KIGALI, Rwanda — “Fellow youth delegates and partners, your creativity, skill sets and abilities are needed to drive the change we want. Now is the time to act. We have to progress the efforts taken in the past through strategic and transformational approaches,” declared Kim Allen of Papua New Guinea on Sunday after he was announced as the new chair of the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC).

“Today’s challenges and issues are more complex than decades ago. The world is slowly coming out of the pandemic, a crisis that affected our lives in many ways. Climate change, loss of biodiversity, hate and discrimination, economic turmoil resulting in high unemployment rates, the digital divide, mental health, inequalities in education and health, conflicts and political instability, to name a few, all happen due to human actions and certain situations beyond our control. Amid these challenges arise the opportunities to create a positive change,” added Allen during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Youth Forum in Kagali.

Two Jamaicans — Everton Rattray (vice-chair, partnership & resources) and Nahjae Nunes (vice-chair, policy & advocacy) — were among the 40 people nominated to serve on the CYC for the 2022-2024 period, but up to press time Sunday there was no indication if either had been successful.

Rattray is a Prime Minister Youth Awardee for Leadership and in 2017 he became the youngest person to be appointed youth adviser by the Government of Jamaica.

Nunes is a seasoned youth leader with close to a decade of grass roots, local, regional and global experience in leadership, advocacy, policy development and social justice.

The contest by the two youth leaders unfolded under the radar of most Jamaicans who have been focused on the bid by Kamina Johnson Smith to replace Baroness Patricia Scotland as the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The CYC is the recognised voice for approximately 1.2 billion young people across the 54 countries of the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth Youth Forum is being held ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). It proves a unique opportunity for young leaders to bring policy recommendations to their governments — asserting their role in shaping the future of the Commonwealth.

It is estimated that more than 60 per cent of Commonwealth citizens are under the age of 30 — a demographic distinctly impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic and its associated economic and social fallout.

Many young people lost their jobs or were unable to access the labour market, while millions more experienced disrupted education.

“There is no denying that the challenge before us is great. The disruptions and impact of COVID-19 cast a shadow that could stretch across the coming decades, threatening to rob us of the social and economic progress we have made and exacerbating existing weaknesses. But, in the Commonwealth we have a powerful advantage — a young majority who are brimming with talent, intent on innovation, and eager to be part of the solution,” said Scotland in the lead-up to the start of the forum.

“They have sent a clear message through the theme of their forum ‘Taking Charge of our Future’, and in Kigali they will sit together and consider the challenges. Looking at the evidence in our Youth Development Index, which measures how countries are performing on aspects such as youth employment and youth participation in politics, they will agree [on] the solutions, the actions and the changes they want our heads of governments to consider when they meet.

“At this critical time in our history the Commonwealth recognises the critical importance of giving these powerful youth leaders a voice and a space, and we are excited to see what they will bring to the table,” added Scotland.

During Sunday’s opening day, the youth leaders in Plenary One discussed the role of youth leadership in affecting needed change and the roles of other actors, while Plenary Two explored “sustainability” under the current social, political and economic context.

In a breakout lab the youth leaders examined ‘Governance and the rule of law, youth and human capital, trade, entrepreneurship and employment, technology and innovation, sustainability health and COVID-19’.

Today the young leaders will look at several issues including ‘Youth championing innovation for transformation and development’ and the launch of youth-led initiatives which will include an ‘Alliance for Active Action Against HPV — Commonwealth’s Youth Taskforce for HPV Awareness and Cervical Cancer Elimination’.

The young people will conclude their forum on Tuesday, when it is expected that they will agree on a set of policy recommendations which will be recorded and presented to heads of government in a youth declaration. The members of the 2022-2024 CYC will be installed on Tuesday.

They will also have an opportunity to meet heads of governments during an inter-generational dialogue session.