Launch coincides with announcement and first meeting of new clean energy youth working group

Kigali, Rwanda - The Commonwealth Secretariat has launched a new youth network focusing on sustainable urbanisation and those under the age of 35 are urged to join.

The Commonwealth Youth for Sustainable Urbanisation (CYSU) network will use an evidenced-based approach and work collaboratively to address the challenges affecting health, trade, the economy, the environment, and youth employment in cities and human settlements throughout the Commonwealth.

CYSU is the 13^th youth network to be set up through the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Supported by the Commonwealth Secretariat for the past 40 years, the youth networks cover various issues and empower those aged 18-29 to make their voices heard by giving them opportunities to shape the future they want to see.

Its launch coincides with the announcement of and first meeting of the newly formed Clean and Sustainable Energy Action Group. A joint effort between members of the CYSU and the Commonwealth Sustainable Energy Transition (CSET) Agenda, its focus will be on scaling up youth-led solutions for clean and sustainable energy and creating a platform for engaging young people in the global discourse on the energy transition.

The CSET will look to help Commonwealth nations with the transition to low carbon energy systems and the achievement of SDGs – in particular SDG 7 on access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy. It is anchored on three key pillars - Inclusive Transition; Technology and Innovation; and Enabling Frameworks and is implemented through targeted approaches including member-led Action Groups.

Both groups were profiled on the second day of the Commonwealth Youth Forum, where 350 youth leaders have gathered to share ideas and generate recommendations for improving youth prospects to be taken forward to the Heads of Government meeting on Saturday.

Young people who meet the criteria are encouraged to express their interest in joining the CYSU and the new CSET Youth Action Group through this Google form.

The competition to design the CYSU logo was launched and interested participants are encouraged to submit their designs, find out more information here. A £200 prize is on offer.

The CYSU network is the result of a commitment for increased youth involvement in development reached at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting in London.

It also forms part of the response to a Commonwealth-wide Call to Action on Sustainable Urbanisation, launched in 2021 by the Commonwealth Sustainable Cities Initiative (a multidisciplinary group of comprising of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Commonwealth Association of Architects, the Commonwealth Association of Planners and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum supported by the Government of Rwanda and The Prince's Foundation).

Layne Robinson, Head of Social Policy Development at the Secretariat, said: "With populations booming – and more and more young people living in cities and towns – it has never been more important to look at the world around us and to think about how it can better serve future generations.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for candidates with a passion for sustainable development to have an impact on the world they see around them."

find more photos from the first day of the Commonwealth Youth Forum here.

CHOGM background:

• The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2022 takes place from 20-25 June 2022, in Kigali, Rwanda under the theme "Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming".
• Commonwealth leaders will travel to Rwanda to reaffirm their common values and agree actions and policies to improve the lives of all their citizens. Decisions taken at CHOGM also guide the work programme of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
• The official opening of CHOGM takes place on Friday 24 June and is followed by the main high-level meetings of Heads on Friday 24 to Saturday 25 June. These events are proceeded by four forums, ministerial meetings, side events and other activities. More information is available below.
• The CYF is one of the four forums which have taken place in the margins of CHOGM since 1998. Young people will focus on the data provided by the Youth Development Index (YDI) Report, a Commonwealth tool which helps us to monitor changes in the situation of young people; recognise their contributions to the world; and support them as we all pursue the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• You can access more information and the full programme on our App here.
• The other forums held ahead of CHOGM are the People's Forum, the Women's Forum, and the Business Forum.

The UK's largest pro-life grassroots campaign group says the London Government will regret the damage it is doing to Northern Ireland's political institutions in its determination to force an extremist abortion agenda on the Province. The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) is warning that the decision to amend the constitutional settlement established by the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement will undermine the credibility of devolution. 

The UK Government says it is prepared to act "very quickly" to bring about a rapid expansion in the provision of abortion in Northern Ireland. On Wednesday afternoon, MPs backed regulations which amend the the Northern Ireland Act 1998 by 215 votes to 70. These regulations will effectively allow the Secretary of State, Brandon Lewis, to dictate abortion policy in the Province.  

Liam Gibson, SPUC Policy and Legal Officer, who is based in Belfast, said:  

"Northern Ireland's devolved structures were designed to ensure that decision about contentious issue, such as abortion, were taken on the basis of consensus. The Ministerial Code placed members of the Stormont government under a statutory duty to consult their colleagues and find a way forward that all parties could accept. These new regulations give Brandon Lewis greater power than Ministers elected by the people of Northern Ireland. They have the potential to cause complete confusion by creating a rival power structure within the administration, health officials may be faced with incompatible and even contradictory instructions.  

"Brandon Lewis has made it clear that he intends to move quickly to expand the provision of abortion. But while he can demand that funding is made available for late term abortions he will not have to account for the financial impact his decisions will have for existing healthcare which is already at braking point in many places," said Mr Gibson.  

SPUC also argues that the Parliamentary procedure used to change Northern Ireland's constitutional settlement is not lawful and has launched an application for a judicial review of the legality of the 2022 Regulations. 

"The process that the Government has used to pursue its agenda is completely inappropriate. Constitutional legislation like the Northern Ireland Act 1998 should not be altered by way of a statutory instrument. That allowed these Regulations to be put into effect weeks ago without the possibility of them being amended. MPs were merely required to rubber stamp a decision already implemented by the Government," said Mr Gibson.  

"SPUC is preparing a legal challenge to these Regulations and we hope that the court will recognise that in the frustration caused by its inability to impose a radical abortion regime on Northern Ireland, the Government has over stepped the limits of its legitimate power."