Europe

Duke and Duchess of Sussex Meet Youth Leaders

Duke and Duchess of Sussex Meet Youth Leaders

Duke and Duchess of Sussex Meet Youth Leaders at the Commonwealth Secretariat (5 July 2018) This article first appeared on Yourcommonwealth.org “Unforgettable” is probably how some of the Commonwealth youth leaders would describe their experience sharing ideas with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a reception in London. The young people were pitching solutions for some of the most pressing challenges which Commonwealth countries are facing. Impressed with the young people, Prince Harry said, “We can’t wait to see you in action...

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Peace-and-Security-at-Chatham-House

A Round-Up of the Panel Discussion on Youth

A Round-Up of the Panel Discussion on Youth, Peace and Security at Chatham House (2 May 2018) By: Mary-Jean Nleya (Member of Commonwealth Youth Human Rights & Democracy Network) Youth involvement in international peace and security is on the radar of the United Nations (UN). Similarly, 18 years ago (the year 2000) it was all about the women – the landmark resolution on Women, Peace and Security (Resolution 3025) was tabled into the UN agenda. This time, almost three years...

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Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting & Constituent Forums Conclude

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting of 2018 (CHOGM) and its constituent Forums – the Commonwealth Business Forum, People’s Forum, Women’s Forum, and the vibrant Youth Forum – have wrapped up. Ahead of the gatherings by leaders at CHOGM, each of the Forums had mandates over the initial three days to discuss, debate and to ultimately provide recommendations to the heads of government. The Commonwealth Youth Forum concluded on 18 April 2018 when it culminated in the announcement of a...

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Critical Discussion on Migration, Education, Trade, Climate Change & More on the CHOGM & CYF Menu

Day two of #CHOGM2018 reached a crescendo at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre on 17 April 2018 when the day’s activities were opened with a musical performance encompassing the diversity of the Commonwealth. Following the instrumental rendition, representing Commonwealth states, was a joint-forum plenary with the following speakers: Prime Minister of the UK Theresa May, Microsoft founder and Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Bill Gates, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland, Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew...

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All Eyes On Russia, Again?

All Eyes On Russia, Again?

With barely one month into the new year, 2018, eye-grabbing headlines are making the rounds on various news media. This time Russia is a talking point, again: if not about the FBI investigation into the alleged collusion between the 2016 Trump Campaign and the Russian government and the reported subpoena of former White House chief strategist, Steve Bannon, and his refusal to respond to questions posed by the House Intelligence Committee on Russian meddling; then about how Sweden is...

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Leading Women Trailblazing Small-Scale Farming

Small-Holder Farmers to Revitalise Agriculture in Africa

President of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, was chosen as the World Food Laureate by the World Food Prize board in June 2017. On October 16, as part of the World Food Prize events, he delivered a boldly-titled lecture “Betting on Africa To Feed The World”. With an estimated 33 million small-holder farmers, Africa has in recent times been dubbed the “breadbasket of the world”. The 33 million small-holder farmers represent a great business opportunity to be tapped...

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Harnessing Tech Innovation for the SDGs – Leaving No-One Behind

The 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) runs until Monday 25 September. Speeches from different heads of state commenced on 19 September. The much-anticipated debut of President Donald Trump on the world stage took place on Tuesday. He applauded the African Union and United in his debut speech for “[leading] peacekeeping missions [and] to have invaluable contributions in stabilizing conflicts in Africa”. Among African heads of state, President Alpha Condé of Guinea was the first African to take the international stage....

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Youth Involvement & Participation in Providing Scalable Solutions to the SDGs

Africa and Its Youth Population Africa is considered the youngest continent. In 2016, the World Economic Forum indicated that the “world’s 10 youngest populations are all in Africa”. This youth bulge on the African continent should be harnessed positively to avoid a Malthusian disaster, given that food and agricultural production on the African continent is yet to be maximized. According to the World Bank the youthfulness of the African continent could potentially yield a 11 – 15 percent of...

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Is Global Peace Hanging on the Precipice?

This article first appeared on YourCommonwealth Prime Minister Theresa May’s bid for early elections flowed directly from the 2016 EU referendum. On the other side of the Atlantic, 2016 campaign rhetoric relating to U.S. foreign policy on China, Syria and Russia had been at odds with the recent sharp turns President Trump made on his journey as president of the United States. President Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 7th, 2017, and days later stated in an interview that China...

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Politics, Elections, Opposition Parties & Leaders: A Look at Different Country-Contexts & their Elections between the years 2016 – 2018

Citizens of different regions of the world are bracing themselves for democratic elections that will be taking place in the year 2017. The United States underwent its democratic duty in November 2016 by electing President Donald Trump of the Republican Party into office after what was a hotly contested campaign and election between him and Democratic Party former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The whole world watched to see the ultimate outcome of that election, the famed 2016 US elections. Whereas...

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