World's young MPs tackle conflict and economic crisis

Geneva, 22 May 2015

An IPU conference in Tokyo will bring together young MPs from around the world to identify solutions to key global issues that impact heavily on youth.

More than 220 young MPs, including 69 women, will attend the IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians at the Japanese parliament, the National Diet, on 27 and 28 May.

The Conference is an annual global youth-led political platform to define policies and action to tackle the challenges faced by young people.

The focus of the Tokyo conference will be on democracy, peace and prosperity. Statistics show that young people are suffering a disproportionate and worsening impact in the global financial and economic crisis, and are significantly more likely than the rest of the adult population to be unemployed.

The Conference, jointly organized by IPU and the National Diet of Japan, will be attended by the Speakers of both Japanese Houses of Parliament, Tadamori Oshima and Masaaki Yamazaki, the President of IPU, Saber Chowdhury of Bangladesh and the Secretary General of IPU, Martin Chungong.

The young MPs present will include the Speaker of the National Assembly of Djibouti, Mohamed Ali Houmed.

Representatives of major international bodies including the UN, UNDP, WHO, ILO, UNICEF and CEDAW (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women) will also attend.

Issues under the spotlight will include the continuing impact of the economic crisis and ways of working towards young people’s vision of a prosperous world. The MPs will examine how they can empower their peers to address the socio-economic challenges they are facing.

With UN figures suggesting that 600 million young people are living in conflict zones, and amid growing concerns over the engagement of youth in violent extremism, the role of young people in eliminating violence and conflict will also be explored.
Special attention will be paid to the issue of violence against youth, including young women and girls.

The event is part of IPU’s work to increase youth political participation and input into decision-making, backed by its Forum of Young Parliamentarians – a youth-led permanent international structure which brings together young legislators from all around the world.
IPU believes it is crucial for young people to be fully engaged in the democratic process, and to be better represented in the world’s parliaments. IPU statistics show that in 2014 only 1.7% of the world’s MPs were aged under 30.

Five years ago IPU adopted a major resolution on Youth Participation in the Democratic Process, calling for fresh action from states, parliaments, political parties and other relevant groups to draw more young people into the formal democratic process. The Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians will renew this world commitment for youth in politics.

Take part in the Conference discussions through Twitter using the hashtag #youngMPs
Follow us on Twitter at: @IPUparliament

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The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments. It works to safeguard peace and drives positive democratic change through political dialogue and concrete action.

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