From the 19th to the 20th of November 2024, a delegation of the National Assembly comprised of Hon. Philip Monthy, Hon. Naddy Zialor, Hon. Flory Larue, Deputy Clerk Ms. Alexandria Faure, and Staff of the National Assembly Service Mr. Vincent Quatre and Mr. Travis Boniface, participated in an inter-parliamentary seminar titled ‘Public Policies for Youth: Practical Cases’. The seminar was organised by the ‘L’Association des Parlements des Etats Membres de la Commission de l’ocean Indien’ (APCOI) and Commission de l’Ocean Indien (COI) in collaboration with the Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) and took place in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The seminar falls under the ‘projet gouvernance, paix et stabilite’ (GPS) of the COI funded by the Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) with the aim of supporting the reinforcement and implementation of the project by strengthening capacities of its Members to promote stability, advocacy and peace in the Indian Ocean region. Also present was a representative of the Seychelles National Youth Council (SYNC) Mr. Frances Ernesta.
The seminar was opened by the Speaker of the National Assembly of Madagascar Hon. Justin Tokely, Charge de mission de la COI Mr. Marc Maminiaina, and Member of the Parliament of Cameroon Hon. Josh Osih. Speaker Tokely spoke of the importance of parliamentarians placing value in engaging the youth of their respective countries and promoting the youth as a force for change. It was noted that the aim of the seminar was to strengthen the capacity of parliamentarians in raising the voices of the youth, and to discuss the establishment of a regional youth parliament to provide a concrete forum for the voices of the youth in the Indian Ocean.
The seminar then began with round table discussions on the ‘Illustrations and methods of determination of public policies in favour of the youth; strategies and best practices’ and ‘Public policy spaces in favour of the youth; The role of parliaments.’ Ms. Faure made an intervention highlighting the national strategies in place in Seychelles to provide spaces for the youth which involved an introduction on the SNYC in her capacity as the Chairperson of the SNYC Advisory Committee and the role of the Parliamentary Services in bridging the institution with youth structures in her capacity as the Deputy Clerk of the Assembly.
Hon. Naddy Zialor presented in the second-round table discussing the role of the Media, Youth, Sports and Culture Committee (MYSCC) and the challenges of parliament having oversight on the youth sector. Hon. Zialor expressed that “the seminar was an opportunity to discuss matters related to youth in politics, giving young parliamentarians the opportunity to pave the way for the creation of a regional youth assembly for the Indian ocean. I had the opportunity to share my experiences as a young parliamentarian including its successes and challenges.”
The two-day seminar involved bespoke presentations from international and regional experts on the importance of youth participation in decision making processes, providing cases studies from other countries, the participation of parliamentarians on the different methods used to engage youths, as well as presentations from the Youth Councils and Ministries of Youth on their functions and programmes. The participants addressed questions on the elements and methods of engagement of parliaments in engaging the youth in decision making, as well as the different contextual challenges affecting youth in the different member states of the region. Many remarked that youth forums are opportunities for development and highlighted the importance of providing spaces for dialogue and the need for legislative frameworks to allow for youth to make an impact and have a voice.
During the seminar, the delegations also heavily discussed the different benefits and challenges regarding the establishment of a regional youth parliament with the aim of forging and strengthening relationships between the youth in the region to further amplify their voices on common interests. The delegation participated fervently in the discussions and highlighted the importance of collective efforts to bolster the voices of the youths in the region. Mr. Florian Giacobino of the APF provided a detailed presentation on the Parlementaires des Jeunes Francophone (PFJ) as well as providing his expertise in the discussions on the youth regional parliament for the Indian Ocean and highlighting a benchmarking activity with the PFJ.
The Regional Youth Parliament will be launched in Seychelles in April 2025, as the country currently holding the Presidency of the COI and fulfils one of the main priorities for Seychelles.
The Seychelles delegation was also hosted to a visit of the National Assembly of Madagascar, which involved a tour of the Chamber and a Courtesy Call on the Second Quaestor of the National Assembly Hon. Nadine Andrianasolo, accompanied by the Secretary General of the National Assembly Mr. Calvin Randriamahafanjary. Both parties discussed the need for further collaboration between the two Parliaments and countries in areas of mutual interests such as trade, parliamentary exchanges, and commerce.
