Over 350 young people from across the Commonwealth are taking part in a three-day Youth Forum, where extensive discussions are to be held around their role in tailored policy recommendations for a common future. The forum, which opened Sunday, is the first event at the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) edition. The youth forum is running under the theme: ‘Taking Charge of our Future.’ More than 60 per cent of Commonwealth citizens are under the age of 30, and the youth forum is seen as an opportunity to exchange youth-related challenges and explore ways to tap into innovative and economic opportunities for growth. The forum features sessions that allow for an environment conducive for networking and exchanging ideas, building skills, and generating solutions to the most pressing challenges facing young people. Some of the issues on the agenda include unemployment, gender inequality, crime, and access to quality education and training. Darrion Narine, the co-chair of an International Youth Task Force coordinating the forum, said they have worked hard over the last few months to deliver an inspiring and productive forum that will get young people engaging in critical issues impacting youths across the Commonwealth. “We hope the next three days will provide an invaluable opportunity for the 350 youth representatives in attendance, to have an input on building a future that benefits us all – paving the way to a stronger and more successful Commonwealth,” she said. Jacob Eyeru, a youth representative from Uganda, said the gathering represented an opportunity for the youth to shape their future. He said this is partly possible because of the shared language, English. We can begin to be a part of the conversations of the world from this capital of Rwanda to talk about climate action, innovation, young people leading progressive change in Africa he said. I am really very positive about Africa, Eyeru noted. The young leaders, entrepreneurs, and activists from the 54 member states of the Commonwealth will also have an opportunity to meet heads of government during a scheduled session dubbed ‘intergenerational dialogue’. This week, 35 Heads of Government will be in Rwanda to participate in CHOGM, along with about 5000 delegates from around the world. Among the delegates expected are several First Ladies. Besides the youth forum, several other clusters have been lined up including the Heads of Government Meeting (the main event), Women Forum, People’s Forum, Business Forum, as well as other side events and social activities. The Commonwealth is home to a third of the world’s population with about 2.6 billion people - out of 7.9 billion globally – living in the Commonwealths 54 countries.
