Key 2003/2004 - AEGEE Europe

The story of a PresidencyRob TeshEurope and the IntifadaGroningen, 7 May 2003An interview with Diana Filip, former President ofAEGEE-Europe, on NGOs and society.What is the point of organizations like AEGEE?oung people acting through NGOs are a voice for civilYsociety. NGOs like ours are a platform for young peopleto discuss and articulate common visions of our world and itsfuture. And as we interact with the people in charge of ourworld and our future, we can make a real difference.As globalisation continues to present new challenges fordemocracy, it is increasingly clear that NGOs have a vitalrole to play. Globalization has createdinternational issues that weaddress and international communitiesof interest that we represent.National governments cannot doeither task as effectively or as legitimately.In the globalizing world ofthe twenty-first century, NGOs willhave a growing international calling.But if our vision is a blueprint forsociety, it will be us who make itreal. Many of us will take up realleadership positions in public service,in civil society and in the privatesector. In the words of Kofi Annan,"we need, more than ever before,dedicated and talented individualsto enter public service. More thanNon-GovernmentalOrganisations, or NGOs, areprimarily a modern phenomenon.With the extension of citizenshiprights in Europe andthe Americas in the eighteenthand nineteenth centuries,people foundedincreasing numbers of theseorganizations, as instrumentsto meet community needs,defend interests or promotenew policies.ever before, we need young people to make the choice ofservice to humankind." NGOs have a very important role infinding and forming this people.We lobby a number of high-powered organisations:the European Commission; the World Bank; the UN.Do they really listen to us?f we have something to say, if we bring them somethingInew, if we speak for civil society, then I would say they dolisten to us. But this of course depends absolutely on us, theway we approach them and the way we present our ideas.Many NGOs are approaching these institutions with very outdatedor unfocused information, and then of course the levelof listening is very low.In order to make ourselves heard we have to know how tolobby, when to lobby and with what. What works in one placeor in a particular set of circumstances will not work in another,and you can sometimes lose an opportunity because youhave used the wrong strategy. Lobbying high-poweredorganisations is very different to grassroots activism, andusually you have to lobby at many different levels in orderto get results. Lobbying at this level is an exercise in diplomacy,and our diplomacy depends only on us.Tell us something about the conference you organizedon Cyprus. What kind of difficulties did you face?n 12 September 2003, AEGEE-Europe organised theOconference "Cyprus in Europe - Europe in Cyprus" in theBuffer Zone in Nicosia, the last divided capital in the world.The conference gave young people from both Cypriot communities,as well as other European students, the opportunityto engage in an open dialogue about the situation on theisland. Discussions on the current situation in Cyprus as wellas on its future were conducted with input from speakersworking in Cyprus.Being such a delicate topic, it was very difficult to managethis, and there were many obstacles throughout the preparationof the conference. For example, at the very lastminute, due to "political implicationsof the event" some speakerscancelled their participation, andsome of our main partners droppedout as well. This included the withdrawalof a substantial grant wehad been promised by one majorinstitution. It was quite amazing tosee what happened with this grant:one moment we had it, then wedidn't! Two days before the conferencethey called us to sign the contract,then on the dayof the event they toldus we couldn't have it any more. Similarly, oneother organisation, which had supported us fromthe beginning with rooms for the conference,"changed their mind," so that on this same lastday we had to find another location.Did the pressure ever get too extreme?How did you deal with it?f course there were a lot of extreme situa-and the most important point is to beOtionscalm and work rationally. I remember the daysand nights of discussions and strategy meetings,the phone calls ringing from Cyprus, the pressurethat was put on us to take one decision oranother. It is more easy to speak than to actindeed, but in my case I was very lucky. I had ateam who supported me from beginning to end and kept myspirits up. I will never forget one particular occasion. I hada very difficult moment when one Government put a lot ofpressure on us; I did not know how we would cope, how tocontinue... the others saw me looking very sad and theybought me a very nice present and Turkish delights to keepme going.I would like to thank to my friends from the CD for the greatcooperation we had, and to all those believed in our ideasand supported us all the way: Les Anciens of AEGEE Europe,especially Peter Ginser, Paolo Balistieri, and MarkusSchonherr; Koen Berden and Calin Haiduc; AEGEE Magusa;the Network Commission; and all those who attended theevent.In the end, what difference do you think it made?he conference brought together youth from both CypriotTcommunities alongside other young Europeans. This wasthe difference! I think that the people who attended the conferencehave a better and clearer picture of the situation inCyprus. They managed to see and meet people from bothcommunities, to talk with them and to understand theirpoint of view.AEGEE is a living example of overcoming prejudices and acting.It is in the power of the people to change the