WCY 2014: An year later….

In Retrospect of the World Conference on Youth….

It is quite hard to imagine that one year has passed by, since the World Conference on Youth 2014. Last year, this time of the day, I was sitting a room full of government representatives, fighting tooth and nail to get young peoples’ voices recognized in the Colombo Declaration on Youth (CDY), the outcome document of the WCY. That room was filled with tension. Governments trying to scratch each other’s back, facilitators of thematic groups going in and out-one after one-briefing me and Lloyd (my co-negotiator) about the latest developments in their thematic groups, young people protesting outside against Boko Haram, and many more things happening.. all at the same time…

In retrospect of the 1^st anniversary of WCY, I saw a lot of posts, tweets, comments being circulated via social media and that intrigued me to write this post. The comments were of two types. While some participants cherished the friendships they made, the good times they had another cohort was questioning and complaining about the outcome or the follow up of the conference. I tried to ask myself the same question. What have we done? Have we really done something to bring about change into young peoples’ lives or have we just wasted a huge chunk of money for young people to have a good time?

What was the aim of WCY?

As the UN-NGLS very correctly recognized in their post-WCY evaluation blog  “The event worked at creating an inclusive participation platform that enabled young people to review the progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and facilitating a process that increases awareness on and implementation of the World Programme for Action on Youth (WPAY) as many youth remain marginalized with limited access to essential resources or opportunities, and are often overlooked in national development agendas”.

Why did Sri Lanka decide to host the WCY?

From what I have heard, a Sri Lankan delegation, comprised of then Youth Minister and the former Chairman of the youth council participated at the World Conference on Youth 2010, Held in Mexico. There they witnessed the exclusion of youth from the decision making processes of the conference and policy processes and decided to host a more participatory, inclusive youth platform back at home. The ICMYO; a network of largest youth led organisations also held its annual meeting the following year in New York and Sri Lanka supported their youth intervention during the High Level Meeting on Youth. The plan to host a youth led process was further strengthened there.

That is just one side of the coin. Sri Lanka was in the bad books of many United Nations organs and member states due to our unwise foreign policy decisions, especially around the Human Rights Council. The government thought that hosting a “UN mandated” youth conference in Sri Lanka would help minimize the negative perception Sri Lanka had, during that time in the United Nations. It was also a bonus that youth development in the UN is always discussed and negotiated in the 3rd Committee, which is also responsible for all Social Development related matters including human rights.

Did we succeed?

I will try to evaluate the success or failure of the WCY in 3 different lenses.

First, through the organization, methodology and logistics arrangements of the conference. It is highly remarkable that the government decided to appoint a youth committee comprised of 10 Sri Lankan and 10 International youth activists; which was called an International Youth Task Force (See the profiles of the IYTF here http://wcy2014.com/task-force.php); to set the direction of the entire conference. I am proud and glad that I was able to be a part of that amazing group not merely because of the experience and exposure it provided me throughout an entire year of working with ministers, youth-unfriendly bureaucrats, High level officials of the UN, the UN country team, NGOs and foreign governments, but mainly because of the amazing people of high caliber, enormous potential and great work ethic that I got to work with throughout my IYTF journey.

Together we planned a comprehensive agenda, a selection process, themes and foundations and set the policy directions of the conference. We tried our best to negotiate, argue and sometimes fight with the government in order to provide a conducive environment for the youth participants to freely and equally participate in their full capacity. This process of young people’s discussions directly being taken into account at the conference negotiations, was something that many of us have never seen before. And the selection process of the international delegates were done by the 20 of us and I could guarantee that we did a very transparent and fair job to everyone who applied, bearing in mind the regional, gender balance and providing equal opportunities to marginalized young people.

However I cannot comment on the selection of national delegates and logistical arrangements for the participants i.e. hosting the opening ceremony in Hambantota, since it was out of the mandate of the IYTF. Nevertheless we tried our best till the final seconds of the conference to change certain things, such as the mismanagement of political process and attempts for political exploitation to gain local political spotlight. Some of our attempts succeeded and unfortunately some did not.

