CHOGM

Commonwealth Youth Council set up

Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana reporting from the CommonwealthYouth Forum in Hambantota

The newly laid tarmac motorways built to international standards gives an electrifying feeling to any visitor who has been to the area a couple of years ago and seeing the difference now.

It’s not once or twice a first time traveller would lose the way in this maze of sophisticated highways and flyovers circling Magam Ruhunupura which could be seen only in ultra -developed countries. Colourful flags flutter to the surge of the warm but abundantly blowing breeze of the Dry Zone generating a blissful and exciting thought that the grand structure stands tall in the clear blue sky harbouring the blazing sun.

The atmosphere was transformed and dull, hot Hambantota turned into a small oasis embracing the exuberant youth spirit arriving from all parts of the world. The With no exaggeration the Magam Ruhunupura International Conference Centre is truly an eye catching icon.

The five-day- long Youth Forum of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting concluded in grand style on Thursday in Hambantota, not only as another significant international event but as a turning point that paved the way for future world youth activities by setting up the Commonwealth Youth Council.

The forum was attended by 119 participants from 42 Commonwealth countries worldwide of which 97 were foreign youth delegates while several thousand youth took part in the event locally. This was a significant number compared to previous Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) held in Perth in Western Australia in 2011.

The forum was inaugurated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma at the Magam Ruhunupura International Conference Centre (MRICC) in Hambantota. President Rajapaksa pledged his fullest support and cooperation to the vibrant youth community while reminiscing his career in becoming the leader of the country from being the youngest member of Parliament.

The Government expressed its desire that if the CYC head office was permanently located in Hambantota it would bear the entire expenses of the Council for the next two years.

The nine member Commonwealth Youth Council which would be equal to the Commonwealth Youth Program was formed on Wednesday having passed the constitution for the CYC which was drafted in Papua New Guinea last year. Youth representatives of 35 Commonwealth countries who were at the forum individually signed and passed the constitution which was unanimously adopted by its members.

Youth delegates arriving at the conference

An election was held to appoint the candidates for Vice Chairperson and Regional Representatives of the Youth Council, said Mohamed Husni, one of the candidates. for the post of Vice Chairperson.

Online voting

An online voting system was in place for six hours for participating and non-participating countries of the Commonwealth to appoint members to eight council posts including three Vice Chairperson posts, four Regional Representatives and a single vacancy for a Representative for Special Interest Groups. The post of Chairperson was uncontested from the African/EU region according to an understanding of the members of the Commonwealth Youth Caucus.

The Youth Caucus is a body of youth representatives that support the Commonwealth Youth Programme and meets at national, regional and pan-commonwealth levels.

The Youth Caucus is represented in the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting and helps to organise the Commonwealth Youth Forum which meets prior to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The event has been organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development, Sri Lanka Youth Services Council,Commonwealth Youth Program (CYP) and the Youth Affairs Division and Youth Exchange Council of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The Youth Led Task Force (YLTF) acted as the steering committee for the Commonwealth Youth Forum. The CYP is based in London as its head office and four regional centre in Africa (Lusaka, Zambia), in Asia (Chandigarh, India), in Caribbean (Georgetown, Guyana) and in Pacific (Honiara, Solomon Islands). Currently there are Four Regional Directors and 16 program officers plus support staff work for the CYS.

Director of the Youth Affairs of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Katherine Ellis said the Youth Forum in Sri Lanka will be a turning point for the development of youth affairs. Setting up an independent Youth Council would enable youth to address their issues and find solutions and urge Commonwealth Heads of Government to implement the recommendations adopted in future youth forums.

Youth Led Task Force

The Youth Led Task Force is a collaboration of five selected international youth representatives and five local youth representatives headed by two co-chairs. Kusala Kumara Jayendra Fernando of Sri Lanka, an experienced youth development worker and Ellie Seckold of Australia . Aruthra Rajasingham, Sihan Dammika Jayasinghe, Tharika Dileepani and Nooranie Muthaliph represent the Sri Lankan side of YLTF while John Loughton, Karl Konadu, Esther Eshiet, Jean Paul and Shireene McMillan represent the international side.

