By Cristiana Ximenes Belo
The UN LDC5 was held for the first time in 1981. LDC objective of the conference 1981 first meeting: “ to transform economies of LDCs toward self-sustained development and enable to provide internationally accepted minimum standards of nutrition, health, transport, communication, social infrastructure, including drinking water and sanitation, housing, and education, as well as job opportunities, especially for the rural and urban poor”
The Doha program of action for the decade 2022 – 2031 is a new generation of renewed and strengthened commitment by the least developed countries and their development partners. (Source UN).
Fifth United Nations Conference on the least developed Countries (UN LDC5). The Doha program of action, began to consider youth voices of 46 countries, to take part for UN LDC5 Conference. The youth delegation from the 46 countries is the first time participated of the UN LDC5.
The voice of young people is also very important for development. Youth is the future for development in their own country. Therefore, the voice of young people is needed at the UN LDC5 conference in Doha, Qatar National Convince Centre. (05 – 09 March 2023).
At the UN LDC5 conference, Doha, Qatar fellowship journalists from Timor-Leste, conducted an interview with youth delegations from three (3) countries, namely delegations from Timor-Leste, Malawi and Mozambique. The purpose of the interview was to find out what problems they intend in their country. And how they were looking for the way to respond to the problems trough of Doha program of action.
There are NINE thematic recommendations of Youth Declaration calling for:
1. Investment in Youth: including peace and security, access to education and decent work.
2. Youth Participation: through recognition, mentor-ship, capacity building and inclusive decision making.
3. Human Rights: by protecting all people, ending abuse of power and integrating human rights education for equality and fairness.
4. Tackle Climate Change: by supporting youth initiatives, a green circular economy and sustainable environmental policies.
5. Combat and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and improve resilience to future pandemics: by investing in public health and education.
6. Gender equality: through empowerment, education and support for women’s leadership and legal rights.
7. Food security and nutrition: through sustainable agriculture, reduction of food waste and responsive food assistance and access.
8. Refugees, Internally Displaced and Migrants: through legal recognition, access to services and rights to work, health and education.
9. Digital Inclusion, Connecting the Unconnected: through affordability and access to ICT.
Youth Delegation of Malawi
In this opportunity youth delegation of Malawi, Glorysa’s as medical doctor, work in south of Africa, research focus area as disease and climate changes, described the problems where encounter in her country.
Glorysa’s stated. “What is conference done is unit from different LDCs, realize our problems is similarly by here to help and we are together to fine the solutions.
We are more focus in issue youth Parliament, as well as, youth inclusion decision making process. And more than 2022 years convince the decision maker is to support initiatives to including us policy making as well, so we can all contribution to sustainable development.
Most problems issue in Malawi is climate changes and education. As well as recovery Post COVID – 19 and issues of public health, and we know coverage on pandemic. So, all here we are discussion problems and see how we can help each other to resolve.
The big problems with education is that, inequality exist, so most of time young girls and small girls in LDC is usually excluded from the educations process. So, what I said included them as well because they are also equal people are sharing in sustainable development.
Most of our society that’s usually excluded is youth south. The story type setting in the inherent norms of women. Which we hope will be chosen to improve how schools become primary schools, get an education. What I’m saying is we don’t want that kind of story anymore. We want to set up more of an agenda. We want everyone to be prepared and share, we can contribute something there Sustainable.’’
The advantages impacted of UN LDC5 Doha conferences
“The impact of this conferences as in this issues is high light amplified our voices. We making in our discussion the same key decision maker development partner, how can find the initiatives. We can support what we are doing, basically exposes opportunities. And conferences like this, it is my wish they can send the other peoples for example in my country in Malawi, young girls and young boys who really idealist can be part of process like this.
Gender equality is really importance. We include young people. We want to try make policies regarding like education. We included them problem identification faces, and the other faces of policies making, because this is at the grass root find the identified the problems in form you already happening in the locally. So, how can making locally policies.” Glorisya’s said
The solutions for problems who they have describes are youth declarations.
Glorisya’s added. “We do have solutions. So, we contributed to the Doha Program of actions and as result who we decided implementation across in 46 of each countries. We submitted the youth declarations today, so this is summary of what we think should be solutions, what we think should be adopted for all the ODC countries to bring us and to move us system closed us towards developments. So, basically the Doha Program of actions is it take out. It take out graduation from least development country, to pedals pedals.”
What the declaration priority?
