Children and Youth Task Force

The Children & Youth Task Force

The Children and Youth Task Force (CYTF) is a task force initiated by children and youth organizations to mainstream children and youth participation and issues in GCAP.

Youth Issues

Education, Employment and Health were identified as key policy issues that affects children and young people hence the task force will be advocating on these issues.

Understanding the central role accountability plays in the attainment of the MDGs, the children and youth task force will commit to holding our various governments accountable to their developmental promises. 

Central to our demand is the call on government to act against poverty immediately and decisively, we call on all children and youth organizations to work with national and regional coalitions within the GCAP and outside to pressurize governments and mobilize the political will needed to achieve the MDGs.

In light of the above we demand that:

• Governments ensure children and young people are partners, not only targets, in the development of national and international development priorities, policies and plans, through active involvement in decision-making and implementation.
• Donor governments and institutions immediately and without externally imposed conditionalities, cancel the odious illegitimate and unpayable debt of poor and middle income countries through a fair, democratic and transparent process to free up resources for free education and health care for all children and youth and to retain more capital for youth entrepreneur funds.
• All governments must fulfill their commitments to achieve the MDGs, provide education and health care for all children and youth and provide employment for youth.
• We uphold the GCAP Beirut declaration on accountability and demand from government accountability and transparency in the use of public funds.
• Developing countries that show clear commitment to utilize funds for education, health and the creation of employment for youth, should receive long-term commitment from donor countries and institutions to fill the financial gap.
• Unfair and illegal subsidy schemes, leading to dumping of goods in developing countries, are abolished in order to provide more opportunities for young people to create their own employment.
• Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) are immediately changed to secure affordable access to essential drugs for children and young people affected by HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

Projects

Campus Campaign

GCAP Youth is in the process of launching an exciting program that will enable you to create your own GCAP chapter on your campus at school or university.

One Voice Project

Ahead of the high-level UN meetings on the Millennium Development Goals in September 2008 the CYTF is in the process of launching an advocacy initiative.

Youth Facts

1. It is estimated that there are some 209 million young people living on less than US$ 1 a day and around 515 million young people living on less than US$ 2 a day.
2. Of the 1.9 billion children in developing countries; 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million live with no access to safe water and 270 million live with no access to health services.
3. Youth may be disproportionately susceptible to poverty in comparison with other age groups, primarily because of the fluid nature of the challenges and opportunities they face during the transition to adulthood, particularly in relation to the labour market.

(source - http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/iyd2006.htm#whatisyouthpoverty)