By Dennis Peprah
Sunyani, (Bono), Sept. 26, GNA – The Global Media Foundation (GloMeF) has urged world leaders to prioritise and address the pressing health, education and development needs of young people, as the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) progresses in New York, United States.
A statement issued and signed by Mr Raphael Ahenu, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GloMeF, expressed worry that millions of young people in the global south including Africa, Asia and Latin America faced myriads of challenges in accessing quality education, healthcare, with high unemployment plaguing those countries.
The statement made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) noted that despite decades of commitments to sustainable development, many young people continued to “bear the brunt of poverty, limited access to education and healthcare, unemployment, and the devastating impacts of climate change.
“Diseases, poverty, and lack of opportunities continue to rob young people of their potential,” it stated, saying “the world has systematically neglected the health and wellbeing of her youth”.
It said: “That must change because young people are not just beneficiaries of policy, but they are partners and leaders in shaping a better future” stressing that deliberate failure to integrate young voices into high-level decision-making perpetuated the cycles of inequality.
The statement highlighted the urgent need for global institutions and development partners like the United Nations to give “young people a stronger platform and greater influence in international peace and security discussions”.
“GloMeF believes young people must have a seat at the UN Security Council. In a world shaped by complex conflicts, migration crises, and environmental disasters, the perspectives of young people are indispensable to achieving lasting peace and sustainable development”. It added.
The statement called for immediate action from governments, development partners, and multilateral agencies to increase investment in youth health, education, and employment programmes in the global south.
“Government must also develop inclusive decision-making frameworks that prioritise youth participation at all levels and also ensure that global peace and security mechanisms recognise the critical role of young people in conflict prevention and resolution”.
As UNGA deliberations progressed, the statement urged the world leaders to leverage the opportunity and make concrete commitments to young people and thereby build a world where every youth could thrive.
GNA
Edited by Dennis Peprah/ Christabel Addo