By Saio Marrah
The United Nations Resident Coordinator for Sierra Leone, Babatunde Ahonsi, has called on the government of Sierra Leone to place the youths and young people at the front and centre of national development in other to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He made this call at the commemoration of International Youth Day, at the Freetown International Conference Centre, on Friday 12 August 2022, with the theme ‘ Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World For All Ages.’
He said young Sierra Leoneans are an asset, which when fully tapped, will meet the country’s aspirations for durable peace and sustainable development.
He said much will be achieved if all and sundry put in efforts to support the aspirations of young people and the implicit involvement of the older folks.
Ahnosi observed that even though every spectrum of society has suffered from the country’s tragedies such as the civil war, Ebola, mudslide, flooding and the general hardship due to the ongoing global crisis, the young people have suffered the most.
Making reference to the latest violence that occurred in the country that led to the loss of lives and properties, he said the UN continues to call for calm and continuous engagement in a peaceful and tranquil manner to address the issues and challenges.
Ahonsi said: “We must therefore make the concerted effort to bring the youths to the table and not shut them out. At the same time, other people must not be denied the chance to share the wisdom they have learnt over the years. Everyone deserves to be heard, young and old alike.”
He said for this reason the UN country team is setting up the Youth Advisory Panel of diverse young voices to advise them in their efforts to support the government’s implementation of the Medium Term National Development Plan, which he said speaks to the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and the collective effort to be achieved by 2030.
He said he observed during his interaction with so many young people in many parts of the country that they are hungry for knowledge and the opportunity to prove themselves without other people thinking for them and telling them what to do.
The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Manuel Muller, noted that the EU being a founding member of the event recognised the crucial role youth play in the development of societies and for a world without poverty or inequalities.
He said as the world faces a series of challenges, there is utmost need for the youths to be aware and work together to maintain social stability, democracy and prosperity in societies.
He also made reference to the August 10 demonstration that led to violence in the country, saying that peaceful protests are one of the legitimate ways of expressing one’s grievances on burning issues in a democratic society, but insisted that it should be peaceful.
Muller described Sierra Leone as a country known to be peaceful with so much progress in the freedom of expression index after the government abolished the criminal libel law.
For this, he encouraged the government to continue strengthening freedom of expression in all its aspect including the protection of a level playing field to express political concerns peacefully and without violence or fear. He also highlighted the importance of youth’s involvement in the fight against climate change.
In his intervention, the Minister of Youth Affairs, Mohamed Orman Bangura, said the commemoration that started in 1999 was put aside by the UN General Assembly to harness the potentials of young people as an opportunity to draw attention to the unresolved global challenges.
He noted that Sierra Leone is blessed with one of the youngest populations in the world, pointing out that one in every three people is between the ages of 15 to 35 years of age. He described that as a blessing to the country.
Bangura also talked about the ‘robust’ non-violence campaign government engaged them with, but noted that Wednesday’s scenario was not a demonstration against hardship, but an act of terrorism against the state.
The Chief Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa, talked about the many opportunities that the government has created for the youths in the country, which he said will empower them to compete in the international job arena.
He also highlighted the importance of youths in national development.
A panel discussion with the youths highlighted the importance of young people in decision-making, the need for dialogue, and the need for the government to provide an enabling environment for youths.
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