Friday 20 March 2009
Six members of the NCB-managed, Department of
Children, Schools and Family (DCSF) Children and Youth Board will
give their views at the Department for International Development
White Paper / London Summit Youth Consultation Event on Friday 20
March.
50 young people from across the UK have been invited by DFID to
help shape government policy to eliminate world poverty, and share
their views with world leaders ahead of the London Summit next
month. The DFID Youth Summit will see 50 16-24 year olds gather in
London to discuss how conflict, climate change and the economic
crisis can be tackled to reduce global poverty.
Their views will be presented to the Government and help inform
DFID's new policy on the future of international development. The
views of the young people will also form part of a global Youth
Communiqué for the London Summit on 2 April, which will be shared
with every G20 country delegation present.
Chris Thompson, Development Officer at NCB, said, "I am
delighted that six members of the DCSF Children and Youth Board
have been given the opportunity to participate in DFID's Youth
Summit. The group has been advising DCSF for two years and I know
they will bring a range of creative and exciting ideas to the
discussions. It's also a wonderful opportunity for them to meet
with other children and young people who have been performing
similar roles within different Government Departments. We look
forward to their reporting back to the rest of the board in
April."
Douglas Alexander, International Development Secretary,
said:
"We live in an interconnected world. What happens here in the UK
has an effect on the developing world and vice versa. Tackling
climate change, reducing conflict, rebuilding the global economy -
all are global problems that need global solutions.
Young people are part of these solutions. I want to hear young
people's views about what world leaders should do at the G20 London
Summit, and what our priorities should be for our new White Paper
that lays out our strategy for fighting world poverty. The global
economic downturn is hitting the poorest hardest. By the end of
this year, the effects of the global downturn could force as many
as 46 million people into extreme poverty."
Ed Balls, Education Secretary, said:
"I know from visiting schools and colleges up and down the country
that young people are passionate about preventing global warming,
tackling poverty and preventing diseases like HIV and malaria, both
in this country and all over the world.
There are very real issues facing world leaders right now and I
want young people - the future generation - to able to
contribute their ideas and really make a difference. I'm delighted
that this event will help them do that and I look forward to
hearing what they have to say."
The Summit, organised by the DFID Civil Society Children and Youth
Network, will provide young representatives from international
leading charities, such as Plan International and UNICEF, and
government Youth Boards the chance to ask questions and debate each
of these topics.
Notes to editors
The DCSF Children and Youth Board is a stakeholder group
comprising 25 8-18 year olds who act as the advisory group to the
Department for Children Schools and Families. During their time on
the board, the children and young people advise DCSF policy makers
on a range of issues and meet with ministers to report back on
their work. Policy leads from DCSF have approached the DCSF
Children and Youth Board to assist them with their policy making on
a wide range of areas. Board members also spend time working in
their communities, gathering messages from their peers and bringing
these views back to DCSF policy makers.
NCB's mission is to advance the well-being of all children and
young people across every aspect of their lives. As a
membership and infrastructure support agency for the children's
sector in England and Northern Ireland, NCB provides essential
information on policy, research and best practice for our members
and the members of our wide range of partnership bodies which
operate under our charitable status and are based in our London
headquarters. For further information visit http://www.ncb.org.uk/
For further information on this release contact:
Clare Quarrell, Anna Tombs, Aoife Allen - NCB Media Office
Tel: 020 7843 6044/6045/6047/07721 097033 Email: media@ncb.org.uk