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G20 SOCIAL
Diversity and the future of work guide youth activities at the G20
The event to kick off the activities of the Brazilian presidency of Youth 20 marks the country's leadership in one of the G20's most traditional engagement groups. Proposals will include the technological landscape as well as the impacts of development on the environment and future generations.
Youth 20 (Y20) began its activities, under the Brazilian presidency of the G20, in a crowded ceremony at the Rio Branco Institute in Brasilia on Wednesday (20). The Engagement Group, which is part of the Social G20, reinforced the need for the world's largest economies to take into account the proposals of young people.
During the Brazilian leadership, the focus is on five priority themes:
Fighting hunger, poverty and inequality
Climate change and sustainable development
Reform of the global governance system
Inclusion and diversity
Innovation in the world of work
These critical themes for the future of global society will be debated and worked on by the Y20 throughout the year, in preparation for the group's proposals to the G20 Social and Leaders' Summit.
The opening table was attended by the Chief Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Márcio Macêdo, the Brazilian Sherpa to the G20, Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio and the Minister of Human Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Claudia Barbosa.
A variety of voices and perspectives
The panel included the National Secretary for Youth of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Ronald Santos, the chair of the Y20 and president of the National Youth Council, Marcos Barão, the vice-president of the Parliamentary Youth Front of the National Congress, Brazilian federal deputy Camila Jara, and the president of the National Union of Students (UNE), Manuella Mirella.
The National Youth Secretary stressed the importance of the Y20 as a source for influencing global leaders in proposals and actions on the issue. "We want to give youth a fundamental role in the construction of the Y20. Normally, documents don't reflect the wishes of young people," said Ronald. Marcus Barão recalled that the Y20 is one of the oldest groups in the G20, with activities starting in 2010: "we have a responsibility to maintain a group that started under other presidencies and leave a legacy for the next ones". Barão believes that it is important to involve more of the Brazilian population in the G20, not just young people, who are the target of the Group's proposals.
Márcio Macêdo explained that the Y20 is the main channel for youth participation in the G20. He requested as many participants as possible to ensure that the proposals were representative. The minister called on other countries to commit to broadening the debate with young people and presenting proposals to leaders.
Brazilian Congresswoman Camila Jara demanded objective proposals and targets from the leaders. For her, "we need to deal with the problems that previous generations were unable to deal with and propose solutions for the future". The president of the National Union of Students, Manuella Mirella, said that "we need to give an answer to young people, in a world that continues to get richer, but is increasingly unequal". Minister Claudia Barbosa confirmed that the emphasis on youth is fundamental for the G20 and for Brasil.
At the end of the program was the panel "Youth and the Great Global Themes: Y20 Tracks", mediated by Rayssa Lemes, a member of the Y20 team, which brought together experts to discuss topics such as combating hunger and inequality, climate change, inclusion and diversity. The variety of voices and perspectives reflected the Y20's commitment to representing and addressing the concerns and aspirations of young people at a global level.
At the conclusion of the event, the Y20 Participatory Council and Federative Council took office, signaling the start of Brazil's presidency of the group. With an agenda centered on urgent challenges and new solutions, the Y20 is positioning itself as a change agent in an increasingly complex and interconnected global context.