https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rwunDaLc5nE#

Some interesting takeaway from Mr. Annan, which are useful for young people and other stakeholders includes:

1. A good leader is also a good follower.
2. Don’t feel that because you are young, people will not listen to you. You are never too young to lead.
3. By acting locally, and thinking globally, young people can lead the way towards a fairer, more secure world.
4. The energy, ambition, and capability of young people are amongst society’s greatest assets.

I love Mother’s Day, but since I am not going to be with my mother physically in Ghana, I have to admit that it is going to be a little bittersweet moment for me: I miss her so much but I must say I am always happy and humbled by her unconditional love, sacrifices, struggles and support – both moral and material – that I continue to enjoy.

Those who know my life story and mum will understand how blessed I am to have her as a mother. My sense of empathy for the less privilege in society and ultimately my interest in development work grew through her moral guidance: I recall when I was in my 5th grade after school; she and my dad will ask me, ‘What did you do today?’ To her and dad, that did not mean what you do at recess, but rather, “what difference did you make in someone’s life today?” Her love for me was also expressed in the manner in which she will correct me anytime I did something wrong, and oh a funny moment at 5th grade, when she disciplined me for not doing my home assignment before sleeping.

She often prodded me and challenged me to follow higher aspirations and I will not forget her words of wisdom including, “no condition is permanent; better days will surely come” and “fly as an eagle, don’t be afraid of the wind or rocky mountains; they challenge and shape you.” These were my favorite nuggets as they informed my stoicism, especially when some of my plans fell apart. She instilled in me a sense of possibility. I am eternally grateful for the godly training and moral values that she taught me as well. This indeed has guided me along life’s journey, even when I am not living under the same roof with her.

As a trade unionist, she was competitive, forceful, free spirit…and made a lot of difference for agricultural sector workers in Ghana. I respect my mom tremendously, most especially for the hard choices that she made including reducing work engagements and travels to make sure my brother and I had the needed motherly upbringing while my dad was on official assignments outside Kumasi. And because of her influence, we remain a happy family all the time.

VIDEO: Sweet Mother, one of my favorite songs and I know my mum loves it- we both danced to it in 2010. I know it will be on the airwaves on Mother’s Day in Ghana.

Apart from my biological mother who continues to make tremendous impact in my life, there are a number of women I have come to call mothers that have supported me in becoming who I am today. I appreciate their support as well.

This is a testament to everyone – my mentors, my friends, my family and loved ones. Thank you for your prayers, for your blessings and for your presence in my life.

This weekend and thereafter, let’s recognize the power of motherhood. Let’s respect and honor what it takes to raise children in the spirit of possibility and making a difference in the lives of people.

On this special Mother’s Day, I sincerely want to say a BIG thank you to my mum what she has given to me.

Join the conversation! Share your thoughts below, on how a mother – biological or not biological – has influenced your life.

Love as ever,

McKay (as my mum will fondly call me)

I first got to know of December18 in 2007, as a youth migration activist, back in Ghana and had the opportunity of interacting with Rene on a number of occasions including during the 2007 Global Forum on Migration and Development in Brussels and also through the annual Radio1812 programme. Rene is a big fan of youth migration issues. I recall his participation as a speaker in a Live Chat event co-organized by Young People We Care and TakingITGlobal in commemoration of the 2008 International Migrants Day celebrations. During the event he highlighted a number of disappointing but important issues about the on-going policy debate on migration; first the lack of political will to ratify the United Nations International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and second, limited support for the meaningful participation of civil society in migration issues.

Fellow migrant rights activist will concur with me that December18 has played a meaningful role in facilitating civil society participation in the on-going migration policy debate. In 2007, December18 organized the first civil society consultation that led to a number of concrete proposals for the first GFMD. Subsequently, December18 through its series of media events across the world placed the rights of migrants at the heart of the international migration policy agenda. The rich content of their website platform is a testimony for their excellent work.