On a special request from the Sri Lanka Youth Services Council a delegation of 25 local youth and 20 local observers were included to take part in the forum. This group consisted of representatives from various fields including students, an ex-combatant, an indigenous person as well as a differently-abled youth.

Director of the Youth Affairs of the Commonwealth Secretariat, Katherine Ellis

Cameroon Youth delegate, Ngen Yves Riyuh

They were selected after interviews were held. Apart from this 100 British UK volunteers also took part.

According to Chairman Sri Lanka Youth Services Council Lalith Piyum Perera a group of 750 youth were spectators at the inauguration and 1, 500 attended the special cultural show organised at the latter part of the four- day forum, a batch of 1, 000 youth attended closing ceremony and around 3, 000 youths participated the tree planting session at the Dry Zone Botanical Gardens of Mirijjawila as a part of the fifth day’s program attended by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

All these youth had been selected from Youth Clubs spread across the country in district wise affiliated to the Sri Lanka Youth Services Council.

Chairman Sri Lanka Youth Services Council – Lalith Piyum Perera told the Sunday Observer that the preparations for the Commonwealth Youth Forum was held to educate the youth community in the country about the mega international event.

These awareness programs were held countrywide through youth clubs . He said that the benefits reaped out of this forum will be conveyed to the Sri Lankan youth in countrywide through youth clubs for the uplift of their lifestyles and standards.

The theme of the 2013 Commonwealth Youth Forum is “Inclusive Development: Stronger Together”. The forum was packed with a number of interactive sessions, panel discussions, concurrent policy working group sessions, concurrent capacity building sessions and parallel side events on a wide range of popular and contemporary topics like gender equity, generating quality youth employment, reconciliation and social cohesion, well-being and economic growth, youth education, sexual and reproductive health and rights as well as on Youth in Post 2015 Development Agenda.

The forum was also attended by local and foreign experts in economy and trade, medical and family planning, leading entrepreneurs as well as business tycoons, eminent scholars and academics who enlighten youth with various issues and drafting resolutions.

Chairman Sri Lanka Youth Services Council, Lalith Piyum Perera

Vice Chairperson of CYC (Inclusion and Engagement), Mohamed Husni

Youth Led Task Force Co-Chair Kusala Kumara Jayendra Fernando said that the recommendations and resolutions adopted in the working group sessions were later briefed to Commonwealth Foreign Ministers at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting which was subsequently presented to the Commonwealth heads at the main session. The Youth Council representatives also officially submitted the new constitution of the Commonwealth Youth Council to the heads at the youth dialogue held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall following the CHOGM opening ceremony.

“The collective youth vision for the Commonwealth will be shared and agreed on how the youth group can work with governments to achieve Commonwealth goals and objectives during the coming two years,” said Fernando.

In the youth dialogue the heads were requested to encourage youth communities of their countries to take part in the World Youth Conference that will be held in Sri Lanka next year.

The World Youth Conference is yet another mega event focused on the youth community that will be organised by the government of Sri Lanka with the support of the United Nations.

Expert in youth affairs Ravi Karkara attached to UN-Habitat, United Nations Millennium Campaign, who delivered the keynote speech on “Youth in the Post 2015 Development Agenda” will be the advisor to World Youth Conference.

He said that a proposal to establish the head office of the new Commonwealth Youth Council Secretariat in Hambantota, Sri Lanka has also been presented to the Commonwealth heads while the final decision on this will be discussed and passed by the executive committee of the CYC. Several meetings were held by CYC executive committee in this regard yesterday morning where proposals has been made by the non-Sri Lankan members of the committee has proposed to have a head office in London at the same time having an office in Hambantota.

Cameroon Youth Delegate – Ngen Yves Riyuh said that it was a great opportunity to take part in this international event discussing youth- related issues where many points can be taken into consideration to be implemented in his own country. “We’re taking ideas and examples and so much else from this forum that would be ideal in addressing youth-related issues in Cameroon.

He was excited to see the local youth participation and praised the organising skills and hospitality of the Sri Lankan government to hold such a mega event.