Caribbean Youth Leaders commit to National Youth Councils in each country by 2012

Youth leaders from twenty-one countries recently spent three days discussing ways to strengthen youth governance networks in the Caribbean as part of a Commonwealth Youth Leadership Summit facilitated by the Commonwealth Youth Programme Caribbean Centre in Bridgetown, Barbados (CYP). The Summit was held in response to calls from Governments and young people attending various high-level Commonwealth meetings to focus on youth participation in decision-making and to strengthen the role of elected youth councils in decision-making and development.

Participating youth leaders discussed the need for greater collaboration in addressing common issues facing youth councils in the region, and for efforts to identify and adopt effective practices. At the end of the 3-day meeting the participants agreed to work together to establish youth councils in each country where they do not currently exist, drawing upon good practices that they had identified based on national operations and those set out by the President of the European Youth Forum in his presentation.

Summit participants set a deadline of 2012 for youth councils to be established or revamped in the eight countries of the region where they are currently non-existent or dormant. Recognizing the benefits of a strong regional youth governance network, they also agreed to continue working together towards this process. A team chaired by Jason Francis, President of the Barbados Youth Development Council, was established to manage the process of consulting with young people across the region. Beginning in July the CYP will assist National Youth Councils in developing strategies for consultation with their members and other stakeholders, and in using the information obtained through these consultations to draft a strategic plan.

Caribbean Youth Leaders commit to National Youth Councils in each country by 2012

Cameroon to establish national youth council

Elections will begin October 15 for a new Cameroon National Youth Council. Only members of organizations that have registered with the Ministry of Youth Affairs will be eligible to vote or stand for election. Candidates may run for election at the municipal, divisional, regional and national levels. Elections will run through the end of October.

Last January the government released the electoral code for the election of the Council's executive bureau. Concerns were raised at that time by youth organizations about the registration requirement and about a requirement that organizations intending to present candidates pay levies for the privilege of doing so. Fako Divisional Delegate of Youth Affairs Isaac Ikombe Mbua responded that the levies provide a way to discourage candidates who were not serious about standing for election. The fees run from FCFA 5,000 for an office at the local level to FCFA 50,000 for candidates running for President of the Executive Bureau.

The levies and registration requirement are a genuine concern as they will certainly limit the pool of candidates, and thus may lead to the election of a council that is not truly representative of the youth of Cameroon.

National Youth Council Set for Takeoff

Youth Counsellors Elections - Preparations Underway

Sri Lanka establishes National Children's Council to involve children in policy

In honor of Universal Children's Day 2009, Sri Lanka is establishing a National Children's Council to provide Sri Lankan children with a means to share their ideas and views on issues that concern children. Sarath Abeygunawardana, the government's Probation and Child Care Services Commissioner, promises that the council will have a significant impact on policymaking.

According to Abeygunawardana, what happens is adults taking all the decisions for children and making policies on behalf of them without consulting the children. Children's ideas should be given a space in all policies related to them. It is one of their rights. Children's Councils have already been set up at Divisional Secretariat division level and district level, he said.

Children in policy-making

Kenya's youth council bill

There is a bill in the Kenyan Parliament to establish a national youth council whose functions would include, among other things:

• Registering youth groups and youth-focused community-based organizations:
• Promoting and popularizing official national youth policy, and facilitating the periodic review of said policy;
• Mobilizing resources to support and fund youth programs and initiatives;
• Lobbying for legislation on issues affecting youth;
• Liaising with other organizations to ensure youth have access to resources and services appropriate to their needs;
• Inspiring and promoting "the spirit of unity, patriotism, volunteerism and service among the youth";
• "[Acting] as a voice and bridge to ensure that the government and other policy makers are kept informed of the views and other aspirations of the youth";
• Promoting research on youth issues.

The bill, however, includes no requirement that its membership include actual youth. The membership requirements also make it unlikely that the members would be representative of the population as a whole. Members must have a university degree and 3 years of experience developing youth programs or projects.

For a critique of the bill, see this blog post.