“In my priority, the declarations would be on one who I am think is gender equality. What we share here, equality, education, climate changes, and health literacy.
We need working together, because no one individual, no one sectors and one country can’t do this along. So, we need join us. We need ensure that we distributions equal opportunities and the exposed peoples, equality spaces, can be collaboration to contribute to development and conversation market.” Said Glorisya
Youth Delegation of Timor – Leste
The Youth delegation of Timor – Leste, Dircia Sarmento Belo stated. “At the LDC5 Summit, the UN recently included a youth delegation from 46 countries. They usually only have public sectors and civil society forums, because they feel that the voices of young people is very important and that young people need to come together.
We are also delighted to be able to organize the gathering of young people from the 46 countries of the LDCS. They come from countries such as Asia Pacific, Southeast Asia.
This is an excellent opportunity for us to learn how to interact, share experiences and make lines of collaboration. How global issues or problems we face. We are the same country, we have a struggling policy and we have a poor economy, therefore; and let us look for solutions together.”
Timor – Leste youth delegation was active to take part in forum discussion during the summit.
Said Dircia. “The youth forum started on 4 March to 7 March to share ideas, experiences. And panelists from different areas, representing youth and repeatedly from other sectors. Listening to the youth’s voice and discussing how these targets are brought to actions.
And today 07 March is the last day of the youth forum. There are other themes to increase our knowledge and ability, to share information with young people.
And today March 7 is closed with an inter-rational dialogue. The dialogue between the Intergeneration started by young people and even adults. And today at the table there are representatives of youth and high-level representatives from the Government, the private sector, how to share the ideals to discuss global issues that are taking place. All of the dialogue we delivered youth statements to the high-level and UN representatives.
The youth dialogue discusses what is the focus of the main objectives of the 6 themes, through climate change, youth investment, gender equality, agriculture, nutrition and socio-economic and environmental issues. These 6 themes are written in the latest statement.”
The problem faced by youth in Timor-Leste is lack of knowledge on digital platform.
According to the representative of the youth delegation from Timor-Leste, Dircia. Said that. “The impact of COVID-19 is to hinder the country’s development and include youth participation in access to education and opportunities.
It affected me personally a lot because I couldn’t train young people and children. Another impact is that young people are not familiar with technology such as Zoom, Google Meet, which hinders my activities.
But it is also an opportunity for us to share information and meet each other through a digital platform. However, the limitations that exist, and the Internet that is trouble networking and expensive, also prevented young people from accessing it. This has a great impact on young people in Timor-Leste.”
The Doha program of action call for worldwide youth to take a part for
Dircia said. “At this meeting we will look at the Doha program of action. One of the actions we want to implement is how do we ensure, including young people, to carry out the Doha program.
Firstly, we focus on education. Educate ourselves and educate those around us. So, that we can better know the reality. We ask them to take part in science and to look at the evidence that has occurred, over time. They all make us understand the world now more. How can we see where his problem is and where his solution is?
And how young people should participate. We should invest in youth. Invest in youth not with money, but with information transfer to young people and support funds. We made a significant participation and contribution.
We need to make resources and accessibility and skills, because most of our experience, many young people are interested in implementing something. They want to see the problems, but they don’t know how to start. We need information from the mentor, so that they can start doing something there.
Youth involvement
“The idea that, I want to include in the implementation of the Doha program of action is also giving youth opportunities to take part in decision-making, especially in the participation of youth. How we give young people the opportunity to submit their ideas, submit their projects so that they can implement in their neighborhood, village, school or city.
Not only give them opportunities, we empower young people and also increase their participation is important because we have trained them from youth to youth. How to see problems and find solutions to implement a project from young age. When we invest in young people, they will bring results to improve and contribute to their development process.
Ensure give young people a seat at the table to determine our future, and provide meaningful collaboration with youth and grassroots organization on opportunities for voice to be heard.
For all development partner, Un, Government of LDCs countries, when you have the seat on the table with global north leaders, all I ask for you all is to move, to push climate justice toward we demand a concrete actions from the global north of course we from global south are doing our part and we are currently doing it.” Said Dircia
Youth Delegation of Mozambique
The Youth Delegation of Mozambique to describe for what the challenges they face for
Representative youth delegation of Mozambique, Tino Daniel as Women’s Human Rights Activist and promoter of positive maculates in Mozambique. Expressed. “ The challenges implied by women’s human rights, especially women who are potentially affected by climate change, post-cyclones and non-humans.
