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!
