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e-2787 (Social affairs and equality)

E-petition
Initiated by Sonya Yalda from Toronto, Ontario

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
  • A youth delegate programme can provide Canadian youth with various avenues for professional skill development by offering opportunities to participate in any intergovernmental meetings at the United Nations;
  • Most youth delegates participate in the General Assembly and attend functional Commissions of the Economic and Social Council but increasingly, youth delegates also participate in the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, the Commission on the Status of Women, the Human Rights Council and others;
  • The program aims to enhance awareness of the global situation of youth and to increase recognition of their rights and aspirations;
  • The UN Youth Delegate Programme will also promote national youth policies, programmes and coordinating mechanisms as integral parts of social and economic development, in cooperation with both governmental and non-governmental organizations;
  • The program will work to strengthen the participation of youth in decision-making processes at all levels of government in order to increase their contribution to national development and international cooperation;
  • Currently, several countries are considered to have exemplary Youth Delegate Programmes, including Australia, Belgium, Mexico, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, United States and more;
  • Research by the Inter-Parliamentary Union shows that young people below the age of 30 represent under 2 percent of the world’s members of Parliament, and more than 75 percent of the world’s upper houses of Parliament have no members under the age of 30; and
  • Youth are redefining political engagement and creating innovative avenues for expressing political views outside of traditional spheres.
We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to establish a United Nations Youth Delegate Programme in Canada.
Open for signature
August 24, 2020, at 2:06 p.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
December 22, 2020, at 2:06 p.m. (EDT)
Photo - Nathaniel Erskine-Smith
Beaches—East York
Liberal Caucus
Ontario