the resilience, innovation and creativity of young people are more than a match for this pandemic,” Scotland said.
“The pandemic has given us opportunities to place youth mainstreaming at the heart of building back better efforts at all levels. There should not be any desire to go back to the unfulfilling pre-COVID-19 socio-economic situations which prevailed for so many of our young people.”
Accordingly, she noted that youth development needs to be high on the agenda when Commonwealth leaders gather in Kigali next month.
During the meeting, the Secretary-General proposed several targeted initiatives designed to assist the 54-member states to empower the young population, including the launching of the 2021 Commonwealth Youth Development Index. It is aimed at measuring young people’s prospects, and informs policies on health, education and political participation.
“This virtual meeting is timely because young people across the Commonwealth are dealing with the challenges presented by the pandemic and looking up to us for guidance,” Uganda’s Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi, said.
She noted that as the Coronavirus pandemic has worsened the prospects of young people in areas sych as employment, learning and mental well-being, and therefore it is imperative to “reset the agenda and refocus”.
