Young lady-lawmaker wins Board seat in first global forum of young

parliamentarians in Geneva
A young lady-lawmaker was recently elected as member of the Board of the Forum of
Young Parliamentarians from the Asia Pacific, held in Geneva, Switerland!
"e#! $ercedes Alvare %&
th
'istrict, (egros )ccidental*, +, years old, who was #ersonally
nominated by S#eaker Feliciano Belmonte, -r!, to re#resent the Phili##ines, was the lone Fili#ino
delegate at the said .onference held at the Centre International des Confrences de Genve on
)ctober /0 and //, ,0/1!
Alvare e2#ressed her sincerest gratitude to S#eaker Belmonte for nominating her to be
the Fili#ino delegate to the /
st
3nter-Parliamentary 4nion %3P4* Global .onference of Young
Parliamentarians!
She was humbled to be one of only two delegates from the Asia Pacific region who won a
seat in the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians for Asia Pacific! 5he other winner was
a male delegate from .ambodia!
5he S#eaker welcomed the news with #ride that the young Alvare, a lawyer-lawmaker,
has made 6an im#rint in the area of global youth leadershi#,7 a global youth leadershi#
conference organied by the 3P4 with the generous su##ort of the 8orldwide Su##ort for
'evelo#ment %8S'*!
5he 3P49s commitment to su##orting youth #artici#ation in #olitics began in ,0/0 with
the ado#tion of the resolution on 6Youth #artici#ation in the democratic #rocess7 at the /,,nd
3P4 Assembly in Bangkok!
3n ,0/+, the 3P4 established the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, a formal and
#ermanent body dedicated to enhancing the :uantitative and :ualitative #artici#ation of young
#eo#le in #arliaments and in the 3P4!
5he .onference #rovided a #latform for reflection and debate for young leaders in #olitics
and other fields on common concerns that are challenging democracy today!
Although young #eo#le have been at the forefront of many recent mass movements for
democracy and res#ect for freedoms and socio-economic rights, studies and surveys show that
they are increasingly disillusioned with conventional #olitics! 5his #oses a challenge to
democracy in many #arts of the world!
3t further stated that recent years have witnessed the engagement of young #eo#le in the
streets of .airo, 5unis, Athens, $adrid, Bangkok, (ew York, $ontreal and "io de -aneiro,
among others! 8hile in some cases this engagement has made history, young #eo#le9s dwindling
interest in formal #olitical activity, including voting and #arty membershi#, and a shaken trust in
#oliticians and #olitical #arties, is a real threat to the future of democracy!
NR # 3621
OCT. 16, 2014
5he .onference aimed to find ways and means of stimulating youth engagement and hel#
define the youth agenda in #olitics! Young #arliamentarians from &/ countries have called for
wide-ranging measures to be #ut in #lace to ensure the world9s youth are #olitically engaged and
re#resented at the conclusion of the first global conference of its kind!
According to the 3P4 Secretariat, more than /;0 young $Ps, re#resenting the youngest
members of Parliaments, below 1< years old, youth leaders and e2#erts at the 3P4 Global
.onference of Young Parliamentarians identified youth :uotas for #arliaments and #olitical
#arties among several key actions to assure youth #olitical re#resentation and #artici#ation!
.urrently $Ps under +0 years of age re#resent less than two #er cent of #arliamentarians!
=uotas were also needed for youth #artici#ation in local #olitics to hel# #re#are young
#eo#le for national #olitics! Political #arties were encouraged to #ut youth in their leadershi# and
decision-making structures!
Based on the .onference outcome statement, young $Ps highlighted a reduction in the
minimum age for voting and for being elected as another key ste# that needed to be taken! >oting
and eligibility ages re:uired alignment!
Also, youth involvement in #olitical decision-making and in governance both at national
and international levels was similarly called for! 5his included a youth com#onent in the
sustainable develo#ment goals %S'Gs*, which will re#lace the $illennium 'evelo#ment Goals
when they e2#ire in ,0/<!
)ther actions to take include the creation of #arliamentary committees on youth, the
allocation of sufficient resources in national budgets for youth #rogrammes, training and
education and incor#orating youth #ers#ectives into national budget #lans!
Furthermore, drawing u#on their e2#erience either as young $Ps or the #art they would
have #layed in youth movements, #artici#ants called for democracy to be revived and for regimes
the world over to be more democratic!
5he outcome statement also stated that #olitical education should be integrated into school
curriculums with an em#hasis on democratic values, governance institutions and the
res#onsibilities of citienshi# as a way to #ut #olitical engagement at the heart of young #eo#le9s
lives!
A second 3P4 Global .onference for Young $Ps is slated for ne2t year in -a#an! 5he
Geneva gathering was funded by the -a#an-based organiation, 8orldwide Su##ort for
'evelo#ment! %+0* lvc