JCI-UN Summit discusses common goals

Junior Chamber International (JCI), a worldwide network of young leaders and entrepreneurs, opened its two-day 2004 JCI-UN Leadership Summit at the United Nations in New York last Friday week.

Over a hundred delegates representing 51 countries travelled from all over the world to learn more about the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to find out how they can conduct local projects that will deliver results in their own communities.

As an organisation, JCI consists of some 200,000 active members operating in 6,000 communities in more than a hundred countries. JCI is a worldwide network of young leaders and entrepreneurs, which seeks to create better societies by developing intercultural leaders.

JCI does this by providing the environment for young people to meet, learn and grow. Junior Chamber Malta (JCM) is affiliated to JCI.

Commenting on the significance of the event, JCI president Fernando Sanchez-Arias said: "This leadership summit provides the opportunity for JCI members, as tomorrow's leaders, to demonstrate our practical support to the UN and society in general in the achievement of the MDGs.

"Through these efforts, we are also showing how JCI operates worldwide to create better societies by creating better intercultural leaders." Mr Sanchez-Arias recently visited Malta on behalf of JCI.

The 2004 JCI-UN leadership summit has a number of key aims, including continuing to strengthen the relationships between JCI and the UN by presenting the UN with the best JCI projects related to the MDGs and carried out at national and local levels.

Among the key UN officials who spoke at the summit was Gillian Martin Sorensen, UN Foundation senior adviser, who encouraged JCI members to look to the future to continue serving their communities and countries as political leaders.

JCI has, over many years, produced leaders who have gone on to serve their own countries at national and international levels. Examples of famous past JCI members include UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan; Japan Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi; Denmark Prime Minister Fogh Rasmussen; former US President Bill Clinton and former German President Walter Scheel.

Mr Sanchez-Arias concluded: "With progress on the MDGs being formally reviewed by the UN and member governments in September 2005, it is important for JCI, representing tomorrow's leaders, to increase our efforts, and encourage others to do so also, to develop projects in local communities and help achieve results in the MDGs.

"This is a challenge we relish, accept, and will pass on."

For more information on JCI, visit www.jci.cc.