UGM Alumnus Represents Indonesia at the G20 Youth Summit
An alumnus of the Department of International Relations, Gadjah Mada University, Angelo Wijaya, recently attended the G20 Youth Summit which was held both in the City of Milan and the City of Bergamo, Italy. The meeting was held for a week from 19 to 23 July 2021 and was attended by more than 80 delegates from the 20 G20 members.
Angelo is the first UGM student in ten years to qualify as an Indonesian delegate for the G20 Youth Summit or also known as the Y20 Summit. This year, he was one of three delegates sent by Indonesia to attend the Y20 Summit series of events. Every year, hundreds of young Indonesians register to be one of these three youth representatives.
At the meeting, Angelo represented the voices and aspirations of the Indonesian youth gathered through three Focus Group Discussions, a National Consultation, an independent survey, and a survey co-designed with UNICEF.
Prior to this high-level meeting, youth representatives from all G20 members had conducted preliminary negotiations since early 2021. Angelo represented Indonesian youth in negotiating with other G20 representatives in the fields of Innovation, Digitization, and Future of Work.
The aspirations expressed during the meeting were then summarized into a Final Communique which was finally presented to this year’s G20 Presidency, namely the Italian Government. Furthermore, this proposal will be submitted to government leaders and leaders of G20 countries at the G20 Summit which will be held in Rome, Italy on 30-31 October 2021.
Angelo said he was proud that the three Indonesian delegates this year succeeded in passing the proposals that were brought to the G20. The Indonesian delegation also succeeded in spearheading the support of G20 youth for equal distribution of global vaccines through the Y20 endorsement of the TRIPS Waiver listed in the Y20 Final Communique.
“We got a lot of insights from young people from all over Indonesia who have expressed their aspirations through Focus Group Discussions, National Consultations, and surveys,” he said, at the UGM Campus, Tuesday (31/8).
According to him, the experience of representing Indonesian youth in this event has really enriched his knowledge and understanding of the current condition and potential of Indonesian youth. During the preparation since early 2021, he also admitted that he got a lot of input and new knowledge from meetings with international bodies such as OECD, UNICEF, UNEP, UNIDO, UN WOMEN, and the World Bank.
“On the issue of Innovation, Digitization, and Future of Work, the Indonesian delegation succeeded in submitting proposals related to better social protection for gig workers and young informal workers, as well as related to the provision of more affordable training programs (skilling, reskilling, and upskilling) for young workers. young job seekers. This is important for Indonesia because we have to invest in Indonesian youth so that Indonesia can reap the benefits of the demographic bonus until 2038,” he said.
Angelo was also grateful for getting full support from his colleagues at the Indonesian Youth Diplomacy, which is an Indonesian youth organization that officially sends Indonesian delegates to attend the Y20 Summit every year. Also to the Coordinating Ministry for the Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Indonesian Ministry of Youth and Sports, and other parties who have actively supported the participation of Indonesian youth in international events such as the Y20 Summit.
“I hope that the voices of youth will always be heard and will always be taken into consideration at the next G20 meetings, considering the important role of youth in everyday life,” he concluded.
Author : Agung Nugroho
Translator: Gabriel
Original article: ugm main website
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