ZERO DRAFT RESOLUTION OF THE FIJI NATIONAL YOUTH AND SPORTS CONFERENCE

24th – 25th June 2014, Vodafone Arena, Suva.

“Suva Declaration on Youth”

Preamble:

We, the 500 representatives of youth from community, district, provincial, faith-based organisations, youth-led organisations, development partners along with civil society from throughout Fiji, have gathered in Suva, from 24th – 25th June 2014 for the National Youth and Sports Conference to explore ways and means to strengthen youth participation in decision making processes within the agreed framework of the National Youth Policy.

In this regard we the youth representatives;

Note the discussions held during the National Youth and Sports Conference;

We recognize that cultural, religious, gender and socio-economic circumstances of youth have enabled their positive contribution to the formulation, implementation and evaluation of development initiatives and strategies. Youth’s capacity and commitment to their development at various levels of the community is a vital pillar in current and future development;

Affirm that the promotion of meaningful participation and development of young people is a challenge in Fiji that needs to be addressed along with the priority areas of the National Youth Policy;

Reaffirm the importance of integrated approaches by all actors to strengthen and establish initiatives and strategies to implement priority areas of the National Youth Policy;

Call for action that despite the existence of a National Youth Policy and recognising the significant achievements in the youth and sports sector, Fiji’s youth continue to face major challenges which

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hinder inclusive youth participation that impedes development of Fiji’s full potential;

Recognize youth as important social actors in Fiji and their willingness to assume responsibilities in the socio-economic and political agenda in Fiji;

Identify the following priorities for action as agreed to during the deliberations of the 500 representatives of youth from community, district, provincial, faith-based organisations, youth-led organisations, development partners and civil society organisations from Fiji;

Recommendations for Action

Making Healthy Choices

Promote the importance of youth in making healthy choices, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, to make adolescent and youth friendly services that are accessible, affordable and ensure quality health including but not limited to HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases, mental health, drugs and substance abuse.

Encourage access to sexual and reproductive information and health services in accordance with agreed international mandates such as the ICPD program of action.

Safety and Security Considerations

Recognise how youth can participate in ensuring personal, family, community and national security and safety through the focus areas of environmental security, job and financial security and water safety. Identify strategies that involve youth to improve and mitigate risks in these areas and ensuring youth feel empowered to engage themselves in monitoring and planning initiatives to this end.

Sports for Development and Inclusiveness

Encourage increased investment in sports and facilities for young people to participate; noting the important role sports can play in social cohesion, healthy lifestyle and employment opportunity.

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Youth and Human Rights

Call for the urgent need to fulfil youth human rights and responsibilities and youth right to redress as appropriate to their age.

Creating Skilled Leaders

Strengthen efforts to integrate action into curricula for democratic structures, civil liberties, social leadership, gender equality, peace at all levels that impart knowledge to match the needs of active citizenship.

Making Ethical Decisions

Urge policy makers to make every effort to establish mechanisms that are independent and accessible to inform and capacity build young people to make ethical decisions.

The Way Forward, We Are Committed to:

Taking the priorities identified above we the participants have resolved to:

Ensure all necessary measures are taken to work in partnership with all stakeholders including young people, civil society, government, donor agencies and faith-based organisations to implement the priorities identified in this “Suva Declaration”.

P a g e | 3Urge all stakeholders to recognise the gaps in implementing the National Youth Policy and to ensure that all efforts are made between stakeholders for collaborative approaches to meet mutually desired goals of the policy.

Call for further support for existing platforms for youth organisations and consider strategies towards the establishment of mechanisms that allow for, effective and structured participation of youth and youth organisations in appropriate decision making processes.

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