February  06,  2014    

Dear  all,      In  this  newsletter,  the  Executive  Board  would  like  to  share  with  you  what  has  been  going  on  over  the  last  two  months,  since  the  Board  was  elected.  As  stated  in  the  official  Board  Update  on  January  14th,  our  first  meeting  has  taken  place  on  the  16th  of  January.  We  then  spoke  about  the  country  updates,  from  all  the  Chapters  we  have  spoken  to,  and  we  would  like  to  thank  you  all  for  your  cooperation!  We  also  spoke  about  the  international  calendar,  upcoming  events,  new  Chapters  being  built,  cooperation  with  the  ATA,  the  usage  of  social  media,  the  website  and  the  creative  new  initiatives  to  strengthen  the  YATA  network  brought  forward  by  specific  Chapters.      We  are  building  a  database  with  all  the  information  from  the  Chapters,  and  have  an  up  to  date  contact  sheet  with  all  the  addresses  and  websites  handed  to  us.  If  you  ever  need  any  information  on  a  Chapter  or  a  specific  contact  person,  please  let  us  know.  Unfortunately,  we  are  still  waiting  for  the  website  to  go  live,  there  are  some  issues  remaining  with  the  IT  company.  We  hope  that  these  issues  will  be  resolved  swiftly,  in  order  for  us  to  bring  our  website  live  again  this  month,  with  our  new  design.  Ilija  Djugumanov  will  be  in  charge  of  the  content  of  this  site.  If  you  have  any  update,  article  or  activity  you  wish  to  share  on  the  website  as  of  next  month,  please  contact  him.  For  Facebook  posts,  you  can  contact  Francisco  Costa.      All  the  important  messages  will  be  communicated  to  you  over  the  next  couple  of  pages  within  this  newsletter,  but  one  thing  I  would  like  to  highlight  here  in  the  introduction  still:  we  spoke  during  the  General  Assembly  in  December  on  organizing  a  half  year  meeting  for  YATA  members,  to  meet  once  again  and  talk  about  progress.  I  am  happy  to  announce  that  this  event  will  take  place  during  the  2BS  Forum,  in  Montenegro,  29-­‐31  May  2014.  Miss  Bojana  Antunovic,  project  coordinator  for  the  Forum,  has  been  so  kind  as  to  give  us  conference  rooms  for  our  separate  meetings  on  the  29th  of  May.  We  can  then  discuss  all  the  updates  within  the  YATA  network,  and  do  workshops  and  discussion  sessions  to  strengthen  our  Chapter  cooperation.  On  the  30th  and  31st  of  May,  the  present  YATA  delegates  will  join  the  2BS  Forum  program.  I  have  asked  all  the  Board  members  to  reach  out  to  their  contact  Chapters,  to  ask  if  they  will  be  able  to  send  someone  (travel  expenses  will  not  be  covered  –  accommodation  is  available  for  a  specific  number  of  YATA  delegates)  and  how  many  people  will  come.  We  hope  to  see  many  YATA  Chapters  present,  to  facilitate  a  great  and  functioning  half  year  meeting.      For  now,  I  wish  you  all  the  best  in  your  endeavors  for  YATA,  and  look  forward  to  seeing  you  all  again  soon,        Rowinda  Appelman  –  YATA  President      

Youth  Atlantic  Treaty  Association  Newsletter  2014-­‐1  

 1. General  Assembly    -­‐  09/11  December  

 The  18th  General  Assembly  that  was  held  between  the  9th  -­‐  11th  of  December  in  Brussels,  during  the  NATO  Post  2014  Conference,  brought  to  the  YATA  network  a  new  Executive  Board  after  the  resignation  of  the  former  President.  The  timetable  for  YATA  participants  was  divided   into   two  parts.  The  First  part,  was   the   formerly  mentioned  YATA  General  Assembly  that  also  had  the  mission  of  electing  the  new  Executive  Board  and  also  a  YATA  held  activity  about   the  youth  unemployment  and   the  economic  difficulties   that  has  hit  the   young   the   most.   The   Panel   was   produced   together   with   two   youth   targeting  organizations   –   Think   Young   and   the   European   Youth   Forum   and   presented   different  barriers  that  the  young  professionals  of  Europe  are  facing.    