future ofthe island. If people see the perspective of the others, andnot only the justice and injustice on their own side, thenCyprus can find a solution and look to the future. The opportunitypresents itself before the accession of Cyprus to theEuropean Union on 1 May 2004. If we wish for it and workfor it, a reunited Cyprus can join the Union. Together, butonly together, we can make the difference.he Middle East has been in the spotlight the last fewTyears, and not only due to the war in Iraq, but also dueto the ongoing conflict between Israel and the PalestinianAuthority. Violence is still happening daily, and since thebeginning of the Second Intifada and the election of Sharon,stable peace seems to be impossible to accomplish.At the beginning of the conflict Europe played a significantrole, mainly due to the holocaust and the English mandate,but has kept itself relatively silent afterwards. What shouldits role be in the future? During the discussion, led by Mr.Bosscher, former Rector of the University of Groningen andprofessor in Contemporary History, three questions wereposed:- Is Europe strong enough to play the role of mediator inthe conflict, or is it too divided itself? Does Europe havethe obligation to play an active role?- What are the means the European Union could use toimprove the situation in the Middle East?- To what extent should the European Union cooperate withthe United States?Among the speakers there were the Secretary General of theInterchurch Peace Council of the Netherlands, a Middle Eastreporter from a national newspaper and a professor in thefield of politics. After each panel discussion the audience wasable to ask questions leading to heated discussions, whichbrought about excellent results.IPWG goes Den Haaghis is the name of the international event that theTInternational Politics Working Group of AEGEE-Europe(IPWG) organised for the third time in March 2003. In cooperationwith AEGEE-Leiden, a challenging programme wasprepared, dealing with the establishment and work of internationalinstitutions in one of the most important capitals ofinternational diplomatic, political and legal affairs - DenHaag.After the event’s opening session on 15 March and a citytour of Leiden on Sunday 16 March, Mr. Jürgen Kappenmann(international lawyer at Konstanz University, IPWGKonstanz) gave a lecture on international law and justice,including an introduction to the Milosevic trial. This was aperfect preparation for one of the highlights of the event:attending one of the sessions of the trial against Mr.Milosevic, held in front of the International Criminal Tribunalfor the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).At the ICTY, the participants had also an opportunity to meetMr. Stefan Wäspi, Associate Legal Officer at the Office of theProsecutor Carla del Ponte. The day continued with guidedtours of the International Court of Justice, the Peace Palaceand the city of Den Haag, and ended with discussions of thelooming war in Iraq.On Tuesday, 18 March, the group were among the first visitorsever to meet the representatives of the newly establishedInternational Criminal Court, and visited the DutchParliament at the Binnenhof. After a concluding review of theevent, the participants were ready for the legendary"European Night" in Leiden.Peopleof the PresentBurcu Becermen is a 23-years-old active member ofAEGEE-Ankara. For morethan 2 years she's been nowworking as a manager of thevery challenging Turkish-Greek Civic Dialogue Project.She was also one of the coordinatorsof the FALL AGORA2001 in Ankara.You have been a manager of a very successful, yetdemanding and time consuming project, how did youmanage to keep your motivation and optimism?This is the question which I still fail to answer properly.Even today, when I have a flashback of the lasttwo years, I can see that this project dominated mylife as the prior agenda with its merits and perils.There have been times when I could feel that I reallyHIT THE BOOM, feeling that I try in vain. But once Ihave seen the amazement in the eyes of project participantsI thought I would not be able to attain thesame level of happiness and satisfaction in the rest ofmy life. The answer may be my idealism, satisfaction,precious friends. But the thing is my faith in the projectobjectives. I was excited organising other types ofevents as well, but this project means something sublimefor me, more than just an organization.Do you think that AEGEE has the power to changelives?I strongly believe that AEGEE has the power tochange lives, as long as you know how to employ itand benefit from it sincerely and wisely. To be honest,before I met AEGEE world, I was conflicting withmany cliches, which I considered quite empty andunrealistic. But it was the experience I gained inAEGEE that made me believe some of them makesense. In the festival, you should have seen all theGreeks, who immigrated from Kayakoy-Levissi yearsago and visiting the village for the first time and thevillagers witnessing youngsters of both communitiesperforming a quite modern concept for the village,let’s say dance theater... and the unlikely combinationsof magical conversations between all of thesepeople. AEGEE did change my life! As well as the livesof those people.How do you see your future in AEGEE?I am in my fourth year in AEGEE and once this verysuccessful yet time consuming and demanding projectofficially ends within this year, I will take a deepbreath first and a go for a crazy party; and then domy best to transfer my knowledge and experience toAEGEE friends, no matter where I am and what I amdoing.What AEGEE means to me Focus on training Fields of action What is AEGEE? Introduction32 Key to Europe 2003/2004Key to Europe 2003/200433