At an event of the Youth 20 engagement group (Y20), young people from all over the globe gathered in Rio de Janeiro to put forward proposals that will be presented to world leaders; students from Brazilian public schools attended a youth engagement group.
Young people from all over the world gathered between August 10 and 17 at the Youth 20 Summit (Y20) in Rio de Janeiro to discuss topics such as reform of the global financial architecture, inequalities, tackling poverty and hunger, and climate change. The city of Rio de Janeiro hosted the G20 Youth event, which was attended by delegations from the 19 largest economies in the world, the African Union and the European Union, and invited countries. Young people from public schools and social projects attended some of the meetings during the Y20 week.
With Brasil in the presidency of the G20, the main point for the Brazilian delegation was to present the needs and different contexts of youth around the world. Philippe Silva, head of the Brazilian delegation at Y20, detailed some of the proposals for the Scientific News Agency of the Rio de Janeiro State University (Agenc). These include ensuring universal quality education, guaranteeing rights for young people whose rights are infringed, revamping the taxation of wealth, environmental agendas and recognizing the favela territory as a collective experience that can be taken to other countries. "The solutions to resolving the world's conflicts already exist within communities, indigenous villages, and quilombos. Civil society is where politics happens".
The youth group already existed in the G7, which comprises the seven largest economies in the world, and since 2010 it has become one of the G20 Social engagement groups with civil society. These groups meet and discuss different topics in the world context and produce a Communiqué, a document with the recommendations decided by consensus, which will be presented at the meeting of G20 leaders.
Including youth from the periphery in the debate
Inequalities among young people were a recurring theme at the meeting in Rio de Janeiro. Although the participation of young people is growing in public debates, as in the Y20, some of them still don't take part in discussions in their own country. Young people now account for 1.8 billion people aged 10 to 24 - a quarter of the world's population, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Maria Nascimento and Adriana Araújo, first-year high school students at a public school, are an example of this. They say that the experience of participating in a space where young people can discuss proposals and reflect on how to make the world a better place is an opportunity they never had before.
"It's a new experience because we've never participated in this type of event before. There aren't many opportunities like this for us, who are from public schools", says Adriana.
The opportunity, or even the lack of it, is a decisive factor in youth participation in society, the ILO (International Labour Organization) pointed out in its report released this month. In 2023, according to the ILO, 20.4% of young people worldwide were neither studying nor working. The ILO's perspective is to decrease this percentage in the next years, reaching approximately 12.8% in 2024 and 2025. The report highlights that inequality in access to education is one of the major obstacles to the effective exercise of citizenship.
Legacy of the Brazilian delegation at Y20 for the other delegations
Shinan Yuanshinan, a member of the Chinese delegation at Y20, told Agenc that the debates demonstrate the diversity of ideas and countries, which together can influence global decisions. Although no G20 engagement group has the power to implement actions, they can push and contribute towards the recommendations becoming public policies in their countries and across the globe. Yuanshinan also highlighted the cultural diversity of Brasil and the receptivity of the Brazilian people in welcoming him and the other young people.
Curtleigh Alaat, representative of the South African delegation, said that the main experience he will take from the Brazilian meeting to the one in his country next year is the ability of Brazilians to always seek to do the best for themselves and for those in their country. In his opinion, this encourages him to visit the country as a tourist and not just as a delegation. Alaat said that at the G20 event next year, which will be held in South Africa, where he lives, he would like to replicate so much the receptivity that the Brazilian delegation offered while chairing the group.
The Y20 has not yet released its Communiqué. It is expected that the youth proposals will be delivered to the Sherpa Track (G20 leaders) and Finance Track to press for their incorporation into the Leader's Declaration of the G20 countries.
The proposals will be aligned with the three axes proposed by the Brazilian presidency of the G20, besides covering other themes. The three axes are fighting hunger, poverty, and inequality; sustainable economic, social, and environmental development; and the reform of international governance.
For Ronald Sorriso, National Secretary for Youth, Brasil's legacy in the presidency of the G20 is the direct social participation of young people from public schools, social movements, and others who were present during the Y20 Summit. The group also held 30 regional dialogues throughout Brasil to discuss the needs and aspirations of many young Brazilian people. "When young people give their opinion, they're not thinking about the prosperity that will be achieved for them and their country by tomorrow; they want to know if that prosperity will be sustainable over time."
For Sorriso, the impression that Brasil wants to leave during the G20 goes far beyond this year. "We want that next year, in South Africa, and in the following years, we will have the permanence of the G20 Social (created by Brasil). This is the great legacy that our country wanted to pass on", he says.
By Everton Victor and Julia Lima. Content produced by the Scientific News Agency of the Rio de Janeiro State University (Agenc)
