Building stronger structures to ensure greater inclusiveness to headline agenda
Building stronger structures to ensure greater participation by young people in policy-making will be the focus of a four-day Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) in the Western Australian city of Fremantle next week.
More than 100 youth leaders are expected to attend the 24-27 October 2011 events, prior to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in nearby Perth.
Like CHOGM, the need for reform will dominate the agenda, said Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Mmaskegoa Masire-Mwamba, who is responsible for Youth Affairs at the Commonwealth Secretariat.
“Young people will be looking at how to improve their own governance structures within the Commonwealth to ensure greater inclusiveness in policy-making at all levels,” Mrs Masire-Mwamba said.
“International trends show a shift towards strengthening youth bodies to enable young people to address contemporary challenges. We need to equip our Commonwealth youth to do this. The 2011 CYF theme Our Commonwealth, Our Future highlights the priority of preparing young people for leadership,” she added.
“The majority of our countries used to have adult populations with young people in them, but that has radically moved to populations of young people with some adults in them. We have to recognise that the adult populations are diminishing and responsibility and innovation are needed to ensure young people are prepared for their roles,” she said.
As part of CHOGM, a group of youth delegates will meet leaders to raise a number of issues relevant to their place in the global discourse. These are likely to include youth participation in decision-making; peace building and conflict management; environmental sustainability; health; and sustainable livelihoods and the economy.
This unique opportunity feeds into the Commonwealth’s goal of putting youth at the centre of policy-making and reinforces the association’s commitment to youth at the highest level.
Across the Commonwealth, some 60 per cent of citizens are below the age of 25. This demographic has important implications at a time of economic uncertainty and concurrent political restlessness and where youth unemployment is a major concern for both those affected and for their country’s leadership.
“The clear message from young people is: Recognise our worth as key players in the Commonwealth’s political space,” the Deputy Secretary-General said.