   

                 

 2. YATA  Macedonia  Event  -­‐    18/21  December    

NATO  Partnership  Policies  –  Addressing  Insecurities  and  Creating  Security    

       

Looking  back  at  previous  YATA  events  of  2013  

 

The  new  Executive  Board  was  unanimously  elected  by   the   Assembly   with   the   President   Rowinda  Appelman   of   YATA   Netherlands.   After   the  conclusion  of  the  YATA  General  Assembly,  that  has  proven   to  us   that   the  youth  section  can  effectively  hold   panels   and   produce   information   that   effects  the   YATA  network,   the   attendees   of   the  Assembly  joined   the   NATO   Post   2014   conference   that   was  held   by   the   ATA   mostly   in   the   World   Trade  Organization.   Several   high   level   diplomats   and  professionals   have   talked   about   the   future  relationship   within   NATO   and   the   relationship  between  the  EU,  NATO  and  the  US.  The  end  note  of  the  conference  is  that  in  order  to  survive  and  have  effective   power   projection   the   relationship  between   these   three   organizations   and   countries  will   have   to   start   working   together   better   and  reestablish   the   transatlantic   link.   The   panelists  were   looking   forward   to   the   Wales   Summit   that  will  show  us  how  this  relationship  will  be  evolving.      

 

The   Euro   –   Atlantic   Council   of   Macedonia   and   YATA  Macedonia  organized  the  event  “NATO  PARTNERSHIP  POLICY  –  ADDRESSING  INSECURITIES  AND  CREATING  SECURITY”  for  young   leaders   and   professionals   from   the   18th   to   the   21st   of  December.  The  event  was  held  in  Berovo,    within  the  Republic  of  Macedonia   and   the   focus  of   this  project  was   the   future  of  the   NATO   Partnerships,   with   a   special   emphasis   on  Operational   commitments,   milestone   contributions   and   the  political   significance   of   NATO   Partners   in   international  relations.   Further   information   about   this   event,   the  simulations   and   the   outcomes   can   be   found   through   the  following.link:  http://issuu.com/djugumanov/docs/berovo_brosura_finalna      

 1. Round  the  NATO-­‐EU  Roundtable  discussion  in  Estonia,  04-­‐06  April  2014    

 The  event  will  provide  the  perfect  opportunity  to  discuss  NATO  &  the  EU  within  an  international  environment.  The  official  deadline  for  participants  to  enlist  has  been  closed.  We  are  happy  to  see  so  many  YATA  representatives  from  different  Chapters  join!  For  further  information  or  questions  on  the  event,  don’t  hesitate  to  contact  the  Estonian  Atlantic  Treaty  Association  at:  info@eata.ee  or  +372  6840  681.    2.      Model  NATO  Youth  Summit  –  The  Youth  Mediterranean  Dialogue,  07-­‐12  April  

2014    The  Dialogue  is  a  forum  of  cooperation  between  NATO  and  seven  countries  of  the  Mediterranean:  Algeria,  Egypt,  Israel,  Jordan,  Mauritania,  Morocco  and  Tunisia.  Focused  on  this  initiative,  and  celebrating  its  20th  anniversary,  the  Spanish  YATA  Chapter  COAJE  strongly  believes  that  it  is  time  to  call  the  new  generations  to  take  their  seats  at  the  Youth  Mediterranean  Dialogue.  This  program  seeks  to  give  information  and  education  about  the  North  Atlantic  Treaty  Organization,  its  history,  its  values,  its  principles,  its  tasks  and  its  decision  making  process  through  an  intensive  and  comprehensive  academic  program,  but  mainly,  it  aims  to  raise  awareness  on  the  major  political  and  security  issues  that  our  world  faces  today,  demonstrate  the  need  of  working  together  as  one,  and  finally,  determine  the  young  generation  to  get  involved  in  finding  solutions  for  building  peace  and  stability.      FORMAT      A.  Academic  conferences  chaired  by  professors,  officials  and  politicians:  educational    sessions  in  which  experts  responsible  of  relevant  international  topics  will  train  and    stimulate  participants.      B.  Committee  debate:  simulation  of  the  decision  making  process  of  NATO  in  which    delegates  must  defend  the  interests  of  a  country  in  a  Committee  presided  over  by    two  chairpersons.  There  will  be  three  committees  in  which  different  topics  will  be    discussed.      a.  NAC  (North  Atlantic  Council)    i.  NATO’s  Narrative  for  the  Post-­‐2014  Era    ii.  The  Action  Plan  Against  Terrorism  (PAP-­‐T)      b.  Political  and  Partnership  Committee    i.  Enlargement  of  the  Alliance  and  Evolution  of  Partnerships    ii.  Capabilities  Gap  and  defense  budget  difficulties      c.  Security  Committee    i.  Syria,  a  conflict  that  may  threaten  global  stability  in  2014    ii.  The  instability  of  the  Sahel  and  Northern  Nigeria      

