You can read the Newcastle Youth Summit Communiqué in full here or download it by clicking the tab on the right.
Education
Heads of Government noted with grave concern the low literacy rates in many Commonwealth Member States. One of the most pressing issues was considered to be gender inequality, in terms of literacy and school attendance. Several Heads of Government noted that while education is free in many areas of the world, in some poorer countries it is not free and this issue should be dealt with urgently. Countries stressed the importance of providing a good quality education, in particular to those areas in which there are many children who wish to attend school and are not able to. In some countries children took education for granted. In others, disparities in socio-economic status were considered to influence standards of education and greater equality was desired by many states.
Proposals
The majority of countries felt that schooling should be made free for all. A teacher training and exchange programme was considered an option, to be funded by the Commonwealth, although financial considerations would be problematic. One country also suggested a student exchange programme, to encourage positive perceptions about school attendance and to share skills across countries, although this was considered controversial. Heads of Government proposed that truancy fines be introduced for governments in countries in which children are not being sent to school, in particular to combat gender inequality. A different system that could allow for greater gender equality could be an out-of-hours scheme in which children are sent to school at different times in order to allow them to help out at home. Finally, countries expressed their hope that a unified system of education could be developed across the Commonwealth in which quality standards are set and education is improved for all children of the Commonwealth.
Health Communiqué
Heads of Government expressed deep concern about healthcare issues and low life expectancies in many Commonwealth countries, often worsened by destructive events such as floods. In particular, a lack of experienced doctors and other qualified professionals in poorer countries led to an increase in diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Malaria. In some countries, the biggest problems were caused by curable diseases such as Diarrhoea, Tuberculosis and Typhoid. Heads of Government were deeply disturbed that in some richer countries, free healthcare is provided but people still pay for private healthcare; it was suggested that money currently spent on private healthcare in these situations should be used to help people in poorer countries in which free healthcare is not being provided. Finally, countries deplored the misallocation of government budgets towards war and weapons rather than healthcare; although it was recognized that in some countries there is little choice.
Proposals
Countries suggested a programme funded by the Commonwealth be set up to establish a doctors' network in order to exchange methods and best practice, and to develop strategies to combat health problems across the globe. One country also proposed that there should be a unified healthcare system managed by the Commonwealth. Countries noted that prevention was often more important than cure, and therefore water treatment and vaccination programmes should be set up across the Commonwealth. Heads of Government expressed hope that improved education in prevention could lead to improved healthcare; and that research should be conducted in richer countries to discover healthcare solutions as a matter of priority. Financial assistance should be given to poorer countries in order to set up treatment programmes and improve infrastructure, and debt cancellation would ease the pressure on government budgets. Tourism could help to improve medicine supplies to poorer countries but ultimately Heads of Government considered that it was crucial for countries to begin helping themselves with regard to healthcare in order to create sustainable healthcare systems for all the countries of the Commonwealth.
Youth Voice
Young people debated several important issues relating to local, national and international matters. One of the main issues discussed was public transport, which was considered too expensive for young people. This had potential effects on the environment and also on young people's decisions to carry on in education. It was suggested that an increase in the use of electric buses could be a good solution. Another issue raised was Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA): there was a strong desire for the re-evaluation of the EMA system. Some people felt that EMA should be narrowed to people who use it wisely, while others felt it should be increased to all students regardless of parental income. The use of plastic bags was criticised, as in many poorer countries these are not used at all while in the UK they are still used extensively. Perceptions of young people as portrayed in the media were also considered to be a crucial issue.
Young people were very concerned that sexual health is not taught consistently across all schools, and that teenage pregnancy is often demonized where it should be supported in some cases. It was also felt that more education is needed on current affairs, including local, national and international politics and political structures, so that young people are able to change their communities for the better. The right to vote at 16 or even younger was considered a controversial issue which some felt would help young people to engage with current affairs, while others felt that at young ages people might not be mature enough to take voting responsibilities seriously. The citizenship test currently given to immigrants to Britain could be extended to all young people before the right to vote is granted; or alternatively, 16-18 year olds could be exempted from paying taxes. Out of hours provision for special needs pupils should also be improved. Finally, young people expressed their belief that more global cooperation is required to combat issues, particularly where actions in one country have global consequences.