Some people may shrug their shoulders and mutter about the closure of December18 as it seems to be typical that most donors are cutting down their support for non-profit organization and as such non-profit organizations will minimize or end their activities at some point, but I find it particularly worrying for two reasons: First, since its adoption by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 1990, the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families has been ratified by 44 States and signed by a further 15 States. Regrettably, no Member State of the European Union has signed nor ratified it yet. December18, clearly positioned itself as a key advocacy organization in favour of ratification of the Convention among Member States. Secondly, the civil society platform on migration is losing a key ally in the lead up to the 2^nd High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development as well as the post 2015 consultative process- all of these events require effective civil society participation and “voices” to ensure that migration and migrant rights are at the at the heart of policy agenda.

Congrats to Rene and the December18 team for what they managed to achieve despite their constraints. Hopefully, existing civil society platforms will strategize and make up for the vacuum that will be created following the closure of December18/Radio1812.

1. Consider if you will have time to write. You will need to set aside at least 30 minutes to hour to reflect and write something. It important to blog regularly as you can to ensure that your visitors and funs always have something to ready whenever they visit your website;
2. Think about what you want to communicate to others or write about. It could be something broad or more specific; but it’s easier and fun to write regularly about a thematic issue that you are passionate about;
3. What will be your blog name? You can choose a brand or individual approach. Try and be simple and informative as possible;
4. Get a blogging platform that is very easy for you to manage. You could try WordPress at a fee or Google blogger for free and make an effort to update it with all relevant information including your bio and social networks;
5. At this stage you should be ready to write and submit your first post on your blog. Share the links to your post with your friends and on social network platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+. This could increase awareness and traffic to your website or blog.

As long as you write good original content that provide interesting insights and keep your blog clutter free you will be fine. Just know that your best will evolve with the experience. Feel free to ask me any further questions.

It is also widely accepted that the potential of migration to promote development depends on institutional arrangements and frameworks that have been put in place by states, and how such arrangements promote the active engagement of migrants.

Examining the role various actors play in the migration-development process will bring more clarity on how state and non-state actors can maximize the gains of migration while mitigating its risks, in both sending and receiving countries.

My new book – Migration and Development: State and Non-State Actors in Co-development focuses on various initiatives undertaken by the Government of Ghana and non-state actors to promote diaspora engagement in Ghana’s development process. Initiatives designed to maximize the benefits of migration while mitigating its negative effects is a central theme. The study analyzes both state and non-state led initiatives operating in Ghana, as well as those conducted in cooperation with diaspora groups, destination country governments and development organizations.

The book presents the following key ideas:

• Migration can have a positive impact on development if it is well managed by various actors, including governments, NGOs and diaspora communities. The study recognized that migration is not necessarily resultant of development or underdevelopment, but can be influenced by the micro and macro levels of socioeconomic factors such as social networks, government policies and initiatives, and local economic conditions. These in turn have feedback impacts on both origin and host countries as well as the  migrants themselves. There is a risk of assessing the role of various actors in development without looking critically into their structural limitations, which can result in varied outcomes on development. Therefore, every analysis of migration and development must examine the structural issues (including social networks between migrants and communities, government policies and initiatives, and local economic conditions) associated with different actors and to assess the effectiveness of their role in the context of migration, development and co-development.
• A country of origin’s diaspora can serve as a catalyst for development. However, the development impact generated depends on structural issues and the active involvement of various actors in migration. Without that, the development potential of diaspora may be limited. A critical review of the literature also supports this argument. For example, given the multifaceted and complex nature of migration in a globalized world, there is a need for various actors and non-state actors to use their structural capabilities to effectively manage migration, promote sustainable re-migration, and facilitate the effective use of migrants’ skills and remittances.
• Whether a migrant will return home through circular migration, contribute to knowledge or remit back home will depend on various factors including: political and economic conditions in the country of origin, the extent to which a migrant has successfully  acquired wealth and social capital in the country of destination, the level of immigrant reception in the destination country, and the migrant’s own country of origin.
• The study also highlights the gap in knowledge on whether collective remittances to Ghana by diaspora communities have improved the level of community development. There is therefore a need to further research the relationship between collective remittances and development.
• The role of women in transnational or diaspora communities and their engagement activities with the country of origin is also an issue requiring further research, particularly given the increasing “feminization” of migration.

To access the full publication please click here  . You can also order the publication from Amazon or  Barnes&Noble and other online sales platforms. Your reviews and comments are welcome as always.