Upcoming  YATA  events:  highlighted  

C.  Excursions:  we  will  be  organizing  excursions  to  public  institutions,  military    bases,  and  other  public  places  of  interest.      PARTICIPANTS    This  program  is  designed  for  beginners  with  strong  interest  in  diplomacy  and    international  relations.  Citizens  of  a  NATO  member  states,  partner  countries,  as  well  as  members  of  the  Mediterranean  Dialogue,  ages  ranging  from  17  to  22  years  old  are  eligible  to  apply  for  this  program.  Furthermore,  there  will  be  a  selection  process  that  will  choose  the  100  most  capable  candidates.  After  accepted,  the  student  will  be  required  to  pay  an  academic  participation  fee.      OFFICIAL  LANGUAGE  OF  THIS  PROGRAM    English.  The  debates  will  be  entirely  in  English.  The  organization  will  address  all  delegates  in  English.    Further  information  on  the  application  process  will  be  provided  on  the  YATA  Facebook  page  soon,  or  can  be  received  by  contacting  the  COAJE  through  the  following  contact  options:  Consejo Atlántico Juvenil Español - Twitter: @coajesp - Email: secretariat@coaje.es

3. Norsec,  24  -­‐27  April  2014      This  annual  event  will  once  again  be  hosted  by  the  Norwegian  Army  Military  Academy,  providing  participants  with  accommodation  and  meals  throughout  the  program.  Participants  will  arrive  on  the  night  of  the  24th,  and  will  depart  on  Sunday  the  27th  of  April.  Transportation  costs  will  be  covered  up  to  150  euros,  on  a  case  by  case  basis.  The  registration  process  will  open  up  most  likely  on  the  14th  of  February.  Further  information  will  be  provided  on  the  YATA  Facebook  webpage  soon.      

4. 2BS  Forum  Montenegro  -­‐  YATA  half  year  meeting,  29  –  31  May  2014    

As  stated  in  the  introduction  to  this  newsletter,  the  half  year  meeting  for  this  year  will  be  organized  during  the  2BS  Forum  in  Montenegro.  The  event  will  take  place  on  the  30th  and  31st  of  May,  but  YATA  representatives  will  have  their  own  day  on  the  29th  of  May,  to  discuss  current  issues  within  the  network,  and  Chapter  and  cooperation  updates.  Please  let  your  Executive  Board  contact  person  know  how  many  representatives  your  Chapter  would  like  to  send,  and  the  Board  will  be  in  contact  with  Miss  Bojana  Antunovic  about  the  accommodation  places.  Transportation  costs  will  not  be  reimbursed.      For  further  information  on  the  event,  visit  www.2bs.me.                      

 We  hereby  present  you  with  an  overview  of  the  upcoming  international  events.  We  will  update  this  calendar  whenever  we  receive  new  information,  and  actively  ask  the  organizers  of  the  events  to  keep  us  updated  whenever  new  information  or  date  changes  arise.  We  will  also  post  the  announcement  whenever  registration  opens  up  for  one  of  the  mentioned  events.  Please  contact  the  YATA  Chapters  of  the  specific  countries  for  any  further  information  on  the  events.      Date   Event   Country    4  –  6  April   NATO  –  EU  Roundtable   Estonia  7  –  12  April   Model  NATO  Youth  Summit   Spain  24  –  27  April   Norsec   Norway  12  –  16  May   GYM-­‐NATO   Italy    14  –  16  May   Globesec  (25-­‐35  year  olds)   Slovakia  29  –  31  May   2BS   Forum   /   YATA  half   year  

meeting  Montenegro  

Mid  June   Croatia  NATO  Summerschool     Croatia  30  June  –  6  July   DAYS   Denmark  Last  week  of  July   PAYS   Portugal  4  –  5  September   NATO  Summit   Wales,  UK  Beginning  of  September   Riga  Conference   Latvia  September   Balkan  SAYS   Slovenia  November   NATO   Parliamentary   Assem-­‐

bly  with  YATA  involvement  Netherlands  

November  /  December   General  Assembly     -­‐  unknown  -­‐          NB:    The  Parliamentary  Assembly  Session  in  the  Netherlands  will  be  attended  by  the  Members  of  Parliament  from  the  36  countries  involved  within  NATO.  YATA  President  Rowinda  Appelman  is  now  in  a  far  stage  of  negotiations  to  provide  access  to  this  event  for  YATA  representatives.  Further  information  will  be  provided  on  this  event  in  the  upcoming  months.      

 If  you  need  a  letter  of  recognition,  to  show  that  your  YATA  Chapter  is  the  official  YATA  organ  within  your  country,  please  let  us  know.  The  ATA  Secretariat  and  YATA  President  Rowinda  Appelman  will  then  help  you  receive  one  of  these  letters,  to  use  when  you  contact  government  agencies  and  other  institutions.  Please  keep  in  mind  that  it  might  take  1  day  to  conduct  and  send  this  letter,  so  please  do  not  send  requests  last  minute.          

