Footprints

Introduction

In a democracy, the Parliament is the highest organ which represents the citizens. As such representatives, parliamentarians have a major responsibility as global citizens. In the YES 2010 Parliament, you have the chance to show how sensible young Europeans can deal with this responsibility.

Your Role in the YES Parliament

As a YES 2010 participant, you will be a parliamentarian. The YES Parliament has a budget of 10 billion Euros to spend on sustainable development aid. How the money is spent most reasonably is up to you and your fellow parliamentarians. The Parliament consists of five different factions. Each faction has its own opinion on how development aid can be most sustainable and effective.

Is fighting climate change more important than enabling universal access to education? Do you prefer spending money on enabling access to indispensable medicine for everyone over enforcing human rights? Or do you think that only the opening of global markets can allow less developed countries to develop in a sustainable way? In the YES Parliament, you have the opportunity to speak out on such crucial questions.

Prior to the YES, you sign up for one of the factions. At the YES, you will work out a speech together with other parliamentarians who also consider your faction’s request as most important. You will have the chance to experience new points of view, to convince others of your ideas, and to critically reflect on your own opinion. Having listened to all the speeches, your faction will decide how much money of its budget it will spend on the different requests. In the end, you will take responsibility: You will either accept the common Parliament proposal or you will reject it – a decision which affects millions of people all over the world. Leave your footprint at the YES!

The Five Factions and Their Requests

Faction 1 – Law and Order Faction

This faction considers political stability in less developed countries to be highly important. It is convinced that only a state with an efficient government can provide the required fundament for sustainable development. This is why the ‘Law and Order Faction’ seeks to strengthen the fight against corruption, implement human rights, and stabilise the government – among other concerns.

If you consider these concerns to be the most important then sign up for the ‘Law and Order Faction’.

Faction 2 – Equality Faction

This faction considers an equal distribution of resources and an equal treatment of people to be highly important. It holds that the most important task with respect to sustainable development is to equalize inequalities. This is why the ‘Equality Faction’ wants to guarantee access to education for everyone, strengthen the equality between men and women, and intensify the repartition of wealth – among other concerns.

If you consider these concerns to be the most important then sign up for the ‘Equality Faction’.

Faction 3 – Environment Faction

This faction considers setting respectful limits to human demand on the environment to be highly important. It assumes that the most important task for sustainable development is to reconcile human requirements with environmental needs. This is why the ‘Environment Faction’ wants to support energy efficiency measures, reduce climate change and implement legally binding principles on sustainable development in the national policy programs – among other concerns.

If you consider these concerns to be the most important then sign up for the ‘Environment Faction’.

Faction 4 – Health Faction

This faction considers the well-being of the citizens to be highly important. It is convinced that the most important task regarding sustainable development is to have a healthy population which is able to work. This is why the ‘Health Faction’ wants to build accessible health care systems, fight HIV/AIDS as well as Malaria, and guarantee access to indispensable medicine – among other concerns.

If you consider these concerns to be most important then sign up for the ‘Health Faction’.

Faction 5 – Economic Policies Faction

This faction considers the possibility of self-generated wealth to be highly important. It feels confident that the most important requirement for sustainable development is to guarantee to all less developed countries access to the international trade and finance system. This is why the ‘Economic Policies Faction’ wants to strengthen an open, non-discriminating, predictable trade and finance system, developing the microfinance system, and fighting against emigration of well-educated people from less developed countries – among other concerns.

If you consider these concerns to be most important then sign up for the ‘Economic Policies Faction’.

Best regards,

Ramon Setz
Parliament Coordinator