Young people call for establishment of BRICS Youth Council

Making their voices heard at the 15th BRICS Summit, young people across the member states have called for the establishment of a BRICS Youth Council.

Addressing the summit currently underway in Johannesburg on Wednesday, National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) Chairperson Asanda Luwaca said the recent 9th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India China, and South Africa) Youth Summit reached a consensus on the establishment of a Youth Council.

“This will allow us to ensure deeper and stronger collaborations among young people. We thus implore that this summit endorse our proposal for the establishment for the BRICS Youth Council in its final declaration in ensuring that new pathways for positive change and innovation can be realised.

“In doing so, it will further ensure that no young person among the BRICS member states gets left behind. Young people in their collective believe that youth are the present and the future. Our interaction as BRICS member states cannot and should not be limited to an annual summit,” Luwaca said.

Taking place under the theme: “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism”, the summit is being attended by the leaders of Brazil, India, China, as well as South Africa, as the host.

Noting that young people make up the larger proportion of the population of each of the BRICS countries, Luwaca emphasised that the voices and views of the youth are critical as nations forge a post-pandemic society at the highest making forums.

“We believe that the BRICS countries in general and youth in particular should use their collective strengths to prioritise the development paradigm, using as a guiding principle for our work as we continue the intra BRICS cooperation across areas such as trade, education, skills development and training, economic participation and transformation, health and well-being and social cohesion.

“At our 9th Youth Summit, we presented the draft framework for the establishment of a BRICS Youth Council, which will become the coordination body for youth development between BRICS member countries and will join formations such as the BRICS Business Council, BRICS Women’s Alliance and the new Development Bank,” she said.

Last month, the NYDA hosted the 9th BRICS Youth Summit and the Meeting of Ministers responsible for Youth Affairs, under the theme: “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism”.

The BRICS Youth Summit is a platform for dialogue for delegates from member states, striving for the promotion of peace, security, development in a multi-polar inter-dependent and increasingly complex, globalizing world.

The objectives of the summit are to bring together youth participants, affording them an opportunity to share ideas and work on a concrete Action Plan for co-operation in economic, humanitarian, mass media, and science sphere.

This year, South Africa as the head of BRICS directed the summit to focus on discussions that aim to encourage young leaders among BRICS nations to actively participate in addressing the most significant global challenges, economic, social issues, and contribute to the developmental agenda.

It further called for a focus on constructive engagements on issues relating to youth empowerment, the advancement of youth development and in creating a conducive environment where youth will devise a path to a brighter and better future.

The Youth Summit preceded the BRICS Ministers responsible for Youth Affairs meeting, which was attended by the Youth Ministers; Heads of Executive Authorities for Youth; Senior Government Officials; and youth.

The outcomes of the BRICS Youth Summit will be presented to the Ministers’ Meeting for decision-making and adoption of the presentations and resolutions made by delegates from the summit.