World Youth Conference, 27 August 2010

The last day of the conference and the government delegation at about 1.30pm agreed to a statement from the Government Forum to be submitted to the UN General Assembly in September. The delegates also agreed that the NGO statement would be submitted as a separate document in its entirety, not as an appendix or as two integrated statements.

Called the Guanajuato Declaration, after the name of the region where the conference is being held, the statement recognizes youth as key stakeholders in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, reaffirms governments’ commitment to the World Programme of Action for Youth and admits that there are sill great inequalities between young men and women that need to be addressed.

In the afternoon, the WAGGGS delegation met for a debrief, including feedback on the highs and lows of the conference. The consensus was that finalizing the NGO statement at midnight on Tuesday gave everyone a real sense of achievement and to have it as a formal submission to the UN excited the youth delegates. More frustrating was the lack of access to the Government Forum, to lobby the states on including elements of the NGO statement in the final declaration and the absence of a programme for the side events so that delegates could use their time to learn and network.

Commitments were also made by the participants on what they would do with their new knowledge, tools and contacts when they returned home. Anna from Australia is going directly to the UNDPI conference in Melbourne Australia to take the messages from the World Youth Conference. Many of the delegates will work with their Member Organizations to communicate the outcomes of the conference to volunteer leaders and Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Several projects on the MDGs are being planned. Watch this space for updates from the delegates on their journey when they return home.

The Global Interactive Forum was being packed up and the WAGGGS stands were dismantled, with the volunteers heading home to various parts of Mexico. The NGO delegates were also making there way home, some heading to Our Cabana first, while others took the long bus journey back to Mexico City to fly home to their various countries.