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Master of Ceremonies,
The Mayor of the Durban Metro,
The President and National Executive Committee of the South African Youth Council,
The British Consul, Mrs Goldthorpe,
Representative from the Canadian High Commission,
The General Manager, SABC KZN,
Representatives of all the sponsors (Telkom, Transnet and Vodacom),
The leadership of the Commonwealth Youth Program,
The Youth of the Commonwealth,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.

The problems and aspirations of the youth all over the world are common. It is therefore appropriate that you should come together as you are doing at this Commonwealth Youth Forum. Although you come from countries at various levels of development, in your daily lives you are faced with similar challenges.

This forum, therefore, gives you the opportunity to speak with a bigger voice in tackling issues that are unique to the youth.
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Young people should be involved in the governance of their countries in terms of influencing policy and lobbying to ensure vibrant democracy and that governments are accountable to society in general. The involvement of youth in the struggle for independence and democracy has been a big part of the struggles of many countries the world over. In the same way that they were prepared to lay down their lives for democracy, the youth ought now to be prepared to lay down their lives to protect this democracy and ensure that it is never reversed. The youth, after all, will, one day, inherit the present dispensation.

The main challenges facing the youth today are education, HIV/AIDS, crime and gender issues. There ought to be a commitment by the youth, particularly in new democracies, to the upliftment of their societies through education. This can be achieved through defining curricula that are relevant to the needs of their countries. This will require discipline and good career choices from the part of the youth. In our continent, this will go a long way towards achieving the objectives of the African Renaissance.

The AIDS epidemic that is ravaging many countries is a cause for great concern. Statistics show that young people are the most affected group. They have a duty therefore to ensure their own future by taking appropriate measures against the disease. The challenge is more acute if one considers that the majority of people infected with HIV/AIDS are young people from developing countries. Young people often ignore warnings against this killer disease and view them as a mere plot to prevent them from entering the stage of adulthood as masters of their own destinies.

Crime is destroying the moral fibre of many countries of the Commonwealth. Criminals are becoming role models for many young people. Ill-gotten gains are regarded as signs of achievements. We need to have a committed youth leadership that will act as a counterbalance against criminals and become proper role models. The youth should be more active in exposing criminals in their midst.

In our increasingly smaller and competitive world, our youth is pitted against the youth of other countries. This means that your achievements are now measured against international standards. New opportunities are opening up in new sectors, for example, in the fields of sports, science and technology, amongst others.

As the Commonwealth gears itself for the new millennium, youth structures are also becoming weaker. The challenge facing the youth today is to revive their structures so that they can play a more meaningful role in the changing Commonwealth. There are many fields where the youth can actively engage their respective governments. Following from your Edinburgh resolutions, there is still a long way to go before the living standards of young people all over the world are improved. The youth policies of Commonwealth countries should be synchronised to reflect the harmony that will be displayed at this conference.

This revival and strengthening of the youth structures requires a concerted effort to build bridges between the various youth organisations. Although you subscribe to different and competing political philosophies, and belong to different organisations, your roles as future citizens of the Commonwealth countries are inter-linked.

This process should, of necessity, reflect the growing convergence of ideas between member states of the Commonwealth. In the various formations within the Commonwealth countries, there should be a convergence of ideas between their youth formations such that the political realities existing in those countries are taken into cognisance. There may be disagreements, either at strategic or tactical level, but there is now a greater realisation that our futures are linked.

To this end youth structures should jointly begin to engage their various governments on youth policy proposals and areas of governance that affect them and their future.

The final challenge facing the youth, particularly students, is to become gender activists and be in the forefront in fighting violence against women and children. They should also ensure equal access to resources and opportunities for women.

I call on the youth to enter the new millennium with a new purpose - to fight crime, to engage their governments in developing workable youth policies, to develop new strategies to fight HIV/AIDS and to become better-educated citizens of their countries.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is therefore my pleasure to welcome you all to the Commonwealth Youth Conference in Durban. I hope that your deliberations will be a continuation of the tasks you set for yourselves at the Edinburgh conference and that you will leave this conference with a new vigour and take charge of your own destinies.

I Thank You.
J.G. ZUMA

Issued by Office of the Presidency, 2 November 1999
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