ICPD Beyond 2014: Towards Greater Government Investment in Youths?

Another day has come and gone over Bali ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Youth Forum.But as days come and go, the discussion intensifies and young people are more demanding to their governments, religious and traditional authorities, parents, and society at large.

Universal access to education,inclusive education, relevant education, quality education ,financing and partnerships, as well as ccomprehensive sexuality education were identified by participants at the ICPD beyond 2014 Global Youth Forum participants as being vital for comprehensive education to become a reality in our world and were thus recommended in that other for discussion by the United Nations and possible inclusion in its post-2015 international  development agenda.

Transitions to decent work, and famiies,youth Rights and well being are the themes which were on the discussion table today.These being of course issues which are relevant to every young person irrespective of  where he/she hails, the debate in the plenary was so intense and continued into the various work groups.

During the plenary on transitions to decent employment, it was revealed by the International Labour Organisation’s representative that we now have the highest number of unemployed youths that the world has ever. Also, during this plenary it was disclosed that 1 in 9 young workers in Africa are in the informal sector, 4 out of 10 young workers are working on a temporary basis, and 5 in 10 low paid persons are youths.

 Productivity, fairness, and rewarding are the major characteristics of a decent job as defined by the International Labour Organisation(ILO). If one is to go by this definition, one will have no choice but agree with the above statistics. One other area in which there was total agree is on the fact that  stronger families, respect of  youth rights, and the well being of youths are the basis for any society and so for  a world at peace with itself, there was need for these issues to be tackled with maximum care.

According to Mr.Anatole Makosso, the president to the conference of African youth ministers and youth minister of Congo Brazzaville, there exist three reasons for governments to carefully consider the above mentioned issues and ensure that the needs of youths are met: They are the majority, they are the future, they will not identify with any decisions taken without them. 

Another day is come and gone,  and the desire for action by youths on the part of their governments has not faultered Youths want to make the Bali declaration not only a declaration but a platform for action. Hear our voices.

Our Generation: A Hopeful or Hopeless One?

‘It was the best époque,’ said the driver to the man who occupied the front seat of the car as I boarded. ‘Yes it was,’ ‘Yes it was, ‘ quietly answered the middle aged man in a manner that clearly revealed that he was in a contemplative mood and took the discussion with the driver seriously. I must confess that as long as I have been boarding Taxis, never have I boarded one in which the atmosphere was so contemplative.   ‘How I wish that the youths of our time had the opportunity to experience an educational system as effective and efficient as ours, ‘ quickly added the driver, just as I started wondering what these two men were discussing that made them so passionate and engaged. When I had reached my destination, the discussion between the two men, nostalgic of their school days and educational system, had not stopped and as I alighted from the Taxi, I started having a deep thought on all the things I had heard the two men discuss. I asked myself, ‘What will I talk about with so much emotion and passion in two decades from now? ‘. As this question wondered in my mind, I soon became nervous and started blaming the generation of the Taxi driver and his passenger for having done nothing to ensure that people of my generation enjoy the efficient and effective educational system that they had.
As a young person, I am conscious of the fact that there is a great tendency for people of every generation to blame the generation that preceded it as being the cause of its turmoil. According to international bodies like the United Nations, no generation before ours has ever had the tools and means of overcoming all the things we inherently hate and would not like to be associated with like poverty, hunger, abuse of human rights, and all forms of violence. To me, this raises the question of ‘what legacy do I want my generation to leave to future generations? ‘   Such questions should be constantly on the minds of every youth of this generation.
About 43% of the world’s population is under the age of 25. Youths therefore make up close to half   of the global population and are logically those most affected by the plagues of our generation (disease poverty, hunger, and abuse of human rights).The above reinforces my belief in the fact that it is in the ultimate interest of youths of this generation to make the eradication of those things plaguing our world a priority. It is only then that governments, policy makers, traditional and religious authorities  will clearly see how much we long to live in a  world where people’s gender, sexual orientation, and status in society is nothing compared to their right to treatment, safe delivery, and  access health facilities.
While we have rights we also have responsibilities, and one of those responsibilities is to leave the world better than we had it for the generations to come. If we expect to receive more let’s be prepared to give more than we receive. Come to think of it, we are the generation with the highest chances ever of making access to health care for all a reality, ending gender based violence, and making poverty history. Our time really is now and we must never allow this opportunity to leave a cherished legacy to future generations pass us by. Do something today for this generation’s legacy and the good of future generations so that we could one day proudly say: Our generation made the world a better place.