Secondly, the outcome document. Was it the best outcome document ever? Well it was not the worst. I personally do not think it was bad either. In the words of my colleague Lloyd, who was also the Co-chair of IYTF “whilst those of you who look for words and count them up may be disappointed, those of you who step back and see the whole document for what it is will be impressed”. Majority of the youth and youth lead organizations considered and still consider the CDY, a forward progressive document. And as the first of its kind where youth representation was not the minority, the outcome document was indeed an achievement.  

Especially in terms of Gender Equality and Health, the declaration uses bold and progressive language on young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights by explicitly calling on governments for:

• Universal access to sexual and reproductive health services and information, with the involvement of youth, regardless of marital status, with a particular focus on women, persons living with disabilities and marginalized groups.
• A set of targets relating to young women, girls and other gender identities, consistent with existing laws, policies and practices, inter alia on ending all forms of gender-based violence, harmful traditional practices, child, early and coerced marriages and providing universal access to health including sexual and reproductive health and rights in accordance with International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in the post-2015 development agenda.”
• Comprehensive sex education based on full and accurate information for all adolescents and youth.

Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change:

• Taking note of the fifth assessment reports of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its findings that indicate the urgent need to reduce absolute levels of carbon emissions to address climate change impacts.
• Call on Member States to further explore the proposed High Commissioner for Future Generations as well as other relevant mechanisms on the topic as outlined in the report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations entitled „Intergenerational Solidarity and the need for Future Generations‟
• Support the Chair’s summary of the 2013 Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction calling for a youth and children’s forum (Which actually happened in March 2015!)

Youth Participation and Rights:

• Call on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to establish a permanent forum on youth, for youth and governments to facilitate a sustained dialogue including on the Post-2015 Development Agenda
• Draw the attention of the United Nations system, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Member States to the call by young people and youth organizations to launch a participatory, inclusive and transparent process among member states, youth and youth organizations, building on, inter alia, the experience of countries that already have developed legislation, which may lead to a Convention on Youth Rights

Taking in to account the progressive and unflinching language the document possess, I do not think it is fair to call WCY “just a fun event” where youth from around the world had a good time.

Third angle I will be looking at is the follow up process and/or accomplishments. In terms of creating a platform for youth to come together and engage in a discussion the conference was quite successful. Young people not just shared their ideas/concerns with each other, they also debated and discussed with their youth ministers, higher government officials, UN officials and other stakeholders. For many youth, this was considered an excellent opportunity since they would not get the same opportunity have a one to one discussion with their ministers back at home.

Follow up of the CDY- Some sharp moves were made by handing over the outcome document to the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth and the President of the General Assembly, who themselves were participants at the conference and therefore holds the ownership of the outcome to some extent. The CDY was also handed over to the Secretary General of the UN, to be considered in his synthesis report to the UN on Post 2015 (which we later saw that he clearly did not bother to consider).

Then the Sri Lankan government extensively lobbied for the inclusion of the implementation of CDY in the General Assembly negotiations for 2014, but the chances were very low since the GA did not facilitate a resolution on youth last year. However, Sri Lanka managed to pass a resolution in the 69^th session of the General Assembly of the UN, to declare 15^th July as “World Youth Skills Day” (A/Res/69/145) as called on by the CDY PP 29: Calls upon the United Nations to support a dedicated day for skills development that would benefit global youth

The challenge is now to get CDY recognized in the “Policies and Programmes involving Youth” resolution of the 70^th General Assembly. With the change of government following the 8^th January presidential election, the priorities and initiatives of the Sri Lankan government have changed. However we, the youth and the IYTF have full confidence that the new government will try to push for a youth responsive- youth friendly polices at both national and international level, utilizing the commitments made by stakeholders in the CDY.

Apart from these, individual efforts have been made my governments such as Finland, Netherland and Nigeria and UN agencies and youth activists and youth groups around the world to incorporate CDY recommendations in their local policies.

