Global Issues
Youth Voices in the Global Economy
I had the opportunity to participate in two recent events leading up to the G-20 Summit in Toronto, which engaged youth on the global stage—the G(irls) 20 Summit and MY SUMMIT. These delegates demonstrated an intuitive understanding of today’s global challenges and offered solutions to governments. The G(irls) Summit urged leaders to take specific actions to expand the access of girls and women to education, healthcare and economic opportunities... (continue reading this blog post)
I had the opportunity to participate in two recent events leading up to the G-20 Summit in Toronto, which engaged youth on the global stage—the G(irls) 20 Summit and MY SUMMIT. These delegates demonstrated an intuitive understanding of today’s global challenges and offered solutions to governments. The G(irls) Summit urged leaders to take specific actions to expand the access of girls and women to education, healthcare and economic opportunities. At MY SUMMIT, youth issued a communiqué on global security, economic recovery, and climate change.
Young people’s voices are critical to our global dialogue. As the G-20 leaders gather to map out strategies for global economic recovery, I hope they seriously consider the recommendations made by youth leaders. Why? Because the world’s youth population—1.1 billion young people ages 15 to 25—is the largest in history. Eighty-five percent of them live in developing countries. Their voices count as they will face the consequences of our actions today.
We should not lose sight of the opportunities presented by this “youth-bulge”. The global financial crisis has compounded the challenges in many developing countries. Unemployment rates in Africa increased and disproportionately affected youth. The sheer numbers of young people entering the workforce mean that they will play a pivotal role in enabling sustainable economic recovery. For this to happen, we must invest in their potential.
When we listen to youth from developing countries talk about what they need to succeed in today’s global economy, they point to market-relevant skills, access to financial services and technology, and opportunities to contribute to their communities. Many of them are already economically active. Education, entrepreneurship and employment of youth will spur economic growth and social progress. Investment in these areas should be addressed by our G-20 leaders in the plans for global economic recovery and poverty reduction.
It’s terrific that young people are engaged in discussions at the G-20 Summit. I hope that world leaders are inspired and motivated by the ideas, experiences and leadership of these young people. Youth are shaping today’s global economy. They want to contribute to the future they will inherit.
Reeta Roy is president and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation, a private, independent foundation based in Toronto. Its global mandate is to enable people living in poverty, particularly youth, to improve their lives – and the lives of their families and communities – by expanding their access to microfinance and education.
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COMMENTS
BY UK youth delegation/MySummit
ON June 25, 2010 09:50 AM
Many thanks Reeta for highlighting the importance of including young people in the decision making process. When we look to the major issues affecting the world right now, it is important that young people are not sidelined but rather meaningfully contribute towards efforts in improving the world we live in.
Today we will be presenting the final communique to the G8 leaders in the hope that conversations and recommendations started at the summit will continue when we arrive back in our respective countries.
Please feel free to follow us on twitter @mysummitUK and check out our blog: mysummituk.wordpress.com for the latest entries on the summit.
BY Arindam
ON June 25, 2010 11:08 AM
India has 70% of its population under the age of 35 making it the youngest nation in the world. As the largest democracy in the world, we need to evolve a mechanism whereby the country can deliver to their hopes and aspiration. It is they who should really call the shots.
BY Reeta Roy
ON June 30, 2010 08:58 AM
Thanks for sharing your comments and for resonating my message.
UK Youth Delegation, it was great to hear all the ideas and questions put forth at the Summits. Your recent blog post summarized the theme perfectly – that young people around the world share common values, and it is through listening and dialogue that you can learn from each other. I look forward to reading more about your communiqué. As a resource, I also encourage you to take a look at the work of our Foundation’s partners – their initiatives empower and enable youth in developing countries to engage in their economies.
Arindam, thank you for bringing up this very relevant point. Youth in India, particularly young girls and women, face significant barriers to accessing financial, educational and employment opportunities. It is encouraging to see that government, for-profit and not-for-profit sectors have implemented policies and programs to address these barriers, but much more needs to be done to achieve greater impact. Our Foundation is supporting and testing a number of approaches to do so. If they prove to be effective, we hope to replicate these models in other regions and countries.