Unemployment, climate change and a lack of policies specifically directed at youths are expected to be among the key issues to be discussed in the upcoming Commonwealth Youth Forum, according to its co-chair Mohamed Husni.
Mr Husni, 26, is currently in Malta for the launch of the Youth Forum, which will be held on the fringes of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) in November.
“Practically the whole world is coming to Malta so there will be lots of opportunities for Maltese young people to make their voices heard and to interact and network with key people, such as UN agencies and young parliamentarians.”
Sri Lankan Mr Husni is also the vice chairman (Inclusion and Engagement) of the first ever Commonwealth Youth Council which was set up during the last Chogm in November 2013. The council serves as the representative and the recognised voice of 1.2 billion young people across the Commonwealth and also provides a framework for youth-led development initiatives within Commonwealth countries.
Is the Commonwealth – composed of 53 countries which used to be territories of the former British Empire – still relevant in today’s world?
Having a network of countries is a great advantage and an asset for young people who want to move forward, Mr Husni believes, referring to the EU and the African Union.
“The Commonwealth brings together different continents to discuss and share expertise and resources. The fact that it’s inter-regional makes it very unique.”
Being inter-regional also means that different countries have somewhat different concerns, he pointed out, such as access to quality education. However, some issues are Pan-Commonwealth, including decent employment and climate change.
Top of the agenda is also a lack of youth policies across countries. The implementation of such policies is very important because not enough was being done to support young people and help them reach their aspirations.
Entrepreneurship is also expected to be one of the trending topics – young people need guidance in being helped in starting a business but support is slack, Mr Husni points out.
Once the Youth Forum is concluded, an outcome document with recommendations and concrete proposals at policy or institutional level will be drafted up and presented to governments.
There will be 450 delegates participating in the Youth Forum – two delegates from each country and between 45 and 50 Maltese delegates aged between 15 and 29 years.
A call for applications for young Maltese delegates will be out on http://chogm2015.mt .