Speech by Deputy Secretary General (Corporate) Tania Baumann at the ​​Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF): Closing Ceremony

Congratulations to everyone on a hugely successful Commonwealth Youth Forum.  

It has been an absolute pleasure to be with you, and to experience the energy, insight, and leadership you bring to the complex and converging issues facing our world today.  Over the past few days, young people from across our 56 member countries have brought their ideas and experiences to the table. 

You have raised your voices and spoken powerfully on behalf of young people. Together, you have developed a powerful set of recommendations that speak directly to the Commonwealth’s future. 

I want to reflect on something that is a thread resonating across this Forum and that of the Women’s Forum that I also attended, and arising from a point that was made to me about the potential silo’ed approach of running various forums side by side despite the obvious nexus and potential for taking systemic approaches to dialogue. 

Occasionally I sense that the way in which those who hold the power need to be urged to give young people a say in decisions. As if you need permission.  And that it is their right to give or withhold that opportunity.  

Let me say this – you have the right – you do not need to ask permission. This speaks to your ask to really influence decision-making not just participate in dialogue.    

And be in no doubt: your recommendations have and will be heard. Your call for investment in skills goes to the heart of economic opportunity. 

The voice of young people in decisions is vital to the future of democracy and our response to environmental change. 

• You’ve asked Governments and partners to be transparent and accountable about how we use the ideas you share and develop delivery plans to respond directly to the recommendations you make. 
• You’ve asked for coordinated actions from Government, online platforms and civil society to keep young people safe online and off and provide access to mental health services.  
• You’ve asked for greater accountability through annual reporting on common targets for indicators like youth employment, decent work and reducing numbers of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET).  
• You’ve asked for paid apprenticeships and work-based learning, financing for youth enterprises and social protection for informal and platform workers. 
• You’ve asked for increased investment in youth-led and and local climate adaptation initiatives, including through grant support for young people in vulnerable states.  
• And you’ve asked for help to build digital and AI skills which can be applied across sectors, including in addressing environmental issues. 

These priorities really highlight the criticality of how our countries, societies and economies address the converging challenges facing us. Making progress on them will take more than words. It requires action on resources, investment, and opportunity.  Your outcome document will ensure that Heads of Government know what young people across the Commonwealth want, and it will be central to CHOGM follow-up.   

 The Commonwealth will also carry your recommendations into our own work. For more than 50 years, the Commonwealth Youth Programme has worked with young people, adapting as their needs and circumstances have changed. Empowering young people is a key part of democratic governance and economic opportunity. 

It is crucial to decisions about digital change and climate resilience. Your recommendations will help us make that a reality. 

The Commonwealth is a community of people. Our Charter states ‘We the people’. The relationships you have built here matter. I urge each one of you here to take your ideas home and put them to work in your communities. And keep the connections you have forged here. Keep in touch with one another.  

Follow each other’s progress.And most importantly, let us hold one another accountable for the commitments made.  

I thank the Government and people of Antigua and Barbuda for their warm hospitality and for hosting the Commonwealth Youth Forum alongside CHOGM. I also want to recognise the support of the Government of Australia and the Caribbean Development Bank. 

I thank everyone who helped make the Forum possible, including the organisers, task force members and facilitators, and the governments, Commonwealth partners and civil society organisations that supported it. 

Above all, thank you to the young people who have brought your energy and commitment to this process. It’s easy and forgivable for one to get a bit despondent or defeatist about the future given the complexities and scale of challenges we face.  

But after spending even a short time with the energy, commitment, empathy, purpose, and openness to exchanging perspectives, I feel buoyed and genuinely confident that with a generation of Commonwealth youth taking the reins, we are going to be ok.  

Thank you all for your passion and your leadership.