Youth Portal for the Latin America and the Caribbean

The 9th Melaka International Youth Dialogue (MIYD) was officially opened on 25 June 2009 by the WAY president, Rt. Hon. Datuk Seri Hj Mohd Ali bin Mohd Rustam. More than 150 young people and youth leaders from 29 countries around the world
participated in this dialogue.

It was indeed an historic gathering which made some important recommendations that can assist national youth councils, youth organisations, governments and the global communities at large to empower them to effectively participate and achieve gender equality.

Best regards,

Ediola Pashollari
Acting Secretary General
World Assembly of Youth - WAY

9TH MELAKA INTERNATINAL YOUTH DIALOGUE
“Youth and Gender Equality”
25-27 June 2009
Puteri Resort Ayer Keroh, Melaka, Malaysia

DECLARATION

1   PREAMBLE

1.1   We, the participants of the 9th Melaka International Youth Dialogue (MIYD) convened in Melaka from 25-27 June 2009 for an annual program organized by the World Assembly of Youth which brings together young people and youth leaders from around the world to discuss pertinent and topical youth issues.
1.2   The theme selected for MIYD 2009 is “Youth and Gender Equality”. This theme was selected in the realization of the need to educate, increase awareness and promote gender equality among youth. All countries are affected by the consequences brought up by the gender inequality.
1.3   However, with this selected theme all the young people, youth leaders, government and organization officers gathered here to call for action in areas such as: reduction of gender inequality; assessing and tackling the problems of gender inequality; forging partnerships; focusing on special needs; sending the right messages; and building experiences.
1.4   After thorough deliberations through plenary sessions, workshops and other events, we the participants have put together this document with the following recommendations that we strongly feel ought to be implemented to empower youth effectively to participate and achieve gender equality.

The guiding principles for this declaration were based on the following objectives:
•   To achieve a behavior modification amongst youth;
•   To promote equality of opportunities between young women and young men in all its functions;
•   To eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment on ground of sex amongst youth;
•   To increase youth awareness and responsibilities with regards to gender equality;
•   To promote equal access to decision-making amongst youth;
•   To provide and create gender-positive media message amongst youth;
•   To improve the national and international policies that deal with gender equality and its effects on society;
•   To recommend improvements to the current system of education for youth worldwide on gender equality
•   To improve cooperation between governments, civil society and private sector to address gender equality;
•   To have a stronger, more effective national youth councils with leading roles in the fight against gender inequality.

2   RECOMMENDATIONS

2.1   Government

2.1.1   Establish a gender equality ministry to promote equal rights between both genders.
2.1.2   Develop national, legal instruments that would create a conducive and nurturing environment which enhances gender equality.
2.1.3   Implement action plans that provide equal opportunities for both genders.
2.1.4   Enforce government legislation to ensure the reduction of gender inequality within the country.
2.1.5   Create awareness, provide necessary resources and an enabling environment for NGOs and other stake holders dealing with youth on issues of gender equality.
2.1.6   Establish training centers, mentoring programs and mediation for individuals affected by gender inequality.
2.1.7   Establish a platform for agreements among nations in order to ensure better understanding on gender issues.
2.1.8   Educate on the rights of the individuals and advocate for the realization of those rights within their base.

2.2   International, Regional and National NGOs

2.2.1   Embark upon programs and activities aimed at empowerment of young people.
2.2.2   Create materials to provide young people with tools to raise awareness on gender equality.
2.2.3   Equip young people with the knowledge and skills required for them to help address gender inequality.
2.2.4.   Unify through networking individuals and NGOs in order to create one voice to speak on the issue of gender equality.
2.2.5   Establish local, regional and international exchange of resources to enhance networking and sharing of information.
2.2.6   Encourage and educate young people to become ambassadors and proactive in order to spread awareness towards the reduction of gender inequality.
2.2.7   Create policies to promote gender equality among youth.

2.3   Education

2.3.1   Incorporate gender equality issues in existing curriculum for primary, secondary and higher education.
2.3.2   Empower parents on how to identify the trends, threats and signs of gender inequality among the youth.
2.3.3   Encourage development and implementation of peer education programs .

2.4   Media

2.4.1   Maximizing usage of technology to inform and educate communities on the consequences of gender inequality.
2.4.2   Intensify greater social responsibility towards the young people in areas of gender equality.
2.4.3   Utilize all forms of media to impart positive thoughts, ideas, awareness, opportunities, messages and attitudes to the young people.
2.4.4   Provide information, resources and services to the youth in order to educate them on the impact of gender inequality.
2.4.5   Publish instructional, educational and communication materials that will enable youth to participate on the current issues they face in the areas of gender equality.
2.4.6   Promote awareness and encourage young people to play their role in society on matters of gender equality.

2.5   Private sector

2.5.1   Award an annual grant to equip the young people with the skill, knowledge and positive reinforcement to resist the consequences of gender inequality.
2.5.2   Intensify corporate and social responsibilities to help ease the stress of gender inequality among young people.
2.5.3   Identify and make use of available resources within the country to alleviate the stress of gender inequality among young people.
2.5.4   Lobby and advocate for greater involvement in the fight against gender inequality.

3   GENERAL COMMENTS

3.1   Groom youth leaders in organizations to help address the issue of gender equality.
3.2   Motivate and encourage all decision makers in the process towards the elimination of gender inequality.
3.3   Identify and display role models to influence behavioral change in societies.
3.4      Alleviate the misperception among youth in reference to gender inequality.
3.5   Generate opportunities that would allow the youth to participate, create, develop and stand against the pressure of gender inequality.
3.6   Strengthen partnership between the private sectors, societies, governments and NGOs.

4   CONCLUSION

4.1   We, the participants of the 9th (MIYD), realize and recognize the importance of gender equality in the lives of young people. We seek to create youth dialogues for the lobbying and advocating of legislations, policies and programs at all levels of society, creating positive and healthy lifestyle for young people worldwide.

Appendix

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED

ALBANIA                       SRI LANKA
ALBGERIA                       SUDAN
BAHRAIN                        UGANDA
BANGLADESH                    UNITED KINGDOM
BOSNIA                        USA
BOTSWANA                    UZBEKISTAN
GERMANY                        VIETNAM
INDIA
INDONESIA
IRAN
KENYA
KOSOVO
LIBYA
MALAYSIA
MAURITIUS
NAMIBIA
NIGERIA
OMAN
PHILIPPINES
SENEGAL
SLOVENIA
SOMALIA