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• August 1973: Commonwealth Youth Programme endorsed at Commonwealth Heads of Government

August 1973: Commonwealth Youth Programme endorsed at Commonwealth Heads of Government

While this month sees the 35 th anniversary of the Heads of Government endorsement of Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), the Secretariats involvement with youth affairs began earlier.

In 1969 a British paper to Heads of Government requested the Secretariat investigate various aspects of the field. Regional seminars were held on Youth and Development in Africa, the Caribbean followed by Asia and the Pacific and two seminars in Commonwealth Europe. This series of seminars was designed to be as broad in its reach as possible and ranged from the issues of primary school leavers in a large continent to the specific problems of small states. Collating this information in his report of 1973 the Secretary General stated there were over 200 Commonwealth youth related programmes already in existence.[1]

The importance and value of this work was reiterated again at the 5th Commonwealth Education Conference, again at the 1971 Head of Government Meeting which concluded that Commonwealth Youth ministers make a comprehensive review of the whole complex of youth problems, with special emphasis on the alleviation of unemployment, taking into account the particular needs of different countries and regions, [2] and again at the Youth Ministers Meeting in June 1972. All of which lead to the endorsement at the 1973 CHOGM.

The records relating to the regional seminars, the 5th Commonwealth Education Conference and other materials concerned with youth affairs can be found in the Commonwealth Secretariats Library and Archives.

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