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continuing from Introduction to "Papua New Guinea Mini-Conference on National Youth Service"

PART A:  RESOLUTIONS OF THE CONFERENCE

We the Delegates and Participants of the PNG Mini Conference on National Youth Service adopt and submit the recommendations listed below as our Resolutions of the Conference.

We further submit that, these Resolutions be presented and accepted by the Global Conference so that it become the basis from which future national youth development policies and activities shall be designed and delivered within Papua New Guinea and abroad.

These therefore are our resolutions :-

Resolution No. 1 : GOVERNMENT RECOGNITION AND COMMITMENT TO YOUTH WORK

Governments at all levels must give recognition and support to youth development policies and programmes throughout the country, and provide the necessary support when required.

Resolution No. 2 : CO-OPERATION AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN AGENCIES INVOLVED IN YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FOR FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF YOUTH POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES.

The need to urgently review the existing systems and structures of youth work in different sectors and establish proper and effective mechanisms to effectively co-ordinate youth activities between and among them in order to :-

a) Avoid competition, duplication and overlapping of responsibilities and resources.

b) Gear their efforts and resources towards achieving productive results for the benefits of young people, their families and the community which they live in.

c) Avoid confusion and frustration amongst young people who seek to receive advice, guidance and other assistance to initiate and sustain their development activities.

Resolutions No. 3 : UNIFORMITY AND CONSISTENCY IN GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT WORKING RELATIONSHIPS, FUNCTIONS AND ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES

In the true spirit of the provincial and local level government reforms, all the three levels of government to develop and adopt a uniform approach in the forms of their functions and organisational structures which will facilitate the effective planning, implementation, as well as monitoring and evaluation of all youth activities throughout the country.

Resolution No. 4 : GREATER INVOLVEMENT OF YOUTH IN THE PROCESS OF DECISION-MAKING FOR PROGRAMME PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT.

The young people must be equipped, empowered and encouraged to fully and effectively participate in the planning and implementation of development activities at all levels of the broader Community, including governments, churches, NGO and the private sector. Similarly they should be recognised and allowed opportunities to participate in major decisions at higher level institutions and corporate organisations as potential contributors towards national growth and prosperity.

Resolution No. 5 : PROGRAMME BUDGETING AND RESOURCE (FUNDING) ALLOCATION.

There should no longer be anymore repetition of history where youth programmes were designed and delivered without commitment of appropriate funding and other relevant resources. Where ever possible or required, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) must be signed between higher and lower level governments, as well as between governments, churches and NGO sectors to transfer resources tied to programmes in order to sustain the activities without much interruptions to already existing internal youth programmes.

Furthermore, Youth policies and programmes must be transferred with appropriate manpower and financial support to provinces and District Administration as well to Churches and NGO Networks.

Moreover, in the true spirit of the provincial and local level government reforms, young people must be immediately appointed to the District Planning and Budget Priority Committees and that the interest of youth must be properly accommodated at the district programme budgets commencing in 1997.

Any financial handout should no longer be encouraged and practiced, instead youth should be involved constructively to decide on financial matters at influential decision making levels.

Resolution No. 6 : VISIONARY YOUTH POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES.

Any future youth development policies and programmes must contain some visions about the future development achievement of young people as they progress into adulthood.

This vision must encompass their future roles as family members and responsible leaders in the community and country and re-enforce their societal values and norms as well as provisions for their spiritual growth and well-being.

Community and family involvement should therefore be included as the foundation for such a vision for the young people beyond 2020.

An example a theme for such vision could be "Youth, Family and Community together for PNG by 2020."

Resolution No. 7 : INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND FACILITIES FOR YOUTH

Effective educational and information programmes and facilities should be provided for the young people at all levels of the country. This will allow them to have access to information and training on specific aspects of their individual lifestyles, as well as information about issues of national and global concern which affect their existence as a maginalist group in the society.

Furthermore, Community Information and Referral Centres for the young people should be established throughout the country for this purpose. A community information and resource centre network is therefore required as well to kick-start that process.

In addition to that, a counter promotional machinery for and on behalf of the youth must be established to respond to any foreign publicity and information which attempt to unduly influence their thinking, their behaviour, and their way of life in a manner contrary to the norms, values, beliefs and cultures of Papua New Guinea.

This include negative impact and effect the mass media has on the lives of the youths.

Resolution No. 8 : YOUTH EMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDER EMPLOYMENT

The governments, the private sector and other relevant authorities immediately review their existing employment policies in line with the recommendation of the 1995 World Summit on Social Development which calls for integration of employment activities between both the formal and informal sectors.

Similarly these agencies must finance employment activities in all sectors of the community, particularly in the informal sector for the unemployed and under employed youth. The private sector must be fully involved in the training aspect of the youth, especially technical life skills training programmes.

Furthermore restrict semi-skilled and non-skilled employment activities to the youth only so that they are gainfully employed in order to contribute constructively towards the development of their communities and the nation at large.

Also Government agencies such as the Department of Industrial Relations should identify and create policies to protect small scale youth activities which are creating employment opportunities .

Moreover, Governments should immediately control and restrict employment of foreigners to jobs which can be easily performed by Papua New Guinean youth.

