The Pacific Region Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting provides an opportunity to focus on regional and global youth development challenges and opportunities.
The Pacific Region Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting will be held in Apia, Samoa, from 1 to 3 September 2015. The meeting is convened by the Commonwealth Secretariat and hosted by the Government of Samoa, under the theme ‘Youth as Partners in Sustainable Small Island Development’.
The Pacific region has one of the youngest population in the Commonwealth, with over 60 per cent of its population aged under 30 years. Most of the countries are small states (defined as countries with a population of less than 1.5 million), and face development challenges that are inherent to the size of their economies and the impact of climate change.
Ministers, senior government officials, youth representatives and youth development stakeholders from across the Commonwealth Pacific will discuss regional and global youth development issues, including youth employment and entrepreneurship, the professionalisation of youth work, and the role of young people in the post-2015 global development agenda.
The meeting incorporates a Youth Leaders’ Forum, managed by the Commonwealth Youth Council in conjunction with regional youth platforms in the Pacific.
It follows the 8th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting in April 2013 in Papua New Guinea, and other regional meetings convened by the Secretariat this year in Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia.