Minister for Employment, Productivity & Industrial Relations, Youth and Sports
HONOURABLE PARVEEN KUMAR BALA
Wednesday 30th September, 2020 at 9:00AM,
The Pearl South Pacific Resort, Pacific Harbour
• Chairs of the United Nations Working Group,
• Members of the UN Working Group
• My Ministry staff,
• Members of the Media,
• Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bula Vinaka and a very good morning to you all.
It is an honour to be here with you all today to officially open the UN Inter-Agency Youth Working Group Meeting which is being conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Fiji Youth Council.
At the outset, I wish to express my gratitude to our stakeholders who helped organize this event.
I am delighted to make a few opening remarks for this inter-agency youth working group workshop.
First, I would like to thank the UN Resident Coordinator and Chairs of the UN Working Group for making this timely event possible.
And I would like to thank the Youth Council and their Chair for their presence and look forward to their contributions to the exciting program that is mapped out for this workshop.
Ladies and Gentlemen, in a recent meeting held with the UN Resident Coordinator, an agreement was drawn up to support the Fiji Youth Council in the development of a 6- month costed action plan that will directly benefit the youths of Fiji.
My ministry has its plan in place which is aligned to the National Development Plan and the Sustainable Development Goals, outlining our goals, objectives and strategies, crosscutting in almost all areas on the National Development Plan and Sustainable Development Goals but focuses on four priority areas, they are:
- Youth Education and Training
- Youth Employment and Poverty Reduction,
- Sports,
- Youth Health and Wellbeing;
- Good Governance
These are our priority areas and as you will note, the functions of the National Youth Council are embedded in all four.
This workshop, of course, it must be remembered comes in the middle of challenging times for all of us. Globally, we have been badly affected by the COVID 19 pandemic. And at this point, I must acknowledge the sadness and sorrow it has brought across the world to so many families due to illness and death.
Here in Fiji, we have been badly affected in sectors like tourism and the hospitality industry. I know, I can stand here and go over all the statistics and figures from the pandemic. And we should go over it and there are many lessons to be learnt from it.
However, the pandemic has also enabled us to rethink how we do things and how we approach new and innovative ways of moving forward. I use the word enabled, but it has also forced many of us to re-think how and why approach pathways to move us forward.
I know during discussions through this workshop, you will no doubt have extended discussions along these lines. I am grateful that the program in front of is today has some interesting areas to brainstorm on. As well as to provide focus towards meaningful action plans. For this I acknowledge the input from the UN WG into the program.
I would like to start the ball rolling by making a few observations on how and why we have changed the focus of our activities in the MYS programs this year. Some of these changes are based on existing policies and work plans. Some have been put into place as a proactive set of measures during the COVID pandemic.
For example, MYS has responded to the increasing numbers of youths returning to their villages and settlements as the job markets in urban areas have contracted.
Most have turned to the land and sea or both in order to make ends meet. We know that food security has been a global issue and continues to be, regardless of the pandemic. This reality has seen MYS reach out to youth groups by providing materials and means for them to become productive contributors to national food security. It has also meant that more youths, instead of being aimless without any prospects in our urban areas, are returning to the land.
MYS in its plans and the Government in the National Development planning documents, identify food security and the need to have more youths in this sector as a priority area. Over the past decade, the government has invested heavily in MYS programs and other incentives in this area, for example commercial farming education scholarships realizable at FNU. The current situation has provided an enabling environment for MYS to provide substantial assistance in this sector.
And we are committed to our Fijian youths to continue to grow this sector. And our efforts are not reactive. By providing farm implements, access to expert advice and by monitoring our grants - MYS is committed to creating a structure that will continue to incentivise this sector well beyond the pandemic.
Ladies and gentlemen, you will see in your program that the workshop focuses on timelines for overviews, restructuring and providing thematic development areas for the Youth
Council. I know you will all come up with powerful and meaningful proposal based on these timelines.
And I look forward to the reporting on this through your work planning and systems thinking that are focused on a six-month timeline.
Before I make some concluding remarks, let me briefly provide some background and the wish list we have at MYS for the National Youth Council. The former Council was formed as part of the policies on youth development within MYS. The Council was provided with funding and resources.
This means that the National Youth Council becomes accountable under MYS for funding support and to have alignment with our
Strategic Plans and with that of the NDPs.
The current National Youth Council was reformed after the MYS was not satisfied with the accountability of the past Youth Council, especially in their fiscal reporting.
Under the Ministry, our recent efforts have been to register and put into place means to incentivize in a systemic manner independent and accessible youth groups across Fiji.
In the past year, we have appointed 29 youth officers and a good part of their field and outreach work is in this area. This outreach programs feeds into our youth network, and as you will know, the National Youth Council forms the apex body for Fiji.
The Ministry is committed to more research and development work in this area to improve consultations and reporting on these, as a means of empowering youths in the process towards a systemic culture of independent youth groups across Fiji.
As part of the current plan, MYS is looking at providing the National Youth Council, as a model for other youth groups to follow at the local level. The input of the NYC today, will no doubt add greatly to what we can take back to the wider youth population of Fiji. And help in providing meaningful delivery of service to create a structured but independent grouping of youth groups across Fiji.
I would also like the UN Working Group to strongly consider providing MYS funding support towards these goals. Funds are always a challenge and more so in the current climate.
I know that as UN and allied agencies you have your protocols and funding models in these areas. You have been mandated at a global level for such important and highly valued developmental work.
As a government, we are mandated by the people to also engage in similar development efforts. And this in the post and current COVID world, will require us to re-think our development plan and efforts. And our funding models and channels.
The MYS by being able to access additional lines of funding, can maximize development work in crucial areas.
Like food security.
Like climate change and resilience building.
In addition, we must now work on health and wellness to build resilience and create new healthier living environments.
And to learn ways of social interaction and behaviour, completely different to the Fijian way of life, during this pandemic. I know a lot of Fijians, especially our youth have had a culture shock, going from our laid back taki culture to the norms and health protocols of isolation and social distancing.
However, as we now know, we have adjusted.
And in this adjustment, as noted earlier, we have been forced to re-think where to concentrate our economic and development efforts. I have recounted earlier, it has been back to basics, back to the grassroots of the Fijian economy - on our land and in our seas.
The Ministry does grassroots works in these areas and in working with youth groups, including the National Youth Council. I know that the UN Inter-Agency also works in a like manner towards like goals. So, in that respect, our roles are complementary.
And seeing the workshop here ready to get into gear, we are also supplementary in our efforts to making better futures for our youths. And this means that we are a good fit for working closely with the UN agencies on the ground towards mutual goals.
I look forward to this workshop providing closer inter-agency work and a better understanding of the complementary nature of our work and roles towards youth development.
On that concluding note, allow me to thank the UN reps and Chair, Youth Chair and the National Youth Council, for this initiative.
And I look forward to seeing the enabling pathways that will lead to a better future for our youths - and that means a better future for all Fijians.
Vinaka. Thank You.