YOUTH ROUNDTABLE
63rd COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE Dhaka, Bangladesh 1 to 8 November 2017 Youth Roundtable - 6 November 2017
YOUTH ROUNDTABLE: ‘THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE TO PEACEFUL, DEMOCRATIC SOCIETIES’ Moderator: Hon. Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP, Speaker of Parliament (Bangladesh) and Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee 8th Commonwealth Youth Parliament: Mr Danish Ali Bhutto (Pakistan) and Ms Elise Delpiano (New South Wales, Australia) Discussion Leaders: • Mr Chris Steel, MLA (Australian Capital Territory) • Hon. Matt Jeneroux, MP (Canada) • Ms Clare Bettison, MHK (Isle of Man) • Hon. Ernest Hilaire, MP (St Lucia) • Shri Subhash Patel, MP (India) Rapporteur: Ms Lisa Hart (Jersey)
A youth roundtable event was hosted by the CPA Bangladesh Branch and CPA Headquarters Secretariat in the margins of the 63rd CPC with discussions between Commonwealth Parliamentarians and young people from a range of youth groups in Bangladesh. The inaugural youth roundtable was chaired by the CPA President and Chairperson of the CPA International Executive Committee, Hon. Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP, Speaker of the Parliament of Bangladesh and the topic for the discussions was ‘The importance of participatory governance to peaceful, democratic societies’. Eighteen Law Faculty students from Dhaka University and two of the young people who had attended the 8th CPA Commonwealth Youth Parliament in British Columbia, Canada exchanged views with Commonwealth Parliamentarians representing the CPA Regions. In welcoming delegates to the youth roundtable, Hon. Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP, Speaker of Parliament (Bangladesh) noted that youth engagement had been a particular focus of her tenure as Chairperson of the CPA and she had worked alongside the
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CPA Secretary-General, Mr Akbar Khan to ensure that youth voices were heard. She highlighted the CPA Youth Roadshows initiative and explained that the 18 Law students present at this youth roundtable had been amongst the participants at that event when it was first held in Bangladesh. Mr Danish Ali Bhutto (Pakistan) outlined his experiences as a delegate at the 8th Commonwealth Youth Parliament (CYP) which had been held in British Columbia, Canada in 2016. Mr Bhutto had worked at the Federal Parliament in Pakistan since 2013 and expressed his gratitude for the opportunity of participating in the CYP in the guise of Minister for Culture and Indigenous Affairs. He considered that the experience had been very enriching and had emphasised the power of young people and the important role they could have in supporting the parliamentary decision making process. Given that 60% of the Commonwealth population was under 30, it seemed unfair that young people’s views were not routinely sought. Mr Bhutto opined that Parliaments should be inclusive, seek young people’s views and establish youth initiatives such as parliamentary studies
programmes in order to empower young people and engage them in decision making processes. Miss Elise Delpiano (New South Wales, Australia) had also attended the 8th Commonwealth Youth Parliament. She explained that 66 youth delegates had spent a week learning about parliamentary procedures and processes at the CYP. She had been elected as the Leader of the Opposition and had experienced debates and question time. Miss Delpiano, who was currently studying Law and International Relations, had been very proud to participate in the first CYP at which all the major roles (Speaker, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition) had been occupied by women. She believed that, contrary to popular thought, young people were very interested in politics, but it was difficult to find a platform for their views to be heard. Events such as the CYP allowed young people a forum in which they could express their opinions. She advised that her own Youth Parliament in New South Wales presented a report to all MPs after the event, in order to highlight the decisions made by the young Parliamentarians. Young people were neither inexperienced nor disengaged.