It is naïve to think that change will happen overnight or by the adoption of a declaration. If it is so, the world would be a much better place with the number of international and national agreements the world have abide to. Change is a process. It needs time, experience, discussion and debate. WCY, just as any other conference, was a platform for advocacy. It was an opportunity to build networks, movements, learn best practices, debate, negotiate and come to a conclusion what the global youth movement as a united force should lobby for in the years to come. WCY gave equal ownership to youth and governments in its outcome. It is not only the responsibility of governments to take if forward, but also the duty of the youth who participated at the conference to use the CDY as an advocacy tool to lobby for better national policies and programmes in their own countries. All 2500 people who were a part of WCY has a responsibility to point a finger at their governments, the UN and hold them accountable for not delivering the commitments they made.

This applies to every outcome document of every conference that was held since the First League of Nations World Youth Congress in Geneva in 1936. This applies to every outcome document that went unnoticed that went un-implemented. This applies to the World Programme of Action on Youth, which is the prime youth policy of the UN that went unnoticed for 20 years.

Because in reality; no government, no international organization is genuinely interested in advancing the lives of young people of the world. They see young people as passive beneficiaries or recipients that could be exploited for political gains. It is up to us, the young people, to change the game. Every revolution starts with young people. Just like the young people in Sri Lanka remarkably contributed towards change during the course of the last presidential election, like youth everywhere else in the middle east, Africa and Latin America stand up to restore democracy and dignity for all, change IS possible.

I see two ways to bring that change into life:

1.     We stand up and speak up for our rights and hold our policy makers accountable

and/or

2.     We become policy makers, we become ministers, we become the system and we become the change.

Statement Delivered on the International Day of the Girl Child 2013 - Panel Discussion - The Girl Child in Sri Lanka

Date: 10 October 2013

Time: 9.30-11.30

Venue: Auditorium, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka

List of Speakers

Welcome to participants and agenda for the day by Professor Sharya Scharenguivel, Director, Centre for the Study on Human Rights

Welcome address, Subinay Nandy, UN Resident Co-ordinator

The girl child in Sri Lanka: Issues and challenges, Mr. Eric Elayappaarachchi, Secretary, Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs

Hazardous Forms of Child Labour: Effects on girls with special focus on child domestic workers, Mrs. Pearl Weerasinghe, Commissioner General of Labour, Department of Labour

UN Conventions and Sri Lanka’s commitment to address child labour, Professor Savitri Goonesekere

A youth perspective on the girl child and child labour/youth engagement, Jayathma Wickramanayake, National Youth Services Council

Statement by the Youth Representative, Jayathma Wickramanayake

Good Morning Everyone. When the world recognized the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 we recognized in one voice that all human beings are EQUAL in Dignity and Rights. However still 65 years after the declaration, too many girls today suffer sexual abuse and violence, 32 Million girls have been denied Primary Education and many barriers have been blocking the way of young girls enjoying the basic human rights and liberties to which all human beings are entitled to.

Although there has been a considerable progress in ensuring their rights, there is much to do to eliminate these violations of Rights which are absolutely unacceptable in the second decade of the 21st Century! An important milestone in our fight was the declaration of 11th October as the International Day of the Girl Child by our Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon. As the Youth Delegate of Sri Lanka to the General Assembly last year I witnessed this historic occasion and now I am more excited and happy that this initiative is reaching my country and I am also a part of it.

Normally, we young people are consulted only regarding issues that directly affect the youth agenda of a country or a region. But today ILO has set an example by giving us a space to speak out our opinion on a nationally important issue, tackling child Labour, with special focus on the girl child.

It is now fourteen years since the ILO adopted the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention which helped generate an enormous change in attitudes towards child labour. An important element of the Convention was that attention should be given to the special situation of girls, and to children at special risk. Statistics prove that some 100 million girls are involved in child labour around the world. Many of them have little or no access to education and many are working in situations that place their health, safety and morals in serious danger.

Especially in Sub Saharan Africa and Asia and the Pacific, When families are pushed deeper into poverty and have to choose between sending their sons or their daughters to school, it tends to be the daughters that lose out. Even though there is little difference in the involvement of boys and girls in economic activity in general, girls work significantly more than boys in household chores and as a result often jeopardize their schooling. Some girls are not only engaged in an economic activity but also have responsibility for unpaid domestic work in their own household.

