International

Belarus

 

Free Burma

 

Justice for Palestine

 

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Why we are involved in International Politics?

August 21, 2005- A six year old boy is killed in Seeniya, Iraq by a Katyusha rocket in front of his family in his home. September 12, 2005- Civilians were caught in between the crossfire of the Janjawid militia and rebel groups in Darfur, killing ten, adding to the estimated four hundred thousand casualties since the Sudanese crisis began two years ago. Meanwhile Sorin, a 15 year old boy in Romania, is fighting for survival along with nearly 10,000 other children in his country infected with AIDS but too poor to pay for medications.

This is the grim reality of today's world. These are the obstacles that we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to, but are nearly powerless to overcome as individuals. Where many single bodies acting alone may fail, different groups with the strength of common purpose can succeed. It is for this purpose the Labour Youth is an active member of the European Community Organization of Socialist Youth (ECOSY) and the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY).

Our members work in these organisations to promote mutual understanding and solidarity, as well as responding to a variety of international and national issues. As Labour Youth's current International Officer,Victor Duggan serves not only as a representative to ECOSY and IUSY, but as a liaison between them as well.

ECOSY gathers Socialist youth movements throughout the European Union, Mediterranean, and Central and Eastern Europe, to promote the values of democratic socialism and provide a progressive response to the world's challenges. They aim to do this by promoting the emergence of a common identity in the hopes of achieving mutual understanding.

IUSY is made up of 143 socialist, social democratic, and labour youth organisations from 100 countries all over the world. Their goal is to put into practice and defend the ideals of democratic socialism, by promoting freedom, human rights, equality, and political solutions to problems.

Labour Youth's International Officer is in a position to communicate with ECOSY and IUSY through debates, and voice the collective opinion of Labour Youth on international issues. He or she is also in a position to develop awareness of international affairs throughout Labour Youth, as well as inform other organizations in ECOSY or IUSY of Labour Youth movements like the campaign to boycott Coca-Cola.

While working with international organizations ECOSY and IUSY, Labour Youth can help make decisions that have an impact at home as well as abroad. Labour Youth has been involved in movements to end poverty worldwide, by campaigning for the Irish government's honoring of its .7% commitment to the U.N. In addition to advocating for the fulfillment of obligations as stated by the Millennium Development Goals, Labour Youth finds priority in fighting for an end to the occupation of Iraq, as well as an end to the use of Shannon Airport by US troops.

Through our interaction with ECOSY and IUSY, Labour Youth seeks to create a more equal and secure international environment, and hopes to strengthen their ability to develop productive policies at home and abroad.