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Youth leaders vying to join the Commonwealth Youth Council, the recognised voice of over 1.2 billion young people from the Commonwealth’s 53 member countries, have announced their election manifestos.

A new chair and leadership team for the Youth Council, which advocates on behalf of young people aged under 30 on issues such as employment, human rights and climate change, will be elected in Malta on 24 November ahead of the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

With campaigning now underway, outgoing Commonwealth Youth Council Chair, Ahmed Adamu urged young people around the globe to get involved and engage with candidates on their policy platforms. “Now is your chance to learn more about the young men and women who are vying to be the voice of the young people in the Commonwealth,” said Mr Adamu, a PhD student from Nigeria.

“I strongly encourage everyone to take an interest in these elections, as these are the youth leaders who work in partnership with governments and all stakeholders to advance the youth contribution to development and democracy in the Commonwealth,” he said.

The election will take place during a General Assembly, a key event of the Commonwealth Youth Forum between 21-25 November in St. Paul’s Bay. Attended by 400 young delegates aged 18-29 the forum is jointly organised by the Government of Malta, the Youth Council and the ����̽�� under the theme “Adding Global Value…#WhatNext?”

The final shortlist of 45 candidates for the nine seats on the Council’s Executive was announced by the Council and its partner, the ����̽��, alongside their election manifestos.

Campaigning will end on 23 November, 24 hours before polls open for national delegates. Until then, young people are encouraged to use the #WhatNext hashtag on social media to reach out and propose questions and suggest priorities for discussion by candidates.

����̽�� Youth Director Katherine Ellis said: “����̽�� Youth Council is a dynamic and diverse youth-led organisation, representing young people from Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, the Americas, Africa and Europe. The candidates who are elected to its executive will become global champions for the generation under-30, putting forward their interests and aspirations. That’s why this election is so important and why young people everywhere should pay attention and put forward their own policy priorities for candidates.”

The final selection of candidates was made by a panel from the ����̽��’s Youth Division after assessing qualifying criteria. Applicants needed to submit a manifesto, personal profile and other documentation, and needed to be endorsed by a National Youth Council or Regional Youth Council, a national or regional youth-led organisation, or a registered and recognised international youth-led organisation.

Notes to Editors:

����̽�� Youth Council was first established in 2013 with the support of the ����̽��’s Youth Programme. It was endorsed by Commonwealth Heads of Government at their biennial summit in Sri Lanka that year as an “autonomous, youth-led” organisation.

Led by a nine-member executive, the Commonwealth Youth Council acts as a coalition of national youth councils and other youth-led civil society and private sector bodies from across the 53 member countries of the Commonwealth.

Positions on the Executive available for election are:

• Chairperson
• Vice Chairperson – Inclusion and Engagement
• Vice Chairperson – Partnerships and Resources
• Vice Chairperson – Policy and Advocacy
• Regional Representative – Africa and Europe
• Regional Representative – Asia
• Regional Representative – Caribbean and the Americas
• Regional Representative – Pacific
• Representative – Special Interest Groups

The list of candidates, along with their biographies and manifestos, can be found on the Youth Council’s election website:

The ����̽��’s youth development work is delivered through the Commonwealth Youth Programme, which has been supporting member countries for over 40 years. For more information, visit:

����̽�� theme for 2015 is ‘A Young Commonwealth’, recognising the capacity, contribution and potential of young people, who play a vital role at the heart of sustainable development and democracy.

For more information on the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Forum, visit: 

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Hashtags: #CYF2015 #WhatNext?