Since girls are more likely to lack basic education, it’s more difficult for them to protect their rights. A United Nations report on violence against children drew attention to the problem of violence against children at the workplace, including both verbal and physical abuse. It identified a number of sectors in which violence can be a particular problem. Most of these were sectors in which girls work in large numbers.

Much of the work undertaken by girls is less visible than that of boys. Typical examples are domestic work, work in small-scale agriculture, and work in small home-based workshops. The often hidden nature of domestic work has given rise to particular concerns. Girls engaged in domestic work are frequently reported as being treated poorly and sometimes being physically abused. Although some of these cases do become public, the fact that the work takes place within the confines of a private home means that abuse very often goes unseen and unreported.

The problem extends beyond domestic work. Girls working in many other situations also have little contact with others outside their immediate work environment, thus giving rise to concerns for their safety and welfare. Some of the worst forms of child labour may entail girls being deliberately hidden from the outside world. Girls trafficked for labour and prostitution, for instance, can sometimes be held as virtual prisoners.

As the UN Youth representative I got the opportunity to meet and work with young people from all around the country. A fact that struck me during the consultations in the North and East, was that there can be different perceptions of boys and girls who return to their villages after having left the armed forces and groups. Communities may not welcome girls because of the stigma attached to rape, sexual slavery and mothering babies fathered by armed fighters or as a result of rape. It is important that girls formerly and informally associated with armed forces and armed groups receive appropriate support.

Tackling child labour effectively calls for an integrated policy response based on strategies for reducing poverty and promoting decent work for adults. Among these strategies, the single most important policy step is the provision of free quality education for all children up to the minimum age of employment.

We as young people, applaud the new education policy recognizing the need for increasing the compulsory education age to 16 years and recommend that the minimum age of employment in Sri Lanka also be changed from 14 years to 16 years in order to address problems that may involve in implementation and enforcement.

We also wish to stress the importance of including child domestic work onto the list of 51 hazardous forms of labour in the region.

There is a need to put the issue of Child labour on a wider public sector and social partner agenda. It should be taken beyond the agencies that are primarily responsible for child labour issues. Grassroots level, district and provincial level and national level organizations working towards education, training and employment, social protection and other social services should take a holistic , and all inclusive approach to address child labour problems in the country.

Today as I speak, young people worldwide are speaking out against child labour and taking action to raise further awareness of this issue. “The Red Card Campaign” is carried out by youth groups in countries where football is a popular sport. Through this campaign they spread knowledge among their peers and act as a voice for those children whose rights are not respected and call on decision-makers to act urgently to protect children in danger.

I was very happy to learn that a youth-friendly version of Convention No. 182 against the worst forms of child labour has been developed. It can be used as a tool to help make young people aware that child labour is a violation of human rights, hindering children’s development, compromising entire generations and undermining the human capital of the world.

I would like to make this an opportunity to call upon all youth leaders and youth activists in Sri Lanka to join hands and create a local platform to make the goal of Zero Child Labour by 2016 a reality. We need to work together, starting from raising awareness among ourselves and then reaching out to a larger audience including our families, communities, schools and universities. Public awareness can be made by using various forms of artistic expression, discussion forums and effective usage of social media as a tool.

As we review the progress in combating child labour that has been achieved over the past years, as well as the challenges that lie ahead, there is ample evidence that the situation of girls deserves special attention.

Research shows that educating girls is one of the most effective ways of tackling poverty. Educated girls are more likely to earn more as adults, marry later in life, have fewer and healthier children, and have decision-making power within the household. Educated mothers are also more likely to ensure that their own children are educated, thereby helping to avoid future child labour. Tackling child labour among girls and ensuring their right to education are therefore important elements of broader strategies to promote development.

As a young person working closely with Government bodies, United Nations and many other mechanisms who have taken up the task of ensuring equal rights and liberties for all, I am certainly thrilled at the numerous suggestions and agendas proposed and approved. However there also needs to be strong follow up and review mechanisms to make sure that these plans are implemented and that these goals are met.

So I would like make a request to the UN country team, for next years international day of the girl child, shall we not come up with a fancy new topic but review and follow up the improvements and drawbacks within this particular year  in terms of tackling child labor.