Also in the true spirit of the reforms, youth groups and organisations must be fully employed at the local level in all sectors of the development process.

This should be supported by recognition, promotion and rewarding of Group youth employment activities.

In all policies in employment of youth gender balance must be emphasised across the board.

Resolution No. 9 : YOUTH IN BUSINESS

Governments at all levels should identify and provide more opportunities for young people to be involved in business activities. This should be followed by immediate review and liberalisation of loan policies by banks so that the young people can borrow funds to start-up small scale business activities.

Furthermore, Government funded agencies such as the Small Business Development Corporation should change its policies and structures to suit the level of understanding and comprehension by the young people especially procedural and administrative arrangements.

Also, young people to be given priority over any outsiders when considering applications for small scale unskilled and semi-skilled business activities in any given local situation, particularly in the areas of contract work.

A three year tax holiday should be given to youth business to allow them to firmly establish their activities.

In addition, market facilities must be made available for youth groups to have access to in order to sell their produces and products, and with less competition from established multi-national co-operations and large supermarkets.

Resolution No. 10 : YOUTH AND EDUCATION

Greater emphasis should be given to the informal education system to which bulk of the illiterate and semi-literate population is accessible particularly in literacy development and educational awareness programmes.

At the same time, education and training must be tied to employment opportunities in both sectors of the economy so that there is less burden placed on the informal sector to pick up the "push outs" of the formal education system.

This should be followed by the review of future educational and training curriculums and programmes to be skills-based, and not just for the sake of achieving another higher certificate, diploma or degree. It must be able to enable the young people to translate the skills learnt into practical results for their own survival and towards community and nation’s development.

Resolution No. 11 : YOUTH ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION

The young people's local knowledge and experience must be tapped into and fully utilised for the purpose of educational awareness programmes on the environmental impact of major development projects in their localities. They must be made aware of the impact various development activities are having on the environment so that, they are in a position to choose development initiatives which are not destructive to the lives of the future generation, but of benefit to both the human community and natural habitat.

Resolution No. 12 : LAW AND ORDER AND JUSTICE

The young people must be seen as a marginalist group in the society who are vulnerable to the impact of rapid changes in the country. Positive and developmental approaches must be employed when addressing their needs as opposed to suppressive, heavy-handed policing strategies which has proven to be inactive in many well developed countries.

Similarly, Community based rehabilitation programme with emphasis on family and church involvement must be introduced and applied to assist those youth who are in trouble with the society to correct themselves and fit back into their family and communities.

Furthermore, Law enforcing authorities and youth agencies and leaders must co-operate with each other to establish a better understanding of each other's roles and responsibilities in the community in order to build a healthy and peaceful relationship between them and the community at large.

The principles of Justice, Peace, Dignity for all and Integrity of Creation must be enforced in all forms of youth and police working relationships.

Resolution No. 13 : A FORUM FOR YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

A national forum comprising all the different sectors of youth agencies be established which will provide the avenue for the young people to contribute their views and grievances openly to the relevant authorities. It will in addition be the avenue in which they will come together and discuss national and international issues of common concern in order to seek common solutions and alternatives.

Resolution No. 14 : POST CONFERENCE ACTION PLAN

A working committee should be formed to produce a post conference Action Plan soon after the Global Conference. The Committee should comprised of Government, Church, NGO, Private Sector Representatives and Youth Representatives.

Resolution No. 15 : HEALTHY YOUTH, HEALTHY FAMILY AND HEALTHY NATION

Health Education and Awareness Programmes for Youth must be introduced into the family households in order to educate the youth by the parents before he or she moves on to the school environment where peer group pressure is very strong and powerful in the shaping of behaviour.

Moreover, different levels of learning institutions throughout the country must include general health and hygiene, alcohol and illicit drug abuse as part of their curriculum.

Furthermore, young people must be given the opportunities to be trained and empowered with appropriate resources to performed educational and awareness activities on various health situations in their respective communities under the principle that, peer group influence is more effective in shaping behaviour and way of life.

Resolution No. 16 : BALANCED DEVELOPMENTAL INITIATIVES AND EQUAL GROWTH

Developmental priorities and opportunities must be equally provided at all sectors of the community, particularly between the rural and urban centres in order to retain rural youth population in productive activities as well as to reduce urban migration.

This also requires gender balance in all forms of development initiatives.

Resolution No. 17 : REVIEW OF EXISTING YOUTH PROGRAMMES AND DELIVERY MECHANISMS

Youth agencies, including Government, NGO, Churches and Private Sector must immediately review and assess their existing or past youth activities in order to identify the strengths and weakness before taking on board these new youth initiatives for the next century.

Resolution No. 18 : BASIC NATIONAL RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL CHARTERS AND CONVENTIONS ON YOUTH

Organisations and Agencies dealing with Youth at all levels must fulfil their obligations and responsibilities according to the national rights of the youth under the constitution and international charters and conventions which protect them from various forms of discrimination and suppression.

Resolution No. 19 : INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE

That Papua New Guinea be endorsed to be a member of the International Association of National Youth Service. The charter be accepted with minor amendments considered necessary and Papua New Guinea shall have a Secretariat of the International Association.

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