Youth Forum for breaking barriers
Oct 15, 2007
THE Uganda Government will host the 6th Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) at Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe, from November 14 to 21. The main objective of the Youth Forum is to provide a platform for young people to contribute to the Commonwealth and the summit agenda.
By Carol Kezaabu and Moses Mulondo
THE Uganda Government will host the 6th Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) at Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe, from November 14 to 21. The main objective of the Youth Forum is to provide a platform for young people to contribute to the Commonwealth and the summit agenda.
The discussions at the forum will focus on the theme: “Breaking barriers; unleashing young people’s potential for developmentâ€.
The Forum brings together young people from the Commonwealth nations to discuss youth issues of contemporary importance. Each CYF addresses young people’s concerns and builds on the work of the previous forum to formulate a statement of recommendations and action plans which are shared with heads of Governments and disseminated among Commonwealth member countries.
Nasser Mukwaya, the Secretary for the 2007 CYF sub-committee said the focus of this forum will be on the legal, social and economic barriers that affect young people’s involvement in development. The four salient issues that will be discussed are youth and sustainable development, conflict resolution and social transformation, youth and AIDS, and globalisation, trade and youth participation in decision-making.
Keynote speakers include Wangari Mathi from Kenya, Mohamed Yunus (Founder of the Bangladesh Grammeen Bank), Betty Bigombe from the UN, Ellaine Howard from Australia, and Kihumuro Apuuli of the Uganda AIDS Commission.
The Uganda youth minister, James Kinobe, says: “The youth are also vulnerable like women and other vulnerable groups. Like the women agenda, we also need a well-funded youth agenda. Youth issues should be involved in all development plans. “Their vulnerability puts them at risk of HIV, poverty, brainwashing, misuse in conflicts as child soldiers, misled into riots and demonstrations, and often sexually abused by sugar mummies and daddies,†Kinobe argues.
He adds that no poverty eradication programme can yield meaningful results if it ignores the youth, who not only constitute the majority, but are also the most productive.
Kinobe said although Uganda has youth political structures from the grassroots, a lot is still desired especially as regards youth economic empowerment.
“This year, Uganda has been greatly blessed to host two international youth conferences in the same period of time. The experience from the Commonwealth Youth Forum in November will help us to successfully host the Afro-Arab Youth Forum in December,†Kinobe says.
He said pre-CHOGM national, regional, district school dialogues were held to promote the mission and objectives of the CYF among Ugandan youths.
The Commonwealth Youth Forum was first held in London in 1997. Since then, it has become one of the routine events that precede CHOGM. The other forums took place in Durban, South Africa 1999, the Gold Coast, Australia in 2001, Abuja, Nigeria in 2003 and Valletta, Malta in 2005.
At each of these forums, objectives were drawn from the themes or mission statements which the young people came up with as their agenda for the Commonwealth of the 21st Century.
Each Commonwealth country is expected to send two young representatives (one male and one female) to Uganda in November. Uganda will have 25 youth representatives. Mukwaya said they were trying to include youth from all sectors like youth MPs, students, NGOs, faith-based organisations, the disabled, representatives from the opposition parties and the ruling party.
The Government will meet the costs of the youth delegates while they are here, but their travel costs will be handled by their respective countries. The official language at the Sixth Commonwealth Youth Forum will be English. In a bid to promote Uganda’s tourism, the sub-committee is making preparations for the youth to visit the Source of the Nile and Bujagali Falls.
President Museveni said the Youth Forum will be an opportunity for the youth to share experiences with their peers from the Commonwealth family.
THE Uganda Government will host the 6th Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) at Botanical Beach Hotel in Entebbe, from November 14 to 21. The main objective of the Youth Forum is to provide a platform for young people to contribute to the Commonwealth and the summit agenda.
The discussions at the forum will focus on the theme: “Breaking barriers; unleashing young people’s potential for developmentâ€.
The Forum brings together young people from the Commonwealth nations to discuss youth issues of contemporary importance. Each CYF addresses young people’s concerns and builds on the work of the previous forum to formulate a statement of recommendations and action plans which are shared with heads of Governments and disseminated among Commonwealth member countries.
Nasser Mukwaya, the Secretary for the 2007 CYF sub-committee said the focus of this forum will be on the legal, social and economic barriers that affect young people’s involvement in development. The four salient issues that will be discussed are youth and sustainable development, conflict resolution and social transformation, youth and AIDS, and globalisation, trade and youth participation in decision-making.
Keynote speakers include Wangari Mathi from Kenya, Mohamed Yunus (Founder of the Bangladesh Grammeen Bank), Betty Bigombe from the UN, Ellaine Howard from Australia, and Kihumuro Apuuli of the Uganda AIDS Commission.
The Uganda youth minister, James Kinobe, says: “The youth are also vulnerable like women and other vulnerable groups. Like the women agenda, we also need a well-funded youth agenda. Youth issues should be involved in all development plans. “Their vulnerability puts them at risk of HIV, poverty, brainwashing, misuse in conflicts as child soldiers, misled into riots and demonstrations, and often sexually abused by sugar mummies and daddies,†Kinobe argues.
He adds that no poverty eradication programme can yield meaningful results if it ignores the youth, who not only constitute the majority, but are also the most productive.
Kinobe said although Uganda has youth political structures from the grassroots, a lot is still desired especially as regards youth economic empowerment.
“This year, Uganda has been greatly blessed to host two international youth conferences in the same period of time. The experience from the Commonwealth Youth Forum in November will help us to successfully host the Afro-Arab Youth Forum in December,†Kinobe says.
He said pre-CHOGM national, regional, district school dialogues were held to promote the mission and objectives of the CYF among Ugandan youths.
The Commonwealth Youth Forum was first held in London in 1997. Since then, it has become one of the routine events that precede CHOGM. The other forums took place in Durban, South Africa 1999, the Gold Coast, Australia in 2001, Abuja, Nigeria in 2003 and Valletta, Malta in 2005.
At each of these forums, objectives were drawn from the themes or mission statements which the young people came up with as their agenda for the Commonwealth of the 21st Century.
Each Commonwealth country is expected to send two young representatives (one male and one female) to Uganda in November. Uganda will have 25 youth representatives. Mukwaya said they were trying to include youth from all sectors like youth MPs, students, NGOs, faith-based organisations, the disabled, representatives from the opposition parties and the ruling party.
The Government will meet the costs of the youth delegates while they are here, but their travel costs will be handled by their respective countries. The official language at the Sixth Commonwealth Youth Forum will be English. In a bid to promote Uganda’s tourism, the sub-committee is making preparations for the youth to visit the Source of the Nile and Bujagali Falls.
President Museveni said the Youth Forum will be an opportunity for the youth to share experiences with their peers from the Commonwealth family.