Democracy in Turkey now!

6th November 2016admin

IUSY shows its deepest concern about the political and democratic situation in Turkey, strongly condemning the discretionary arrests of the HDP leaders, Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yüksekdag and a dozen other opposition MPs in Turkey, asking for their immediate release. We appeal to the elimination of violence in the region and appeal to a non escalation in the conflict. The recent events in the country, with the increasing arrests of journalists, academic people and other individuals related to any kind of opposition to the Turkish Government, are a sign of an ever increasing authoritarian ruling force by the AKP supported Government. We urge Turkey to abide by international law and to respect the rule of Law. The intentions of reinstating the death penalty, the imposed censorship on social media, the repression on free press and the lack of respect for the independence of the judiciary system pose a clear threat to the democratic regime in Turkey and cannot be accepted by the international community. Also, IUSY condemns the terror attack in Diyarbakır, where 9 people were killed in response to these arrests. We remind that violence cannot be an answer and civil war is not an option in Turkey. It is time for the Turkish Government to respect the rules of democracy, which includes respecting the rights of the Kurdish people, the right of political association and opposition and freedom of speech press and association. We demand that the European Union and the international community take a stand on the unlawful arrests of the HDP leaders, to pressure Turkey to comply to the established standards of the rule of law, using all of their normative power through the political, economic, and diplomatic means at their disposal to successfully achieve this important step. The downwards spiral that is leading Turkey from a secular Republic to a religious autocracy must be stopped in the interest of the Turkish people. We call the EU to take notice that as long as Erdogan’s government perpetrates the repression of democracy and human rights targeting its own citizens – Kurds in particular -Turkey is not abiding by the EU accession criteria she was asked to pursue in its long path towards becoming an EU Member State. We call on the European Union to pressure Turkey by temporary freezing the ongoing EU membership negotiations until democracy and the respect of the rights of all Turkish citizens are re-established.

Political Economy Working Group Workshop Summaries

4th November 2016admin

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In the past Economic Seminar in partnership with Renner Institute and our member organisation SJÖ besides having very interesting discussions we also witnessed the birth of a working group on Political Economy.

You can see below the summaries of the different workshop they ran in the first meeting right after the event.

If you’re interested on the topic and would like to join and contribute please contact Matthias Krainz IUSY VP at matthias.krainz@iusy.org

You can also join the Facebook group > https://www.facebook.com/groups/851664904970530/

EU Economic Polices and the Eurozone

Feminist Economics

How to avoid taxes without really trying – We wish we were only joking

PI summary globalisation and global economic inequalities

IUSY condemns the escalating repression in Ethiopia

27th October 2016admin

Following the downfall of the previous Ethiopian government in 1991, Ethiopians were eager to have their freedoms back. Beside many failures of good governance, the abolishment of the former regime was rooted by its execution and imprisonment of innocents. However, though Ethiopians have sacrificed their valuable lives expecting justice and freedom, they are not yet able to get what they have been waiting.

The Ethiopians situation is a clear evidence for the notion that the death of the previous dictatorship did not ensure the birth of a democracy that guarantees human rights. Until today Ethiopians are being incarcerated, tortured and killed for crimes they did not commit. Both their human and democratic rights are being violated by government forces for only asking legitimate questions. They are being dismantled from their lands without enough compensation and forced to live under poverty lines.

The systematic marginalization of the largest ethnic groups by the government which is highly dominated by a minority ethnic group is also significantly affecting the lives of millions. The government of Ethiopia is highly characterized by its unfair distribution of wealth, which placed the majority in extreme poverty. It is evidenced by the recent reports of the Ethiopian government itself that since 2016 more than 10 million people are suffering from drought while few segments of the population are taking unfair advantage of the nation’s resources.

Despite all the challenges, Ethiopians did not keep quiet. Since 1991 until today they are firmly standing against the dictatorship that oppressed their rights and killed many. The legitimate demands of the people intensified since November 2015 when the government officially declared to expand the boundaries of the capital city, Addis Ababa into the Oromia region. The reaction of the government towards all the peaceful protestors, however, was highly unprofessional, if not inhuman. Since then people are being killed, detained, and brutally tortured for only standing against a system which excludes them from political and economic development and led the protest to its highest level.

