GENEVA, (Pakistan Point News - 13th Aug, 2021) To mark International Youth Day, the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community launched the world’s most geographically diverse Youth-Driven Recovery Plan.
The plan calls for stricter environmental policies, financial safeguards, increased access to technology and investment in programmes to support more young people getting into politics. These ideas from future global leaders are poised to become the "next normal".
Young people ran surveys and workshops in 150 cities and over 180 countries. These dialogues engaged more than 2 million people and generated 40 policy recommendations to end intergenerational inequity.
"The idea that we need to rebuild differently after COVID-19 is widely shared. We need a society, economy and international community designed to care for all people, especially youth, who are the most important and most affected part of our global future. They are also the people who have the most innovative ideas and energy to shape a better world," said Wadia Ait Hamza, Head of the Global Shapers Community.
In line with the UN IPCC Report, young people want to see a halt on all new coal, oil and gas exploration and development to limit global warming to the 1.5 C limit set out in the Paris Agreement. They call on financial institutions to avoid bankrolling or underwriting companies that seek to start new fossil-fuel exploration and development, and on firms to actively replace corporate board directors who are unwilling to wind down fossil fuels or transition to green energy sources.
Half of the world’s population still lacks access to the web and many contend with internet blackouts. A $2 trillion digital access plan is recommended to close the gap, especially in a socially distancing world that increasingly relies on virtual interactions.
The survey found that young people would be more likely to trust a system run by artificial intelligence than humans. To fix the problem, they are calling for greater investment in programmes that help young progressive voices join government and become influential policy-makers.
The Davos Lab Survey shows that physical safety ranks as the greatest safety concern among young people.
To turn these recommendations into realities, dialogues were run by participants on what youth activism could look like. They created principles to guide their actions and activism for a more inclusive post-pandemic future. The culmination of these dialogues is presented in a Millennial Manifesto.
The Millennial Manifesto is the world’s first attempt at redefining the parameters and efficacy of youth activism in a post-COVID world marked by greater examples of systemic inequalities.
"As uprooting systemic problems are particularly difficult for young people wrestling with challenges related to experience and credibility, this Millennial Manifesto acts as a guide providing timeless principles to sharpen their activism," Wadia Ait Hamza said. It can be read here in the report.
