Today, December 10 2019, is recognised as International Human Rights Day. Human Rights Day marks the anniversary on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. This document emphasises the relevance of human rights in our daily lives regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, political opinions, and so on.

The theme for this year’s Human Rights Day is ‘Youth Standing up For Human Rights’. According to the UN website, the theme focuses on the youth because they are essential to achieve sustainable development for all, the youth can play a crucial role in positive change, and empowering the youth will generate benefits globally.

With respect to Jamaica, our national development plan is mainly detailed in Vision 2030. This document covers different sustainable development targets that our country aims to achieve in the next 10 years. Since the goals for Vision 2030 will affect most of the youth of today and tomorrow, it is important that their voices are heard on matters concerning nation-building and sustainable development.

Youth represent a significant segment of the Jamaican population (approximately 19 per cent) and they represent purpose, promise, and hope for a better future. Now, more than ever before, young people are more engaged and informed about current affairs, as well as the unique social, economic, and political problems that Jamaica presently grapples with. Long gone are the days where young people were flippant about government affairs.

The advent of social media has also made young people in Jamaica more proactive and also more vocal in voicing their opinions about matters that affect them. They are using the various online platforms to challenge the status quo and lobby for meaningful changes to be effected in our country. The U-Report messaging tool is an example of an online platform which gives voice to myriad issues affecting youth in Jamaica. Moreover, in empowering them to express their concerns, U-Report affords them the opportunity to engage key stakeholders in government, as well as in the public, private, and third sectors. Together with social media, it sends a powerful message about the important impact of youth in shaping national dialogues, as well as the consequences of ignoring or otherwise underestimating the potency of this impact.

In a bid to help young Jamaicans assist with improving the nation, the Government launched the Youth Advisory Council of Jamaica in 2016. Its purpose is to facilitate dialogue between the youth and the various government organisations. Doing this gives young people a direct input in the decision-making process of the country. Since its inception, the Youth Advisory Council made significant improvement to the National Youth Parliament so as to increase youth involvement. Much like the Youth Advisory Council, the National Youth Parliament is also an avenue for young people to provide input. The National Youth Parliament was initially implemented in 2003. Since then, the programme has been moulded to allow the young parliamentarians to delve into government matters. This year it was announced that the recommendations of the youth parliament will be considered by the Government. The recommendations made touched and concerned matters of national security, information and communication technology and its potential for economic growth and reform of the electoral system.

Notwithstanding the strides that the young people have made in being active agents influencing sustainable development, there is still a lot more to be done. Among the biggest issues plaguing the youth is violence (particularly against children), poor mental health support and high unemployment rates. The unemployment rate among young people is disheartening as it signals the lack of willingness to develop our human capital, a vital aspect of any country’s long-term plan. As we work to achieve sustainable development, let us remember that empowerment of the youth is the fuel needed to take Jamaica, land we love, to the next level. As such, an investment in the potential and promise of youth will undoubtedly augur well for Jamaica’s holistic and sustainable development.

The above piece is submitted by Tia Blake — a member of the Norman Manley Law School Human Rights Committee. Send comments to the Observer or nmlshumanrightscommittee@yahoo.com.