We commit ourselves that we shall listen, work together, and find solutions along the way, President Paul Kagame assured the Commonwealth youth on June 25. He was speaking at the 7th Commonwealth Intergenerational Dialogue that took place on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali. The dialogue brought together different heads of government and five youth representing the regions of the Commonwealth as they articulated various challenges the youth face and proposed solutions thereof. President Kagame said it is clear the youth have a mastery of the challenges the world is facing but also what needs to be done to deal with these challenges. “It is clear that the whole world, particularly young people face problems of climate change, unemployment, access to skills, to finance, to technologies, all these are things we have to pay attention to together,” he noted. Working together is the first thing as members of the Commonwealth, the young, the old, he said, “There are not going to be always just problems for the youth, then problems for the old, there are those that are cut across and we share, that’s why it is important that we work together.” Kagame said: “What we can say as leaders is to commit ourselves that we shall listen, we shall work together, we shall find solutions together…commitment is the most important thing and we can move along together.” He highlighted that as 70 percent of Rwanda’s population are youth; “we have an idea of what these challenges are but we are more than happy to work with everyone in other countries of the Commonwealth, the young and the old.” Kim Allen, Chair of Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC), conveyed recommendation from the youth delegates to the leaders, “partnership is key to young people...and they are willing to work together with you.” “Number two is resources and finance, Commonwealth Youth Council lacks the resources. We are here on a voluntary basis, the roles that are given here are all volunteering, you can see our commitment towards working with you but without financial support and resources, we can’t do this.” Famida Faiza, Asia regional Youth Council representative, said that putting young people in the same place beside the chair where key policymakers are sited is what ‘taking charge of our future looks like. “However, when I go back home I want to tell the young people of Asia that we were not just given a seat, we were given priority. And this can be ensured by your continued commitment towards young people,” she added. Kendell Vincent, the Caribbean Regional Youth Council representative, asked leaders to continue work towards ensuring that there is digital transmission and access to young people in rural areas and the minority. Namir Chowdhurry, Europe and Canada Youth Council representative, noted that at the heart of the transition into the future of work is going to be green and blue jobs. “But the problem is that we are preparing our young people and children for that. We are really keen to work on holistic education to solve that issue to build an idea of what a curriculum should look like in the modern day.” Sagufta Salma Janif, Pacific regional Youth Council representative, highlighted solutions that young people want. “We want easy access to climate finance such as green bonds, blue bonds, and sustainable carbon trading practices so we can build resilient infrastructure so small business can continue their operations, creating employment for young people instead of rebuilding again and again.” She also called for accessibility to universal healthcare especially preventable diseases like cervical cancer and ensuring that all young boys and girls have access to vaccines as well as supporting youth-led initiatives. “We are looking forward to these times ahead of so many challenges but even more opportunities,” Kagame said.
