Call for empowerment of young people as world marks International Youth Day

For peace and security to prevail over war, governments and policy-makers must commit to a strategic partnership with the youth. The call was made by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) ahead of celebrations to mark the International Youth Day today. Marked every year on August 12, the day seeks to honour the actions young people around the world take to improve their well-being and that of their communities. The theme for this year’s celebrations is: “Youth Civic Engagement”. “For people, the planet and prosperity to flourish, we need the fullest capability and broadest engagement of the youth,” explained the UNFPA Rwanda executive director, Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, in a statement. “Young people are driving change towards a better future for all in every corner of the world. They are leading global action on climate change, campaigning to end discrimination, speaking out to uphold democracy and the freedom of speech, connecting our world with innovations in information technology, and building peace in societies ravaged by war,” he added. In Rwanda, national celebrations for the day have been moved to August 22, according to Youth and ICT minister Jean Philbert Nsengimana. “We have set our own celebrations for August 22 because tomorrow’s (Wednesday) date falls on a week-day,” he explained. “The theme for this year’s celebrations is “Youth Civic Engagement”, so for us, it is really about all the progress the youth of Rwanda have made in that regard. It is also about developing and nurturing their participation, not just in politics, but also civic engagement, and economic and social empowerment.” The minister revealed that for the national celebrations, his ministry plans to hold exhibitions across the country to highlight the diverse achievements of young people in critical sectors such as health, the economy and social participation. Osotimehin noted that more than half the population in 65 countries across the globe is younger than 24, a fact that should be used to further harness their collective potential. “Denying these young people the right to meaningful participation in decision-making is a gross violation of their human rights and a failure of the democratic process. It is also a waste of human capital that can propel nations towards development,” he explained. He added that the next 15 years offer a unique opportunity for the youth demographic to accelerate conflict-recovery and sustainable economic growth and development “if we empower, support, educate and create employment for young people today”: Yet, for the most part, Osomitehin explained, young people remain excluded from decision-making processes. “Although 16 per cent of the world’s population is 20-29 years old, this age group represents only 1.6 per cent of parliamentarians, most of whom are men. Young people rarely join political parties, and the majority do not vote in elections.” He dismissed the notion that young people are uninterested or simply do not care: “Today’s young people are better educated and volunteer more for causes than previous generations. They are also a key driving force behind making companies, organisations and governments more socially and environmentally conscious.” He outlined the various legal, social and cultural barriers and discrimination that young girls, in particular, face in their quest to serve their communities: “Adolescent girls, in particular, are often burdened by child marriage, sexual violence, unplanned pregnancies and HIV, preventing their full civic engagement. To have any chance of succeeding in building a better future for humanity, we must remove the obstacles confronted by young people and invest in their health, well-being, education and livelihoods to unleash and leverage their full potential as global citizens. We must ensure that all young people have access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including comprehensive sexuality education.” editoria@newtimes.co.rw

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Call for empowerment of young people as world marks International Youth Day