I am grateful to the UN Country team and ILO for taking up this challenge in Sri Lanka where women's and girl’s empowerment is a NEED and for giving a platform for the voices of young people to be heard in the process.

Thank You.

Addressing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navaneetham Pillai

"Imagine that you have no ethnicity, religion, nationality, skin colour, gender, parents, economic status, literacy, geographical location, physical abilities/disabilities. You are behind a veil and you do not know what is behind it in store for you. Whatever combination you get out of the above is a matter of chance. Commonly termed "accident of birth". By chance you have received your current combination, someone else, another.

Your Excellency, Navaneetham Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights, Honorable Ministers and distinguished guests,

I was among the lucky few to be born and bred in down south. I could achieve great heights, given the choices I had. I was one of the two first ever Youth Delegates from Sri Lanka to the United Nations and I had the privilege of working with my colleague Aruthra Rajasingham, whose roots happened to be from Jaffna.

But, after I studied about Rawl's theory of "the veil of Ignorance" I realized that I could have been as anyone. I could have been born as Premavathi Manamperi, a young, promising undergraduate girl, from the deep South, who was gang raped, mutilated, humiliated and killed in 1971 by the repressive government forces, then.

I could have been one of 60'000 young people who were brutally tortured, interrogated and murdered in public in 1989 for holding alternative political opinions.

Or I could have been Rajini Thirangama, an academic at the University of Jaffna whose enthusiasm for education was halted by a gunshot.

My brothers and sisters have undergone too much pain, suffering and repression in the short 65 year span of independence of my small island paradise. Three destructive and tragic youth uprisings shouted out for a platform for young voices to be heard and to be made a part of governance in Sri Lanka.

I would like to emphasize that only and ONLY a youth lead, home grown reconciliation process can make a positive impact in this country.

Its true that a government needs time to formulate and implement strategies to overcome the barriers related to involving young people in a countries development process. But it is also true that the energy and radicalism in young hearts and minds are not resilient to be waiting for too long.

With the end of the armed conflict in 2009, young voices calling out for a youth lead reconciliation process was stronger than ever before. In response there has been progressive action from the Government of Sri Lanka, Civil Society and UN bodies. Yet, far too often, the roles played by youth in these processes are marginal.

Youth continue to face institutionalized prejudice in many quarters that see youth as lacking expertise, experience, capacity, or drive. Despite the increase in the number and range of mechanisms to engage youth, young participants continue to see their roles undermined by governments and policymakers, based on these perceptions.

Just as the recipient of any policy must be engaged to ensure their concerns are effectively addressed, youth are no exception. Policy makers should not only invite young people into policy discussions but also listen and act upon their advice.

Youth participation should not have a demonstrated value – it is a political right. Public recognition of young people as key actors in social development is crucial.

This is where I see, the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament as an esteemed example. It was conceived and implemented to mark the United Nations International Year of Youth in 2010. One fourth of Sri Lanka’s total population being youth, the aim of setting up the Youth Parliament was to create leaders who will be nurtured in the finest democratic ideals and practices. It also provides an important opportunity in post-conflict Sri Lanka, to foster values of tolerance, harmony and co-existence.

Our elected 335 parliamentarians and 72 senators are between the ages of 15 to29 and represents all ethnic and religious communities in the country. The true voice of Sri Lankan youth are represented through a democratic election process, similar to the National electoral system.

Madam Commissioner,

I’d like to welcome you and express the deep appreciation of our parliament to you, for taking time to come to talk to us, Talk to youth leaders elected by young people for young people of this country, and not individuals presented as youth representatives.

Nothing about Youth should be discussed without youth. So it is a momentous occasion that the UN high commissioner on Human Rights decided to consult a democratically elected body of Sri Lankan Youth to understand what we need, what our issues are and what we need to do.

We consider your visit to our parliament as a symbol of United Nations recognition of “youth” as equal Partners in development.

In order to reconcile, I believe that it is important to remember our past. The lust for blood of the armed conflict did not only feed itself with valuable young lives from the North. Thousands of youth from the south sacrificed their lives in the service of Sri Lanka's military. Here in Colombo school students uniforms were stained not with crayons or candy, but with blood from a bomb blast targeting civil public transport.

