The Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting to be hosted by the Government of Uganda will “set the pace for the development of young people.”
The Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting to be hosted by the Government of Uganda will “set the pace for the development of young people.”
Uganda’s Minister for Youth, Mrs Nakiwala Florence Kiyingi, gave this assessment as she led a national delegation to the Commonwealth Secretariat in London to discuss preparations for the intergovernmental conference.
The 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting (9CYMM) will bring together government ministers and senior officials, young leaders, youth workers and other stakeholders from Commonwealth member countries and beyond in Kampala from 31 July to 4 August 2017.
Ugandan Youth Minister_1
The Minister met with Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, High Commission representatives, Commonwealth Secretariat staff and civil society organisations to discuss the agenda and arrangements for the ministerial meeting, which includes a youth leaders’ summit and stakeholder forum.
The theme of the meeting will be ‘Resourcing and financing youth development, empowering young people’.
“All eyes will be on Uganda,” Mrs Kiyingi said.
“We hope that at the end of the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting we will have come up with models that will help young people, governments and stakeholders to access finance, assets and information to help them contribute to national and global economies.”
“What happens in Uganda could happen in Sierra Leone or Papua New Guinea for example.”
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said: “We are so grateful to Uganda for hosting this important Commonwealth gathering, during which we will discuss a range of practical solutions to address pressing challenges such as youth unemployment, marginalisation and vulnerability, as well as young people’s ability to play a vital role in national development.”
“Young people possess immense capabilities and, when given the opportunity, they can lead positive change in society. I have every confidence that we will look back on this meeting as having provided a turning point in youth development. The Commonwealth is the face of the future, and young people are the future of the Commonwealth.”
The previous Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting was in Papua New Guinea in 2013.