The brutality of the Ethiopian government against its own citizens revealed itself many times. One of the evidence can be the killings of hundreds in October 2016 where more than two million people gathered for the religious festival and government forces opened fire on people who were expressing their grievances by crossing their hands above their head.

The Ethiopian government is not only killing peaceful protestors but also suppressing their voices through blocking the internet in the name of‘‘State of emergency’’ while many activists and journalists are being tortured and jailed for crimes they did not commit. Therefore, Ethiopians these days are not only demanding for political and economic inclusions but also basic human rights. As IUSY we call for respect of human rights and the government must call an all inclusive political dialogues to solve the impasse. History has taught us that violence is not the solution to solving problems.

Statement brought forward by Vice President Bheki Dlamini and supported by the IUSY Presidium.

IUSY reitera su llamado al diálogo plural en Venezuela

25th October 2016admin

Please find attached the press release of IUSY VP’s and American Committee Coordinator Jesús Tapia:

Desde la Unión Internacional de Juventudes Socialistas – IUSY, por sus siglas en inglés- expresamos nuestra preocupación antes los últimos acontecimientos que se han producido en Venezuela, producto de la ausencia de espacios de diálogo y entendimiento entre los distintos actores del país.

La polarización y el conflicto se han incrementado en Venezuela de manera acelerada, lo que ha hecho más vigente la necesidad de un proceso de diálogo, negociación y acuerdos tendentes a la solución de la problemática política causante de las dificultades económicas y sociales que viven los venezolanos y venezolanas. Desde IUSY recomendamos que el proceso de diálogo venidero sea inclusivo y participativo, enfocando su esencia en los valores de la democracia y la solidaridad.

Como organización juvenil internacional, hemos estado presentes en diversos procesos políticos y sociales que ha enfrentado la sociedad global y es por ello que deseamos pueda en Venezuela darse espacio para el entendimiento y el diálogo, donde sean estos las razones para que los distintos actores promuevan soluciones en beneficio de todos y todas.

25 de octubre de 2016

Conferencia de Liderazgo del Comité Americano de IUSY

10th October 2016admin

Detalles

Que: Reunión del Comité Regional para los miembros de la Región de American
Cuando: 17-20 Noviember 2016
Donde: Santiago, Chile
Edad: 18-35 años
Tamaño: 2 participantes por organización miembro
Fecha Limite: 21 de October 2016 (23:59 CET)

Marco

El Comité American reúne a jóvenes líderes de las organizaciones miembro del Comité Americano de IUSY con el objetivo de fortalecer las organizaciones y su cooperación en la región. Juntos vamos a discutir la actual situación política en la región americana y elaborar estrategias para afrontar nuestros retos.

La Conferencia girara alrededor de la temática: ‘Procesos y desafíos del Socialismo en América”. Algunos de los objetivos de la conferencia serán conocer, analizar y debatir los diferentes hechos recientes en la región. Como el estado de los resultados del referéndum en Colombia, las destitución de Dilma en Brasil, las recientes incidentes en Paraguay, la escalada de violencia en México entre muchos. Debido a todos estos acontecimientos y el desarrollo general de la región en el Comité Americano de IUSY creemos que ahora es mas importante que nunca discutir sobre los valores socialistas y social-democráticos en la región.

Tematica

“Procesos y desafíos del Socialismo en América”

El Programa tendrá lugar durante dos días, el viernes 11 y el sábado 12. Un borrador del programa sera enviado antes del inicio de la actividad.

Perfil de Participantes

Cada organización miembro en la región puede inscribir hasta 2 participantes para el evento.
Tengan en cuenta que las delegaciones deben tener equilibrio de género, una delegación no puede consistir de dos hombres. Los participantes deben ostentar una posición de liderazgo dentro de la organización, las organización deberán aprobar las inscripciones.

Los participantes deben ser capaces de poder atender la duración total de seminario. Todos los participantes deben tener una edad comprendida entre 18-35 años, sin excepciones. Las organizaciones de IUSY que tengan una deuda o no hayan pagado su cuota de membresía del 2016 (sin acuerdo previo con la Comisión de Control) no tienen acceso al reembolso.

Como Inscribirse

Los participantes deben inscribirse completado el formulario digital antes del 21 de Octubre a las 23:59 CET.

International Union Of Socialist Youth

All Over The World To Change it!

Author: admin