Following the 2023 G20 New Delhi Summit, we, young delegates from European G20 members and observing parties, address our leaders with an urgent call to action. Under the banner of Youth 20, we united in India with our counterparts from across the globe to produce a communiqué urging world leaders to take action on priority issues.
Our generation has borne the brunt of unprecedented shocks and crises – the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic repercussions of the conflict in Ukraine, and the looming specter of climate, environmental and social crises. In the wake of these multifaceted crises, our prospects for the future, encompassing everything from employment prospects to global peace, hang precariously in the balance. It is therefore imperative that our voices, carrying the weight of our aspirations and the hopes of generations yet to come, resonate in the chambers of power - ensuring our inclusion in democratic processes.
It is our steadfast belief that the European continent, with its historical legacy and geopolitical influence, bears a unique and vital responsibility. Therefore, we call our leaders to display the political courage required to be pioneers of transformative change on the global stage.
In the spirit of unity and shared purpose, we urge our leaders to fully endorse the policy recommendations we have laid out collaboratively in our Youth 20 communiqué, which reflect the consensus of G20 youth worldwide.
We specifically ask our leaders to give primacy to the priorities and concerns articulated by the European youth, listed in this statement :
Cross-cutting comments
Reaffirming the Y20 India 2023 communiqué’s “Cross-cutting proposals” (pages 3-4), we urge our leaders to :
1. Condemn any form of discrimination, including but not limited to religion, cultural beliefs, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, mental and/or physical disabilities, and other factors both at schools and workplaces and in access to social activities, while ensuring that there are no laws, rules and governing processes hindering them from accessing governance and shaping policy making.
2. Establish a mechanism to ensure permanent representation of the Y20 in the G20 Sherpa & Finance tracks to ensure Y20 policy recommendations are fully or partially integrated in the policy-making processes.
3. Develop and enhance curricula, alternative education channels, and continuous training that prioritise skills aimed at building a workforce able to address the critical global social and environmental issues, while adapting to emerging demands and challenges of disruptive technologies. In particular, ensuring climate and civic education is incorporated across all forms of education curricula in order to foster a global culture of resilience and participatory decision- making, and tackle climate disinformation.
Peacebulding and reconciliation
In reference to the Y20 India 2023 communiqué’s proposals for “Peacebuilding and Reconciliation : Ushering in an Era of No War” (pages 5-9), we urge our leaders to :
1. Condemn the war in Ukraine, as well as conflicts in other occupied territories, in order to reaffirm respect for the sovereign equality of all States, and the peaceful resolution of disputes, based on the principles of peace upheld by the European Union.
2. Commit to peaceful uses of outer space and space debris limitation, notably through a pledge not to conduct DA-ASAT, and pursuing research efforts on debris deorbitation.
3. Ensure that peacebuilding is gender-inclusive and takes into account the gendered drivers, dynamics and impacts of all types of conflict.
Future of work
Reaffirming the Y20 India 2023 communiqué’s proposals for “Future of Work : Industry 4.0, Innovation & 21st Century Skills” (pages 10-12), we urge our leaders to :
1. Integrate mental health training into workforce reskilling programs to equip employers and employees with the necessary knowledge and skills.
2. Enhance the start-up ecosystem outside of large urban centers to empower rural, under-represented and smaller communities, stimulate job creation and retain young talent.
3. Develop an inclusive gig economy workers framework to promote universal gig worker rights which include social protections, migrant accessibility pathways, and consultations. (Acknowledging the G20 Policy Priorities on Adequate and Sustainable Social Protection and Decent Work for Gig and Platform Workers outcome document, and considering that the youth is highly impacted by the job precarity that often comes with the gig economy, we urge G20 leaders to implement the propositions of the outcome documents in a timely and effective way. https://www.g20.utoronto.ca/2023/ewg_gig.pdf)
Heat, well-being and sports
Reaffirming the Y20 India 2023 communiqué’s proposals for “Health, Well-being and Sports : Agenda for Youth” (pages 13-16), we urge our leaders to :
1. Promote digital health solutions spanning across the entire spectrum of medical and surgical care to address biopsychosocial health needs and inequalities. Leverage multidisciplinary collaboration, public - private partnerships and community and youth participation to enhance interoperability in research, training and clinical practice and respond to chronic and emerging health challenges.
