The Commonwealth Charter is unequivocal: the future success of the Commonwealth rests with our 1.5 billion young people.
For more than 50 years, the Commonwealth Youth Programme has worked to empower young people, provide them with the tools they need to reach their full potential and engage with them to be the change-makers of today as well as the leaders of tomorrow.
During the Commonwealth Year of Youth, which continues until the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa in October 2024, we have witnessed astounding contributions from young people.
I have had the privilege of interacting with extraordinary young leaders, including the winners of the Commonwealth Youth Awards and the Commonwealth Innovation Awards. They represent a wider group of their peers - activists, advocates, entrepreneurs, researchers and other professionals, all committed to being architects of change.
We have also integrated youth leaders into our meetings with Commonwealth Leaders and government ministers, not only to put them at the centre of decision-making but to foster greater inclusion in politics and governance.
In July 2023, at the Commonwealth Youth Work Conference, we brought professional youth workers, allied professionals and policy-makers together to share best practices, build their competencies and chart new strategic directions for more empowering investments in their success.
And through our partnerships with technology leaders, including Intel and Simplilearn, we are equipping tens of thousands of young people across the Commonwealth with the skills and confidence in AI and other digital technologies that can enable them to not only thrive in the future economy but shape it.
These initiatives are a testament to our mandate to deliver more for young people across the Commonwealth. We are therefore committed to monitoring, in a systematic way, the progress we are collectively making.
In collaboration with our partners, the Commonwealth Secretariat will continue to provide our countries with data to help measure that progress and elucidate where interventions may be necessary. This Global Youth Development Index (YDI) Update Report 2023 provides a snapshot of the context in which young people are living.
The report examines the extent to which young people are learning, earning and living healthy, engaged and peaceful lives. It also shows whether they are living in societies that value their views, include their perspectives and recognise their contributions.
The scores, highlighted across the six domains of the index, reveal a trend of steady advancement in the conditions for positive youth development over the last 12 years. The progress we have made together is encouraging: the task now is to accelerate our collective action to achieve more significant impact.
For the first time, this data is also available in an interactive digital format, allowing you to interrogate the data for your regions and countries. The YDI methodology is also available for organisations and governments wishing to undertake additional regional and national assessments. I encourage you to use these insights in your planning and development efforts, as we are doing.
The Rt Hon. Patricia Scotland KC
Secretary-General of the Commonwealth