Tonga's Minister for Internal Affairs Lord Vaea is attending the 10^th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting (CYMM), held in London this week, at the Commonwealth Secretariat's headquarters, Marlborough House, under the theme, ‘Aiming Higher: Delivering More for Young People in the Commonwealth’.

There are representatives from over 46 countries, and six UK overseas territories, including 35 Government Ministers at the CYMM meeting, chaired by the Government of Pakistan. This year marks 50 years of the Commonwealth Youth Program.

Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC in her opening remarks said, “Our world of change and challenge, bound by a tangled knot of economic, environmental and security challenges spanning global systems, insists that we continue to intensify the drive for youth empowerment. Because young people are not simply beneficiaries of our efforts: they are active agents of change, partners in development, and leaders, today and tomorrow.
Their energy, creativity, and determination can be the driving forces behind our collective progress. Their dreams, aspirations, and actions have the power to transform our Commonwealth and our world.”

Youth concerns and iniatives were raised during the discussions.

The week’s activities will end tomorrow, Friday 15 September, with visits to youth empowerment projects curated by the UK's National Youth Agency (NYA), Commonwealth reported.

Meanwhile, the decisions and initiatives agreed at the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting will then go before Commonwealth Leaders for deliberation and ratification at the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting, to be held in Samoa in October 2024.