That is our dreadful history, which I abhor to think of. As young persons of this country who felt the bitter taste of our armed conflict, we are determined to ensure a safe and sustainable society of Justice and Good Governance for generations to come. There is much done and there is much to do, to correct the mistakes of the past and to ensure sustainable peace as "one" Sri Lankan fraternity.

Your Excellency,
What it means to be Sri Lankan is less about who we are than what we are about– how we live our life, how we contribute to this country, how we pledge allegiance to a flag that has made room for all of us.
We have come a long way and we have a long way ahead. There are laws to change and there are many hearts to open.

Madam Commissioner,
Invariably you too are a valuable stakeholder in this journey towards reconciliation and development in Sri Lanka. Your conclusions at the end of your observation of Sri Lanka will have a great impact on my country and us, its' future. We as Youth of Sri Lanka have our fullest confidence and trust in you and we sincerely believe your determinations will be a catalyst for lasting peace and development in our country.

There is a “world” inside this small beautiful “island”. And our only dream as young Sri Lankans is to make it the best"

Sri Lanka Youth Promotes MY WORD 2015

The United Nations Millennium Campaign, along with many partners within the United Nations, member states as well as Civil Society Stakeholders are now looking at prospects for the Post-2015 agenda. As we look towards the year 2015, we will make a final push to achieve the MDGs, seriously review the experience had with development goals since 2000 and strive to help create a more inclusive and holistic set of goals post-2015. Together we can create the momentum to achieve the MDGs and create renewed energy for the future needs of people and planet. UNMC is helping to lead on a platform that allows citizens to contribute their voice to a new development agenda.

One such initiative is MY World, a global survey for citizens led by the United Nations and partners. It aims to capture people's voices, priorities and views, so that global leaders can be informed as they begin the process of defining the new development agenda for the world. Through creative online and offline methods, MY World asks individuals which six of sixteen possible issues they think would make the most difference to their lives. The sixteen issues have been built up from the priorities expressed by poor people in existing research and polling exercises and they cover the existing Millennium Development Goals, plus issues of sustainability, security, governance and transparency. From now until 2015, they want as many people in as many countries as possible to be involved with MY World: citizens of all ages, genders and backgrounds, and particularly the world’s poor and marginalized communities.

Results will firstly be submitted to the Secretary General´s High Level Panel for Post-2015 before their meetings in Monrovia, Bali and New York and will feed into their final report and recommendations for a new development framework in May 2013. After which, MY World will continue gathering people´s voices up to 2015 and results will be shared with the Secretary General and global leaders as they prepare the next development agenda in the run up to 2015.

The MY World global survey was front and centre of Sri Lanka Youth, National Youth Services Council’s promotional activities on the International Women’s Day. This event was organized by the Mothers and Daughters Organization of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the UNFPA Gender Forum and Foundation for Innovative Social Development. With almost 500 attendees, this year’s IWD proved a perfect opportunity to promote the MY World global survey as a path to stress for Women’s issues such as Better Healthcare, Protection against crime and violence, Political Freedom, Equality between Men and Women and etc.

To help gather support for the MY World global survey, a team of youth volunteers with offline survey papers together with a large colourful banner, factsheets, stickers and even posters who proved very popular among the crowds were present at the International Women’s Day celebrations. The group of volunteers were also on hand to encourage people to vote and have their voice heard.

IWD provided a great opportunity for the My world team of the National Youth Services Council to interact with the community and raise awareness about the My world 2015 campaign and United Nations Global Development Agenda. Below are some the photographs of the event.

Presentation of the Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the World Program of Action for Youth.

In light of the multi-sectoral approach used to gather contributions towards the drafting of the Report of the Secretary-General, that is, from Member States, United Nations entities, and young people (youth delegates and youth organizations), a panel discussion bringing together representatives from the key contributors to present the Report’s findings was held at the 51st Commission for Social Development on the 11th of February 2013..