With the growing development crises, Rio+20 offers a perfect opportunity for governments and the private sector to step up their commitment to comprehensive inclusive green growth, poverty reduction, wealth accounting, sustainable energy and urban development. At Rio, we would like to see widespread endorsement of and commitment to green growth with clear timelines and means of financing these commitments. Youth should be at the heart of these interventions!

If you missed the live chat you can view the recorded version here:

Other related links:

• UN Webcast A live Google+ Hangout from the heart of the “Informal-informal” Negotiations with Brice Lalonde, UN Executive Coordinator of Rio+20.
• Brice Lalonde: “We need youth’s imagination”

Wangari Maathai

She was one of Kenya’s most recognizable women, the first African woman recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for combining environmentalism and social activism. She was the founder of the Green Belt Movement, where over 30 years she mobilized poor women to plant 40 million trees. She was designated as a UN Messenger of Peace with a focus on the environment and climate change and supported the UN to promote many campaigns on protecting forests and advancing the MDGs.

These credentials illustrate no other person but Wangari Maathai , who is known to have passed away on 23^rd September 2011 after a long struggle with cancer.

As we mourn the death of such an activist, a mentor, a fighter, a champion, and a leader, there are some lessons which we can learn from Wangari’s “I Will Be a Hummingbird” story. As you read the bullet points below, imagine the hummingbird’s perspective as you read them. Better yet, imagine being a “hummingbird.” From my understanding the hummingbird’s story teaches us that:

• The current numerous development challenges that confront societies and the world at large should not overwhelm us into being negligent of our responsibilities;
• The least amongst us can be the greatest. Small development interventions can make meaningful impacts;
• Everyone needs to do the best that he or she can. A change begins with your best contribution;
• To others our initial interventions might sound crazy but in some way we will win their hearts.

Though Wangari is gone, her soul will find peace and she will continue to live in our hearts if our daily lives reflect the messages she imparted from the hummingbird’s point of view.

All in all, it was a meeting worth attending.  I had the opportunity of listening to various non-profit organization representatives with a passion for social justice. The bitter-sweet part of the whole event was a dinner dance with a strong youth choir among others and a late-night candlelight procession in memory of the victims of the 9/11 bombings in the United States. Visit my Facebook page to view some pictures of my participation in the Assembly.

Throughout the World Assembly there emerged this common understanding that effective development and our ability to build a just world demanded that we be sustainable (climate justice), and inclusive (democratic space). The technology track also emphasized how technology is a tool and thus needs to be integrated into our overall work toward sustainable, inclusive development.

Among the key observations and lessons that I gathered from the Assembly include the following:

• There is a growing level of governmental restriction in some countries which tends to reduce the functionality of NGOs. Cambodia was cited as an example of such countries. Following from this CIVICUS has launched a Crisis Response Fund.
• There is the need to bridge the gap between formal and informal civil society organizations or actions. Formal organizations need to connect with the informal ones for effective impact.
• In a workshop on the post 2015 development goals agenda, most delegates felt that the current Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are not likely to be achieved and mentioned the need for future development goals to be developed from a rights based approach with social inclusion to ensure that vulnerable groups like people with disability and women are considered as key partners in the realization of a post 2015 agenda. Other emerging realities like migration and how diaspora communities and remittances can be considered as alternative means of financing development interventions were mentioned. One person in our group suggested that the name of any future global development goals should be “Universal Development Goals” for enhanced accountability.I found this workshop interesting and could not agree more with Kumi Naidoo of Greenpeace when he said that Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the world are likely to benefit much more from a post MDGs agenda because while the CSOs were not organized in making proposals prior to the 2000 MDGs, CSOs are organizing themselves better now for a post 2015 world.
• Technology and social media were found as meaningful ways non-profit organizations can work with online volunteers and enhance solidarity among civil society organizations for effective impact.

Have you ever been a virtual volunteer? What is your take on virtual volunteering vis-à-vis on-site volunteering? What do you think about the current MDGs? Do we need a new global development framework after 2015? How would you like a post 2015 international development agenda to look like in terms of content and strategy?

Moments in a Journey