COPENHAGEN, 12 August 2021 – Celebrating Youth Day 2021, OSCE PA President Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) participated this morning in the World Conference on Youth Rights “Involving Youth in Global Action” organized by the United Nations and the Government of Uzbekistan.
In her address, President Cederfelt highlighted the need to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability of younger generations to access education, enter the labour market, and enjoy an active social life.
“It is urgent that we do not add a crisis of representation on top of the social and economic difficulties of the younger generation,” she said. “Instead, we must do all we can to harness the energy of young people to bring the changes we all seek.”
She added that to realize the youth’s visions, it is necessary to empower younger generations. “Ultimately, they need real influence through inclusive representation in all stages of decision-making,” President Cederfelt said.
The President underlined the commitment of the OSCE PA to enhancing youth participation in the international dialogue.
“Younger people continue to be underrepresented in our national parliaments,” Cederfelt pointed out. “In the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, we are seeking to address this challenge by providing platforms for networking and discussion for our youngest Members. We organize meetings and seminars to ensure that younger parliamentarians are better represented in multilateral organizations. But we still can do more to strengthen youth political dialogue, capacity-building, and the sharing of best practices through mentorship programmes.”
Toward this end, Cederfelt highlighted a new portfolio for a Special Representative on Youth that will be created within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in the coming weeks.
She also emphasized the good co-operation enjoyed with Uzbekistan’s Delegation to the OSCE PA and expressed gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan for arranging the conference.
Cederfelt addressed the event remotely but a staff member of the OSCE PA International Secretariat, Programme Officer Manuchekhr Salokhudinov, is attending the conference in person.
For President Cederfelt’s full remarks, please click here.