The Panel consisted of four experts, one each from: a Member State, United Nations entity, a UN youth delegate and youth based/led organization

Member State – Ms. Susanne Fries-Gaier, Counselor, Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations, New York

UN Entity – UNDP - Ms Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Democratic Governance Director in UNDP's Bureau for Development Policy 

UN Youth Delegate – Ms Jayathma Wickramanayake, 2012/2013 Sri Lankan Youth Delegate to the UNGA . Ms Wickramanayake has been selected to participate on the panel due in part to the fact this is Sri Lanka’s first year sending youth delegates to the General Assembly and CsocD and as she was designated 1st runner up at the Emerging Young Leader of Sri Lanka Award in 2011.

Youth Representative: Mr Samuel Diaz Fernandez Littauer, YMCA and ICMYO (International Coordination Meeting of Youth Organizations). Mr Littauer was chosen in consultation with ICMYO. YMCA is one of the steering group members of ICMYO. ICMYO is a large network which gathers membership-based, democratic, representative and accountable International Youth NGOs (INGYOs) and Regional Youth Platforms (RYPs). The main objectives of ICMYO are the strengthening of the cooperation among youth organisations at the regional and global levels and the coordination of political inputs to global youth policy processes.

Video of the panel can be fond at http://webtv.un.org/watch/csd-51st-session-9th-meeting/2158257104001/

INTRODUCTION

Today I represent half of the world, the youth of the world to be precise.

Young people account for half the global population and where I come from, the global south, we make up more than two thirds of that youth population. It is the biggest asset this earth has ever had.

We young people do not just feed off the system, we aren’t leeches on the wealth of society. We make national investments into products and outcomes. We help run the world with our energy, our spirit and our will to make change.

But, young people all over the world are worried about the challenges they are facing everyday, which will affect their lives and future. They, more than anyone else, understand the urgency of finding solutions, to our global crisis which was created by previous generations.

Presently, the wellbeing of the millions, who make up half of the world, meaning young people, are at risk. The links between the health of our environment, and the socio-economic challenges that face us, inspire youth to act and provide smart solutions to build a better place for me, you, and all the species on this planet.

That is the future we want!

CHALLENGES:

Let me summarize some of the challenges facing young people today:

• ·       The world talks a lot about youth issues, especially the youth-focused wings of political parties in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, very little has been done to enlist them in the decision making processes within political parties.  More policy focus is needed to understand the realities facing youth on the ground, in order to find lasting solutions to our problems.

• ·       The global development agenda has yet to prioritize youth in a substantive way and make them more participatory by recognizing our potential.

• ·       The smartest and the most able youth from the global South tend to migrate to more developed countries for better education and economic opportunities, either legally or illegally. The term “boat people” may sound familiar to you.

• ·       Young People can play a critical role in post -conflict reconciliation efforts in their countries.  Nevertheless, they tend to be disregarded, in the processes that are meant to heal society.

• ·        Young people are frequently seen as a national security hazard, a social liability, and oftentimes, governments do not recognize them as partners.

• ·       Huge corporate media conglomerates, have desensitized the youth of today, by making them increasingly materialistic and less concerned about the futures of their societies, and the world as a whole. Far too many young people have fallen victim to unbridled consumerism.

BEST PRACTICES:

Now that I have given you a snapshot of the challenges global youth face, I would like to share some best practices in terms of dealing with these challenges, within the national context of my home country, Sri Lanka:

1  Almost 26 per cent of Sri Lanka’s 20 million people are youth.

Following the end of the conflict in my country, we have initiated a youth led reconciliation process. A program that is frequently mentioned in the recent World Programme on Action on Youth report of the Secretary- General is the Youth Parliament of Sri Lanka.It was conceived and implemented to mark the International Year of Youth in 2010. It has 335 members between the ages of 15 and 29. All ethnic and religious communities in the country are represented through a democratic election process, similar to the National electoral system. 

   

   By electing youth policymakers, we can strengthen the youth voice in the political decision-making process. These young Parliamentarians are given every opportunity to engage and actively contribute to policy making in the National Parliamentary Select Committees assigned to different sectors. They also actively engage at the local Government level in development activities and processes.

