Youth delegates discuss MDGs and rooting out corruption

Thursday, 8 May 2014 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The round table sessions of the World Conference on Youth (WCY) 2014 began at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Convention Hall (BMICH) yesterday.

Following the main plenary session, speakers and delegates representing over 169 countries were divided into seven different themes. ‘Achieving Good Governance and Accountability’ was one of the topics discussed. Approximately 100 youth delegates participated in this round table session. The panel comprised of the following: Secretary General of Universal Peace Foundation Asia Ursula McLackland, Elodie Beth of the UN Development Program and the Policy and Research Coordinator of Restless Development Sarah Haynes. Haynes spoke about the challenges faced by youth in achieving the MDGs and showed the necessity of an effective mechanism to employ youth in realising goals. Beth talked about the importance and ways of empowering youth to achieve good governance and accountability. In her presentation, she said: “The UN works by, with and for young people as initiators, collaborators and target groups in shaping the youth for the Post-2015 Agenda.”

McLackland, in her speech, stressed the importance of having a pleasant family background in promoting good governance. “Family environment is very important in character-building, and this is why marriages are urged,” she said. During the question and answer session, youth delegates raised questions on issues of corruption in both the Government and private sectors. Their focus was mainly on how the young people can take part in rooting out corruption.

Dr. Amunugama says support for youth will fasten economic growth

The plenary session on ‘Mainstreaming Youth in the Post-2015 Agenda: Looking Back’ was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) yesterday. Speaking on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) while addressing the gathering, Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Dr. Sarath Amunugama said while the world has done well in achieving many MDGs, the global community is still confronted with many challenges including reducing acute poverty, achieving sustainable economic development and facing the threat of climate change. “MDGs are not about government, they are about people,” Dr. Amunugama said. “And when you talk about people, our main focus should be and will be on youth. The next set of MDGs will be concerning you.” What countries do for their youth population will determine whether those countries will grow faster, socially and economically, Minister Amunugama added. The Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Sri Lanka Subinay Nandy said the synergy of youth coming together with national leaders is very crucial in shaping the future world. As the driving force of any nation, you must help respective communities to face national and global challenges, he said. Vice President of the European Youth Forum Lloyd Rusell-Moyle also spoke during the session about what needs to be addressed in the future to reach the ambitions that have not been reached thus far. Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development Dullas Alahapperuma and Chairman of the Junior Chamber International Dr. Shyan Baskaran were also present at the plenary sessions.