Upcoming  YATA  events:  international  calendar  

Letter  of  Recognition:  official  YATA  Chapter    

 In  December,  YATA  Hungary  sent  out  word  to  other  Chapters  and  the  Executive  Board  about  a  new  proposal  they  had  come  up  with:  YATA  Multilateral  Briefs  (MBs).    The  series  will  serve  as  a  tool  for  the  thematic  and  regular  exchange  of  ideas  and  experience  among  YATA  Chapters,  without  putting  much  strain  on  any  team,  and  still  providing  thought  provoking  ideas  for  discussion  that  can  be  carried  on  via  existing  online  forums.    Any  given  issue  of  the  YATA  MBs  would  compromise  of  5  questions  on  current  and  relevant  issues,  which  will  be  answered  with  a  short  a  precise  answer  by  5  YATA  members  from  different  Chapters.      The  Executive  Board  has  discussed  this  proposal  with  YATA  Hungary  over  the  last  month,  and  has  taken  into  consideration  the  feedback  from  other  Chapters  on  the  document,  which  was  sent  via  email.  The  Board  thanks  YATA  Hungary  for  taking  the  initiative  to  further  communication  between  the  different  YATA  Chapters,  and  supports  the  proposal,  knowing  that  YATA  members  will  speak  on  personal  behalf,  not  representing  the  views  of  their  YATA  Chapter  or  government.      YATA  Hungary  will  now  proceed  with  setting  up  the  first  MB,  and  will  reach  out  to  5  YATA  members  to  answer  the  discussion  topics.  The  Board  kindly  asks  you  all  to  cooperate  in  this  great  initiative.  For  further  questions,  please  contact  Tamas  Csiki.        

 As  discussed  during  the  General  Assembly,  there  is  a  strong  need  to  stronger  incorporate  our  YATA  Chapters  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  within  our  YATA  network.  The  Executive  Board  has  therefore  started  a  North-­‐American  Action  Group,  to  help  facilitate  this  process.  Under  the  lead  of  Executive  Vice-­‐President  Daniel  Fazlic,  a  group  of  selected  young  representatives  will  look  into  the  issues  at  hand,  and  how  to  strengthen  the  Chapters  within  the  North-­‐Atlantic  region.  The  ATA  Secretariat  and  the  Executive  Board  applaud  this  development,  and  will  happily  report  on  progress  with  this  project  throughout  the  following  months.      

 

Introduction  of  YATA  Multilateral  Briefs,  initiated  by  YATA  Hungary  

Introduction  of  the  North-­‐American  Action  Group    

Contact  person  per  Chapter:      

1. Rowinda  Appelman:  UK,  Belgium,  Finland,  Spain,  Armenia,  Austria  2. Daniel  Fazlic:    Portugal,  Canada,  USA,  Iceland,  Lithuania,  Turkey    3. Juxhina  Sotiri:  Georgia,  Slovenia,  Denmark,  Bulgaria,  Poland,  Russia    4. Francisco  Costa:  Greece,  Italy,  Albania,  Urkaine,  Germany,  Romania  5. Vladan  Balaban:  Macedonia,  Croatia,  Norway,  Estonia,  Slovakia,  Hungary  6. Ilija  Djugumanov:  Montenegro,  Serbia,  Latvia,  Azerbeidjan,  Netherlands,  Czech  

Republic,  Bosnia    

1. Funding  

 The  Board  would  like  all  Chapter  to  know  that  NATO  PDD  has  another  deadline  coming  up  for  project  funding  in  March.  Further  information  can  be  found  through  the  following  link:           http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/87998.htm    The  deadline  is  part  of  NATO’s  Science  for  Peace  and  Security  program.  Deadlines  for  grant  applications  in  2014  are  1  March,  1  July  and  1  October.  Applicants  should  keep  in  mind  that  it  can  take  up  to  9  months  before  they  receive  a  final  offer.  For  further  information  on  a  quicker  process,  NATO  PDD  can  be  contacted  directly,  for  special  projects  involving  the  youth.      As  of  the  next  newsletter,  the  Executive  Board  will  provide  an  overview  of  internships    and  traineeships  for  every  period.  These  positions  will  be  relevant  for  YATA  delegates,  and  touch  upon  Security,  NATO,  International  Relations,  the  European  Union  and  Political  Science.  If  you  come  across  any  interesting  position,  please  inform  the  Executive  Board.      

2. Publications    The  December  Edition  of  Atlantic  Voices,  called  “Lebanon  in  the  Middle  East:  The  Struggle  for  Democracy  and  Human  Rights”    can  be  found  through  the  following  link:      http://issuu.com/atlantic_treaty_association/docs/vol._3__no._12__december_2013_    Please  keep  in  mind  that  Atlantic  Voices  is  always  seeking  new  material.  If  you  are  a  young  researcher,  subject  expert  or  professional  and  feel  you  have  a  valuable  contribution  to  make  to  the  debate,  please  get  in  touch  with  the  Executive  Board.          A  new  issue  of  the  SEE  Review  will  be  released  this  upcoming  month  as  well.  The  issue  will  be  published  on  our  YATA  Facebook  page.        

Further  Information:  funding  and  publications