Include the youth in important discussions, Y20 chair says

Young people should be included in important discussions of global issues, particularly in G20 platforms, to ensure their voices are heard, Youth 20 engagement group chair Othman Almoamar said.

Almoamar, who was speaking at a media briefing in Riyadh, said one of the Y20’s main functions were to make sure young people are represented within the G20, especially as the majority of the global population is under 30-years-old.

He said it was important to include young people in different G20 working committees, including those that tackle employment and labor issues, as well as women’s empowerment.

The Y20 briefing was part of a series of G20-related events in the run-up to the Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Summit on Nov. 21 and 22, in Riyadh.

The briefing, titled “Youth Matter: The most important resource of the 21st century,” laid out three main advocacies of the Y20 engagement group, namely future preparedness, youth empowerment, and global citizenship.

Almoamar said the group was most concerned in asking whether or not young people are prepared for “21st century challenges and the future economy,” especially as the COVID-19 pandemic revealed even more challenges for young people.

There was a general consensus, he explained, on the importance of the role of young people in solving modern-day challenges. He said the G20 was in agreement that the youth, indeed, is an “important resource.”

The UN secretary-general had earlier pointed to the central role young people play in the world’s post-pandemic recovery. “Already, you are at the front lines of movements for sustainable development, climate action, gender equality and racial justice,” Antonio Gutteres said in a speech at the Y20 summit last month.

Almoamar said the Y20 group will continue to follow up on the implementation of its policy recommendations to the G20.

The Y20 summit was one of the eight official events under the G20 umbrella. It brought together a range of speakers including Y20 delegates from around the world, the UN secretary-general, senior executives from leading corporations, NGOs and academic institutions, leaders from major intergovernmental organizations and pro-youth celebrities.