Investing in youth: unleashing the potential of young entrepreneurs

The objective of the conference is to strengthen the agenda for youth enterprise by providing opportunities for young entrepreneurs to gain access to finance, markets, and skills. Young people will be invited to showcase their work and learn about generating financial resources while promoting interest in youth enterprise.

The conference will cover issues of youth enterprise and sustainable livelihoods, skills building and financing youth enterprises. It will bring together young entrepreneurs, youth development NGOs, corporate responsibility managers and policy-makers, providing them with an opportunity to network, exchange knowledge and share best practices.

The conference is also important because it will mark the launch of the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment 2007-2015. This calls for investment in enterprise education, training and micro-credit as ‘measures to promote the economic enfranchisement of young people’. The Plan of Action is the framework for Commonwealth governments and civil society organisations to work with young people for positive change, and takes its place alongside human rights instruments, poverty reduction strategy papers, national budgets and other policy frameworks relevant to young people aged 15-29 years.

HRH The Prince of Wales will welcome delegates through a video message. Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon will address the conference and officially launch the Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment.

The programme for the conference will be made available shortly.

For further enquires contact Bertha Oluwole at cyp@commonwealth.int

Investing in Youth Flyer