The participation of the Union of Exiled Students in the Youth Leader Caucus
On November 6th, the Exiled Students’ Union was invited to speak at the Youth Leader Caucus as part of the campaign A FAIR SHARE FOR OUR FUTURE: A GLOBAL YOUTH SUMMIT ON THE G20.
This event was organized by the 100 million campaign supported by the Global Student Forum, which brings together various student organizations: the European Student Union (ESU), the Commonwealth Students’ Association, the Pan-African Students’ Union (PSU). This event brought together many young committed citizens: local activists, student unions representing millions of students, and young MPs from around the world.
During this meeting, the following topics were discussed
– to take stock of the global situation of the most deprived young people
– address the lack of representation of those most affected in international discussions on pandemic management
– to give examples of actions concerning more equitable management of the crisis.
The main objective was to denounce the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world’s poorest children and youth’s rights. This event, followed by a strong coalition of young people from more than 40 different countries, highlighted the international community’s unequal and immoral reaction to COVID-19 because of the upcoming G20 summit.
Another objective of this meeting was to denounce the non-representation of many countries and communities affected by this virus in international meetings. For example, out of the 55 countries on the African continent, only South Africa is represented at the G20 summit.
Also noteworthy is the absence of organizations representing the voices of exiles on the COVID pandemic’s consequences. It is on this theme that the Union of Exiled Students was invited to speak. Indeed, the coronavirus crisis has drastically impacted the conditions of study and access to studies for exiled students in France and worldwide. It is worth recalling that exiles are too often used to being left aside at major international meetings on issues that directly concern them. This must stop.
Together, we have issued a direct challenge to the G20: As leaders taking responsibility for the global response to COVID-19, will they take responsibility for the world’s most vulnerable? How can we ensure a global response if countries are not equitably represented?.
You can read the Youth Caucus Outcome Document here.
