Youth Parliamentarian Returns from New York

Fatoumata S. Baldeh, The Gambia's Youth Delegate from the National Youth Parliament of The Gambia, recently returned from the 16th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.

Speaking to this reporter upon her return, Hon Baldeh indicated that the CDS aims at Integration of the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development in policy-making at international, regional and national levels. In addition it aims to promote the wide-spread adoption of an integrated, cross-sectoral and broadly participatory approach to sustainable development as well as measure progress in the implementation of the goals and targets of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

The participation of young people in such a process, she said is such a crucial one since they are leaders in the making and anything that has to do with the future is about young people.

Baldeh noted that during the Africa session delegates and members of major groups discussed youth unemployment, keeping youths in their countries, cultural preservation, gender equality and innovative rural education programs. 

 Regarding the meeting on natural resource management, she said, "we need to create alternative livelihood opportunities". She went on to point out that our people require diverse sources of income so that we are not over-dependent on our forests and other natural resources.

The Gambia's representative went further to express her organisation's appreciation to the Inwent, a German non-profit organization through the German Government to attend CSD 16 UN Summit, which took place from the 5th -16th May 2008 at the UN Headquarters in New York.

She also commended the National Youth Council for their co-operation.