Forum Boss Calls for increased participation of Young People in decision making
March 4th, 2012A call for the increased participation of young people in decision making has been made by the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Tuiloma Neroni Slade. He was speaking at the launch of the United Nations Children’s’ Fund (UNICEF) report ‘The State of the World’s Children 2012’ held at the Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji, on Tuesday February 29th 2012.
Mr. Slade said he read with interest the call for greater involvement of children and youth in policy and practice, and in partnerships between urban poor and Government and added that he believed that meaningful development for urban children and young people can only be realised through their effective involvement and hearing them.
Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in their 2011 Communiqué acknowledged the need for greater action in mainstreaming youth issues nationally and regionally, increasing employment and other meaningful opportunities for youth, and including the voice of youth in decision making.
At the CYP Pacific Centre Young People’s Leadership Conference held in Brisbane in October last year, regional youth stakeholders, senior government officials and representatives of young people of the Pacific endorsed the need for a Pacific Youth framework that will enable improved coordination of youth work in the Pacific and improved collaboration between regional youth stakeholders, government partners and young people.