2. Continue to campaign for a One Health approach to health. This is to be by strengthening One Health Networks and empowering institutions like Africa CDC to conduct more collaborative research efforts.
3. Provide accessible material, logistical and intellectual resources to address period poverty and leverage sexual and reproductive health in a gender and culturally inclusive framework. Establish a multilevel preventive approach that will provide for population literacy and hygiene, mitigate and early diagnose disease and misappropriation and ensure access to evidence based primary and specialized healthcare services. Therefore, there is an urgent need to tackle the gender health gap by providing gender-diversified research, sufficient funding and implementing it in doctor’s curricula. This also includes collecting data and strengthening legal implementation to ensure anti-discrimination and equality in healthcare for LGBTQIA+ people.
Climate change and disaster risk reduction
Reaffirming the Y20 India 2023 communiqué’s proposals for “Climate Change & Disaster Risk Reduction : Making Sustainability a Way of Life”(pages 17-22), we urge our leaders to :
1.Endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty by the end of 2023, as a means to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 at latest.
2.Create a legal status for climate migrants, ensuring safe, orderly and regular migration routes for those displaced by the climate crisis.
3. Question our countries’ energy-intensive lifestyle and encourage profound behavioural change by fostering sufficiency measures (a set of measures and daily practices that avoid demand for energy, materials, land and water while delivering human well-being for all within planetary boundaries.) as defined by the IPCC through structural, dimensional, usage and consumer sobriety, promoting the sharing of spaces and equipment, and local food systems.
Shared future : youth in democracy and governance
Reaffirming the core values and principles of democracy, and in reference to the Y20 India 2023 communiqué’s proposals for “Shared Future : Youth in Governance” (pages 23-26), we urge our leaders to :
1. Lower the voting age to 16 years old for all political bodies to ensure an adequate representation of youth in decision- making positions. Further, lower the minimum age required to run for public office.
2. Guarantee universal internet connection and access at all times and reducing the digital divide by ensuring access to transparent information to combat mis- and disinformation (I ncluding but not limited to greenwashing, pinkwashing, hate speech etc.) . This will certaintly enhance the youth’s ability to make informed political decisions.
3. Foster e-democracy for youth’s effective participation through trusted digital participatory tools underpinned by strong personal data protection. This includes e-voting, e- referendums and e-participation, ensuring accessibility for marginalized groups (this definition has been universally agreed upon by all the G20 European countries. It may include but not limited to people who are underrepresented or systematically excluded due to : cultural beliefs, values, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation and its diversities, other factors and personal conditions.) , youth with diverse socio-economic backgrounds, those living with a disability, and overcoming geographical divides and inaccessibility that impede youth access to governance (e.g. voting online).
In the pursuit of these objectives, rooted in the urgency of our times, we stand ready to collaborate, to engage, and to hold ourselves and our leaders accountable. This commentary on the Y20 India 2023 Communiqué is intended as a call for action, reaffirming the European delegates’ support for the proposals drafted within the Youth 20 engagement group and specifying the European youth’s vision for their implementation. It is with unwavering determination that we, the European youth of G20, present this joint statement, as a testament to our faith in the power of collective action and the conviction that together, we can steer the course of history towards a brighter future. We, as representatives of the European youth, are our leaders’ partners in progress, as we look to them to embrace this defining moment with courage and conviction. The time for action is now. On behalf of all the Y20 delegates of the European G20 members and observing parties.
Conceived and written by :
EUROPEAN UNION : Caillum Hedderman, Luisa Kern, Jonas Nitschke, Aleksandra Sztaborowska, Christos Tsagkaris FRANCE : Tara Goodwin, Arlo Lardé, Mathilde Lebon, Elwyn Sirieys, Apinayaa Uthayakumar GERMANY : Elif Bayat, Maurice Bessling, Hannah Koch, Isabell Steidel, Moritz Übermuth ITALY : Gabriele Casella, Ingrid Garosi, Allegra Ianiri, Andrea Rosso, Antonio Visani SPAIN : Sonia Gil, Claudia Lera, Pablo Morente, Marco Pérez, Xabier Triana UNITED KINGDOM : Charlie Bevis, Walker Darke, Eloise Evans, Ritvij Singh, Janet Siwoku
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