Commonwealth ministers gather to advance initiatives to deliver more for young people

The 10th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting (CYMM) opened in London on Tuesday bringing together Government ministers, senior government officials, education stakeholders and young leaders from across the Commonwealth to agree on policies and initiatives aimed at supporting and empowering young people across 56 member states.

High-level representatives from over 46 countries and six UK overseas territories, including 35 Government Ministers, are attending the meeting at the Commonwealth Secretariat's headquarters, Marlborough House. The meeting, which is held under the theme: ‘Aiming Higher: Delivering More for Young People in the Commonwealth’, is being chaired by the Government of Pakistan.

CYMM has four themes: education, employment, environment and engagement, along with cross-cutting themes, including human rights, transformative technology and disability. 

The opening ceremony featured addresses from the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC; the meeting's Chair, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, HE Jalil Abbas Jilani; and Mr Kim Allen, the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Council.

This year marks 50 years of the Commonwealth Youth Programme and is an opportune time to set a new agenda for this generation of young people and those to come.

The week’s activities will end on Friday with visits to youth empowerment projects curated by the UK's National Youth Agency (NYA).

Decisions and initiatives agreed at the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting will then go before Commonwealth Leaders for deliberation and ratification at the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting to be held in Samoa in October 2024.

Myriam Dossou-D'Almeida, the Togolese Minister of Basic Development, Youth and Youth Employment, is participating in the meeting.