Message to CHOGM 2007 from Commonwealth Youth Ministers
26 May 2006
We, Commonwealth Youth Ministers at our Sixth Meeting in Nassau, The Bahamas, from 24 to 26 May 2006, reaffirm the development and empowerment of young people as a fundamental Commonwealth goal. We acknowledge that our youth have a lot in common and that they are our commonwealth
We recognise that young women and men in the 15-29 age group constitute over of half the population of the Commonwealth, and reaffirm our commitment to youth development through a rights-based approach, and to promoting the role of young people in national development, democracy and good governance. We agree that the Commonwealth needs to create a democratic, stable and peaceful enabling environment and conditions in which young people can both benefit from and share the responsibilities of national development.
Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment (PAYE) 2006-2015
We recommend that CHOGM endorse the new Plan of Action for Youth Empowerment 2006-2015 (PAYE), which is aligned to Commonwealth and international mandates such as the MDGs and provides the framework for all Commonwealth youth development work in the areas of poverty eradication, and economic empowerment, democracy and good governance, HIV/AIDS and gender equality. We also recommend the Strategic Plan for the period 2006-2008 to CHOGM, which plan is focused on three priority areas: Youth Enterprise and Sustainable Livelihoods; Governance, Development and Youth Networks; and Youth Work, Education and Training.
Youth Development Index (YDI)
We recognise that the monitoring of the performance of youth development programmes and their impact on young peoples' lives and their communities has been inadequate and inconsistent. We endorse the Youth Development Index as a Commonwealth-led global monitoring mechanism for measuring youth development in member countries, in collaboration with international partners.
Youth Mainstreaming
We endorse youth mainstreaming as the core approach for implementing the PAYE and Strategic Plan. We agree that governments should mainstream youth development and empowerment in all policy making, planning and programme delivery in the political, legal, economic and social spheres.
We recognize that family structures underpin CYP's strategic plan and priority areas, and that there is need to strengthen them within our societies.
We also recognise that some Youth Ministries are under-resourced and not optimally placed in government. We therefore call on Heads of Government to, where appropriate, increase resource allocations for youth development to enable the Ministries to more effectively lead the multi-sectoral, youth mainstreaming approach to youth development and empowerment.
We submit the attached Communiqué to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala,
SixthCommonwealthYouth Ministers Meeting (6CYMM)
Nassau, The
26 May 2006
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