CREATING A MORE PROSPEROUS COMMONWEALTH IN BUSINESS


SPOTLIGHT ON YOUTH-LED RESPONSES TO NATIONAL AND GLOBAL CHALLENGES


Report from the Commonwealth Youth Forum


“At every Commonwealth summit, the Youth Forum brings immense dynamism and energy. It’s a hive of activity buzzing with ideas and ambition… young people are the DNA of the Commonwealth” – Kamalesh Sharma, outgoing Commonwealth Secretary- General


Katherine Ellis is Director of Youth Affairs at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She leads a team with responsibility for supporting the Commonwealth’s 53 members on the social, political and economic empowerment of young people aged 15-29 years. The Commonwealth’s youth development work includes youth policy, youth networks and the use of sport for development and peace.


The curtains have closed on the 10th


Commonwealth Youth


Forum (CYF) in Malta, held under the theme Adding Global Value…#WhatNext?


During the Youth Forum, held from 21-25 November 2015, 200 young people from across the Commonwealth engaged in substantive debate on issues of economic, environmental, social and political development, culminating in a call for action that encapsulated their concerns, priorities and recommendations. As the first major gathering of Commonwealth youth leaders since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, CYF was an opportune moment for young people to come together to discuss and find consensus on key priorities for themselves and the societies in which they live. The Youth Forum is always a highlight of the CHOGM activities – at no other time in the Commonwealth calendar are the voices of our young people heard so clearly. At the end of each staging, I walk away more inspired by the inventiveness and ingenuity on display. This CYF was no different, and will be remembered as an impressive showcase of


50 | The Parliamentarian | 2016: Issue One


the ideas and solutions that this generation can offer. Delegates called for


governments to prioritise youth employment opportunities, and to empower young people to partner and lead in processes of peace-building and climate change adaptation. They also developed an action plan for themselves, containing concrete initiatives that they will lead, individually and collectively, on return to their home countries. Issues of inclusion and social cohesion weighed heavily on the minds of participants, and this concern was reflected in several of their policy recommendations. In particular, they urged governments to facilitate an enabling environment in which youth actors and youth-led organisations were supported as partners in initiatives aimed at countering violent extremism. They also urged authorities to recognise the existence of young people’s human rights, by introducing programmes and policies that provide social protection to all young people, especially those from marginalised backgrounds. On economic matters, high levels of youth unemployment and a lack of decent work opportunities for young people were forefront in delegates’ minds. They noted that under-employment and unfair working conditions could lead to social exclusion and marginalisation, and acknowledged the enormous contribution of employed and entrepreneurial


young people to economic growth across the Commonwealth. Accordingly, their declaration stressed the importance of expanding access to entrepreneurial training, technical and vocational training, and technology. Other key recommendations were the adoption of national youth employment plans, the development of programmes to facilitate easier access to start-up finance for aspiring entrepreneurs, and the establishment of national and regional youth innovation centres. The majority of Commonwealth countries are Small Island developing states, and for them, climate change is perhaps the most fundamentally dangerous threat that they face. For this reason, and with COP21 in Paris immediately succeeding the Forum, the challenge of climate change and environmental sustainability received extensive discussion during CYF.


Young people called on leaders to commit to achieving a 100% renewable energy future with sustainable energy access for all, and to implement or enforce legislation and policies relating to climate change. Recognising the inherent link between climate mitigation strategies and youth employment, youth leaders also asked that support be given to young entrepreneurs to create climate-smart social enterprises and to access opportunities in the ‘Blue Economy’.


Despite the many strides


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