     25 % of the young Parliamentarians are from the post conflict areas in the North and the East. They now have a useful platform to voice their grievances through democratic means. For 30 years they were victims in a bloody conflict. Today they are youth parliamentarians who are leaders in the development of their communities.

    The Youth Parliament has also given leadership opportunities to disabled young people and youth from the indigenous communities. We also have a young person, who is HIV- positive represented.

    The aim of setting up the Youth Parliament was to create leaders who will be nurtured in the finest democratic ideals and practices. It also provides an important opportunity in post-conflict Sri Lanka, to foster values of tolerance, harmony and co-existence. These aspiring leaders in the Youth Parliament are expected to meaningfully contribute to peace, justice, and democracy.

    I would also like to take this opportunity to invite you all to Sri Lanka, to witness the Youth Parliament election, which will be held in a few weeks’ time to elect the next set of national youth leaders. 

After 30 years of conflict, we believe that having a stable and a violence-free environment is the key to achieving the Internationally Agreed Development Goals, and Sri Lanka is on track to reaching that milestone. …

To broaden the employment opportunities for our youth and enable them to compete better in job markets, the Ministry of Youth Affairs is integrated with skills development. Sri Lanka encourages its youth to be innovative and creative. The Government in partnership with the private sector provides training and capacity building to complement needs and demands of the local, regional and global labour markets.

While the government is funding and creating the necessary infrastructure to address the challenges in the post-conflict environment, the Youth organizations themselves have also taken a step forward by actively engaging with the policy makers to formulate our new National Youth Policy.  Active participation and involvement of youth in local and national activities is facilitated by a dedicated National Youth Services Council. I am thankful to our policy makers for investing significant budgetary resources in the National Youth Services Council to equip it to meet the ever-changing needs of the youth population.

   

Allow me to mention an important initiative that is meant to identify and nurture future leaders of Sri Lanka. It is called the Emerging Young Leader Award. I, myself was selected through this competitive national programme.  100 youth leaders were selected in the first ever competition on the basis of our leadership, decision making and soft skills. We have been given many opportunities to serve the country, including representing our country in national delegations to international meetings.

      I am very proud to say that I am one of the two, first ever UN Youth Delegates in Sri Lanka’s history.  I’m even more proud to state it was two young women, one from the North and me from the South who were selected through this open and competitive process to represent our country. Our involvement and representation here at the UN, is part of our reconciliation as well as youth empowerment efforts.  I am both happy and confident to say that we Sri Lankan Youth are determined to change our country for the better.

Someone once said “Be Inspired to Inspire”. The National Youth Services Council has inspired a large number of youth in Sri Lanka and in South Asia as a whole. This includes me as well. The persons, institutions and agencies at the personal, national regional and international levels, who support and empower young people like me, deserve a big round of applause for creating the platform we so desperately needed.

 

GLOBAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT:

Well, since we are here at UN Headquarters, and not in Sri Lanka, it is important that we find concrete ways of strengthening the youth voice at the international policy-making level.

We all know that the Secretary -General has made “Youth” one of his second term priorities. He has proven that he is taking this commitment seriously, since he has just appointed a Special Envoy on youth.

We are also aware that UN HABITAT and the UNDP have taken the lead in lobbying for the establishment of a permanent forum on youth. Moreover, we know about the significant efforts of the Focal Point on Youth, in coordinating and improving the Youth Delegate Program. 

Nevertheless, these agencies and UN actors cannot do this daunting and important work all on their own. We need all stakeholders, ranging from the Member States, to youth led organizations and other UN agencies, who deal with youth issues, to be more active in youth development policy.

In the Open Working Group to develop sustainable development goals, Sri Lanka is working with other Members to mainstream youth in the post-2015 development agenda in every possible area.

As a Young Person from the Global South I firmly believe that Youth can play a very important role in all aspects of development. Therefore, the concerns of young people must be central and integral to policy-making in the global south.

I’m glad Sri Lanka is making sincere efforts towards that end and is also hosting a World Conference on Youth in 2014.

This conference will act as a platform to further strengthen youth participation in every facet of the post-2015 development agenda.

I look forward to welcoming you all there!

Thank you!