Women displaced by armed conflict, this means that the centers that support women contribute. They don’t have much to say about all things. And activities of women that is why women in resettlement centers are not equipped to help answer.
The challenges these women face in nearby health facilities for gene management, nearby schools to ensure women’s education, non-income centers for women, contribute to changes in making a variety of. They are starving or being arrested because some women have heads of families, who choose to get them from their husbands and are abused during humanitarian assistance.
So what are you doing in getting young people married in the science, which we advocate for women’s human rights so that human rights are respected, so that hospitals, spaces and human rights resources discussed, the rights of women who save money to be able to do. The business to develop accounts the girls also participate in space.
According to what they can say the rights and duties, with for the school where there are also spaces for creation for children to learn to read, write, play. So with men and boys there is the state announcement of women’s human rights. That’s why I’m at this event because most African countries are also facing the challenges Mozambique is facing.”
The exchanges for young peoples
Daniel said. “The young people, it’s important to exchange the expertise with other young people. To expand my knowledge in order to improve in my country. And also to contribute to public policies to fit the government in the sense of it. Elaborating policies looking at the local reality to incorporate the women. For this reason I am changing ideas. Also to be able to invite young people to join and promote citizenship actions for support, humanitarian, volunteering and also to monitor government actions in the face of combating climate change that affect my country.”
Online University need looking at Big challenges
“There are several topics being discussed about women’s inclusion in technology. At that time the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guteres launched an online university initiative. This initiative is very good but the challenge is that there is no electricity in rural areas. How we promote parents and the major challenges, how in rural areas, without electricity.
First, we need to work to ensure that the government of Mozambique supports, not funding, so that we can have energy, and then energy, we need to train women to obtain information using tablets, mobile phones, as well as training to attend online schools.
Interesting parties to be able to support the government, chose the interested parties also. If I am able we need to work together and to be able to frame our most important communities to invest in the community. In terms of access to information, training, energy and here with us we were debating all the issues and respecting the issues, for example, literacy for everyone who is part of it are young people. The women end up not laughing because the space has been occupied. It is important that, we can work together to do and understand that the woman you formed to make understand, that communities to win Do you investigate whether there is energy in communities, whether there are tablets that women would argue about because energy should always be tablets for women, always being cell phones for them to attend school. It is important that we can all work without hunger.”
The delegation of Mozambique suggested for the Secretary-General of the United States, the need to improve the conditions in rural areas after implementing the University students online.
Daniel is strengthened, “The initiative of the general secretary of the United Nations is very good for university students online, but it is important to look at the rural areas, if they are not prepared conditions, if the resources for women can study. So, more energies for the communities, more information in empowerment of women and girls. And supply of tablets so that they can have access to higher education.
There are no young people who are not included in the process. They make the decision by promise of enough. The young people are in our agenda but the young people don’t participate in the agendas.
I want to promote my country to the youth. This, it is important for young people, to be included in all decision-making processes from the start of peace. From a local level base to influencing policy, young people incorporate the major challenges they face. Young people cannot be decided by adults. this is the biggest challenge so what we want young people to do this is include our process of making decisions and we monitor publicly what the government is doing, not for their community, their parents. There must be young people, young women, and access to the important opportunities.
Defined in this policy is to ensure opportunities for youth. For example, my country, who won a grant of a study and someone could pay for a grant of a study, is the son of a political person and who earned more than one grant of a study, but a scholarship for action does not have his training. Young girls in rural areas are uncomfortable. If we do so, we guarantee professional technical training and higher education for young women in rural areas, we guarantee their development. If we do this we will not succeed, we must do it, we must monitor it and the government must understand that young people do not intend to interfere with their government.
Young people groan because they also give their rights to be valued, so this is the biggest challenge, important to those assigned to scholarships. We trained and entertained fifty (50%) women and young people trained and fifty (50%) young men, along the line we are going to work on equality. vulnerability of girls. You make women’s rights respected, women are also left without so first we’re going to work in the sense of discourse also cultural practices in chivas to girls’ rights to frame us more so that we participate, so that girls deserve pocket money study to develop our countries.”
The solution of the problems
“ The solution for me here what we discussed does not stay here, what we discussed must work, they must be implemented but attention to the problem of Mozambique in the same problem of Timor-Leste maybe and another important thing to look at social issues each country listen to contribution of young people here about challenges they face and transforming policy and sustainable development in our developing countries.” Daniel ended.
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