The World Youth Manifesto Project

Unveiling the World Youth Manifesto

Just before the turn of the millennium, 350 students from 175 countries met at a World Parliament of Children in Paris. They had been invited by the French National Assembly and UNESCO to write a very important document.

These young people defined their expectations for the future by adopting a “Youth Manifesto for the Twenty-first Century.” This manifesto, in the grand tradition of the Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), was presented to UNESCO’s General Conference on October 26, 1999 (www.forum.ca).

On April 10, 2000, the Canadian Parliament became the first government in the world to receive the “Youth Manifesto” since its original presentation to UNESCO. In an emotionally-charged ceremony, students from Canada and eleven other countries—Australia, Bahamas, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, France, Kenya, Northern Ireland, Norway, South Korea, Russia and Sri Lanka— read different parts of their document to our country’s highest officials. The Honourable Gildas

Molgat, Speaker of the Senate, Gilbert Parent, Speaker of the House of Commons and Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray were all visibly moved in accepting the students’ declaration. There was a pervasive feeling that we were witnessing a defining moment in the history of humanity.

Click here to view pictures of Forum 2000

The “Youth Manifesto for the Twenty-first Century” is organized around six themes:

Theme 1: Peace and Non-Violence

Young people want this century to be one of peace among nations. It is imperative that we strive to attain peace by dialogue, community campaigns, diplomacy and every other viable means. If the international community has a sincere desire to create and maintain peace, then peace is a reality which can be attained. This is the only hope for our survival.

The future of the world’s young people is threatened by unequal distribution of wealth, prejudice based on race, creed, sex or nationality and authoritarian systems of government. Therefore they propose the following:

We are all entitled to exercise our right to equal respect and equal opportunity,
A philosophy of non-violence should be disseminated in mutual respect for all types of diversity through formal and informal education.
Teacher and student exchanges should be supported and the media should promote peace,
Excessive military spending should be redirected towards programmes promoting peace and non-violence.

Young people believe very firmly that our names, nationalities, languages, religions and colours may be different but in essence we are all the same. All of us are human.

Theme 2: Education

Young people are concerned that too many of us are denied access to public education and lack the adequate conditions for quality learning experiences. They recognize the necessity of affordable education for every person regardless of race, gender, economic status or cultural background. They believe that education is the responsibility of the whole community, including moral authorities, the business world and the media and that the international community should provide assistance whenever necessary.

Education should enable students to acquire a creative and open-minded personality as well as moral values. Academic, social and practical skills should be developed to create international understanding and respect between individuals. Students call upon the national and international communities to:

increase funding for education including fee reduction and scholarships,
improve teachers’ professional standards,
reduce teacher-pupil ratios,
adapt the teaching-learning process to all types of abilities, s
et up adequate guidance and counselling,
give more responsibility to students for managing their schools.

In return, these young people have pledged to become more involved in school and social activities, fund-raising and contributing to the education of others. They have also vowed to respect the dignity of other people without discrimination or prejudice.

Theme 3: Environment

Students are concerned about the survival of our planet. For the first time in the history of humanity, we have the power to destroy ourselves. Progress can have irreversible negative effects which we are unable to forecast, including climate changes, nuclear accidents, genetic engineering and the extinction of fauna and flora. We can no longer behave short-sightedly as producers and consumers. With the world’s population increasing and natural resources in decline, the risks of international conflict have reached unprecedented proportions.

Taking these observations into account, the young people of the world propose:

to call on other young people continually to respect the environment and keep themselves informed of the dangers of tampering with nature,
to persuade public service organizations and all media to inform the public about and propose solutions to environmental problems,
to organize recycling programs, promote non-polluting forms of public transportation and establish more green spaces in every town and city,
to lobby governments to adopt and strengthen laws to protect the environment,
to create an international fund dedicated to anti-pollution research, the development of renewable resources and the support of initiatives which will preserve the Earth for future generations.

Theme 4: Economic Development, Human Development

Young people want the basic needs of all human beings to be better satisfied—health, education, adequate food, a good standard of living and an end to discrimination. These needs can be satisfied through freedom of speech, open-mindedness and an acceptance of different opinions and religions. Those who abuse these basic rights should be punished severely.

All governments should establish priorities based on current conditions. One of these priorities would be to organize an international anti-drug campaign to guarantee a healthier future for the world’s population. Other priorities include family planning, gender equity, education and any endeavour which could help create a peaceful future. Emphasis should be placed on avoiding conflicts before they happen. The youth of all continents want to live in a world where there are no child soldiers, terrorists or weapons of mass destruction.

To improve the global economy, students suggest that an international organization be formed to monitor loans and aid, lower interest rates and cancel the debts of severely disadvantaged developing countries. Global interaction should be given priority among governments and peoples.

Theme 5: Solidarity

To those coming of age in the third millennium, solidarity is defined as caring for others and respecting them without expecting anything in return. It exists wherever people work together towards a common goal, whether in an individual commitment or a group activity.

The young people of the world are committed to helping, respecting and caring for others in need regardless of social, racial, cultural or religious differences. Their action plan to promote solidarity includes:

improving communication at school between young people and adults,
learning about others and their culture in order to understand and respect them,
assisting people with special needs such as the elderly, the disabled, the physically and mentally handicapped and those with addiction problems,
organizing campaigns to support children in need: orphans, homeless, juvenile delinquents,
being politically active and involved in worldwide organizations such as the World Parliament of Children.

Theme 6: Culture, Communication and Intercultural Dialogue

As the twentieth century segues into the realm of history and myth, our students feel that it is important to maintain our culture, learn from others, promote intercultural dialogue and facilitate communication for peace and prosperity worldwide. Therefore, the young people of the world:

call upon governments to provide equipment, subsidies and “Forums” to support cultural, artistic and sports activities for youth,
ask for assistance to be provided to developing countries so that their natural and cultural heritage can be protected,
request that modern information and communication technologies be made accessible to all young people in all countries,
recommend that governments pass legislation to enable students to learn languages as early as possible, in and out of school,
expect municipalities to organize international days to enable people of different cultures to educate other young people about the way they live.

The young people of the world have pledged to value other people’s opinions and creeds. This website is one school’s attempt to create a learning resource where young people can share their ideas and interact with their peers in the international community.

Project Coordinator,
Keith Samuelson
ksamuelson@pwc.k12.nf.ca

March, 2003