Will solutions proposed by the Commonwealth bring about the international changes needed?

With 53 member states, the Commonwealth can implement large-scale changes on a global level. Although the solutions presented at CHOGM have been innovative and encompass most current, urgent world issues, I am not sure they will be as effective as they could be. Johann Agius, LL.B, 4th year.

The Commonwealth is an important international platform with small and big countries from different regions across the world. Each country has different economic and social needs and any proposed solutions need to take this diversity into consideration, so it may be difficult to come up with solutions applicable to all. Elaine Degiorgio, LL.B, 4th year.

I hope so. The proposals we came up with at the Commonwealth Youth Forum over the past few days were proactive solutions that I hope the heads of government will take them on board and implement them. Georvin Bugeja, EU Studies, 2nd year.

What is the benefit of including youths in CHOGM, and how influential can the Youth Forum be?

Young people are the future policymakers, so including them in CHOGM is imperative. The Youth Forum could be the most influential of all the fora in the long term, because it enables the next generation of leaders to bring forward realistic and ambitious solutions. Johann Agius

Youths are tomorrow’s leaders so their contribution to CHOGM is an important perspective to achieve Commonwealth countries’ goals. During the forum, youths proposed political, social, economic and environmental recommendations to better the lives of many. Elaine Degiorgio

It is important that young people are always involved in intergovernmental discussions. They can give a better picture of their countries’ needs. Georvin Bugeja

What subjects would you have liked the CHOGM fora to tackle?

The idea to set up the Women’s Forum for the first time in CHOGM history was a good one. The human rights of many different groups of people were catered for in all the fora. More focus could have been made on issues related to education and climate change. Johann Agius

Two very important subjects discussed were human rights and climate change but two important issues were missing from the agenda, namely migration and sexual education. It would have been interesting to see how countries reacted to these matters. Elaine Degiorgio

I would have liked more discussion on the Commonwealth Youth Council’s structure and constitution. It should be more transparent and accountable so it can give a clearer picture of what countries need. Georvin Bugeja

(Compiled by Insite – the student media organisation)