PRESENTATION BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER FOR YOUTH AND SPORTS, FIJI

Lt. Col. LAISENIA TUITUBOU

The Founder of International Youth Fellowship;

Chairman International Youth Fellowship;

Hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers;

Administration Deputy Mayor of Busan;

Government Representatives;

Students & Youth Representatives;

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

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Ni sa Bula Vinaka and warm greetings from Fiji.

It gives me great pleasure to address this forum. Forums such as these offer us as policy makers the opportunity to share best practices between our nations and improve services for the youth of our countries.

I am therefore grateful to have received an invitation to share our views on the forum theme.

At the outset, this conference is important in our progress towards   meeting challenging social and economic problems that have negative consequences on our youth population.

I am happy to see that this year’s theme ‘To resolve youth issues and cultivate global youth leaders' which is a “CALL TO ACTION” on a global stage. The Youth Challenge is a concern that warrants both a global and coordinated approach.

There is no doubt that youths of today are the generation of tomorrow and I fully agree with the theme of our conference that we need to find concrete solutions to relevant youth issues for the prospect of our future leaders, in particular taking into consideration the global changes and the environment of the 21st century.

With the ever changing landscape of the youth development agenda it is of utmost importance that respective youth development implementing agencies find solutions and strategies to respond effectively to various youth issues. Effective strategies include comprehensive approaches that provide opportunities for education, mentoring, engaging youth and their families; and are community-based and integrated so as to provide the necessary impetus for holistic development.

In today’s significantly changing global society, coupled with the need to revitalize and strengthen the weakening mindsets of today’s youth around the world, the need to engage youth and develop empowerment programmes is all the more relevant.

It is equally important that we have the passion and commitment within our countries to localise the “Call to Action” as suggested by the theme.

The Fijian Government has put in place programmes to instil virtues and values on our young people. Through programmes facilitated by my Ministry such as the Seeds of Success and other empowerment programmes, we have formed key approaches in the Ministry’s youth development initiatives Youth Training Centres are being strengthened and expanded to provide the required skills and mindsets for youth entrepreneurship and re-entry into higher vocational training pathways. Youth-run community-based projects are supported through grant funding to establish a range of enterprises including farming, fishing, catering and fuel retail.

The Fijian Prime Minister’s annual Exporter of the Year Awards also recognises the need to motivate youth into business and supports a special category for the best youth entrepreneur.

Furthermore, the Fijian Government, with the support of stakeholders, organises an annual gathering of young people at the National Youth and Sports Conference. This brings youths from different backgrounds together to discuss seriously matters pertaining to their development while at the same time providing them with avenues to voice their opinions on issues of concern to young people in Fiji. At last year’s National Youth and Sports Conference, the views of our young Fijians were captured and articulated in the ‘Laucala Youth Declaration’. This Declaration witnessed the affirmation of the commitments made under the 2014 Baku Commitment to Youth Policies and also noted the priority areas of the World Program of Action 2010 and beyond.

Since the majority of the youth populace fall into the bracket of the education system, the Fijian Government has provided affordable or free primary and secondary education to all Fijians. With lack of education being one of the most serious cross cutting issues for Fijian youth, this initiative has seen a larger number of our young ones getting the education they deserve to plant the seeds for a brighter future, for themselves, their families and the nation.

Fiji’s education sector has come a long way and I must proudly say that we have taken some very bold steps in the process and that we will continue to do so. Education is the best foundation we can give our young people as has been demonstrated in many countries, Korea perhaps being one of the best examples of this.

As a Pacific Island state, the issue of Climate Change is all too real for us. This is our greatest challenge in this modern era as the accumulative actions of developed countries affect us, the developing states. I specifically refer here to the Vulnerable 20, a recent category of island states deemed to be extremely vulnerable to climate change and to our Pacific neighbors, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Kiribati whose islands are slowly disappearing.  Climate change affects more than just a change in the weather. It refers to seasonal changes over long periods of time. These climatic patterns play a fundamental role in shaping natural ecosystems, human economies and the cultures that depend on them. Ecosystems are tied to climate and rapid changes in climate can and will affect the many related aspects of where and how people, plants and animals live.

For our children and youth in Fiji, climate change is an issue usually discussed in political and higher academic levels or by NGO’s. These conversations rarely involve them. There is a need to filter knowledge on climate change through to our young people in languages that they understand. The effects of climate change are irreversible and our youth will face the impacts of these in the future. Youth will learn to value local indigenous and cultural knowledge about their immediate environments and at the same time will learn about global and scientific approaches to climate change mitigation and adaption. In this way, they will be prepared for informed contextual decision making.

Today’s young people face many more challenges and problems than perhaps any other previous generation. Many young people, including those who did well in examinations, are not exempt from social and health problems which are on the rise.

These include:

·       Alcohol & drug abuse

·       Teen pregnancies

·       Sexually Transmitted Diseases including HIV & AIDS

·       Gender based violence

·       Unemployment etc

The onus therefore lies not only on one single entity or Government but requires a collective effort to address such issues. It is because of this and the general lack of knowledge about values in life and the negative attitudes and behaviour prevalent among many young people today that has prompted the Fijian Government to re-emphasize the implementation of our National Youth Policy.

We need to help our youth build up strength of mind and strength of character so that they can be responsible and resilient to make wise decisions when faced with situations that can lead them astray.  We need, in addition, to use sport in the context of development and peace-building, to create one nation and one national identity based on national values, to begin in a coherent way to combat non-communicable diseases.  This is perhaps an aspect of sport that we often take for granted – its ability to teach respect for rules, for team mates and the opposition, to build good health and mental well-being, to reduce stress and, in some instances, bullying and suicidal tendencies.  Sport needs to be a tool added to our armoury to keep the youth constructively occupied.

Through this it is hoped that young people will be nurtured to become citizens who will practice and uphold these values which are important in building a country that is peaceful, stable and cares for its citizens.  In Fiji, we say that no-one will be left behind.

In conclusion, I agree with the theme and its suggestions for a Call to Action but in so doing, we must be equally committed to localise these actions to address our domestic youth challenges. We must THINK GLOBALLY AND ACT LOCALLY!

VINAKA VAKALEVU AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!