On Sunday 27 June, the UK Delegation was delighted to be invited to discuss the youth perspective on the G8 issues (climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, maternal health and food security) with Prime Minister David Cameron over a cup of afternoon tea. Also present were Chancellor of The Exchequer George Osborne and the British High Commissioner to Canada.

Of course, we were fully aware that Cameron, being a world leader after all, would be pressed for time, so he dominated the discussion. He asked us questions about what we have all been doing in the negotiations and what we thought about other G8 nations’ delegations and their views. Naturally we answered honestly, telling him that we had learnt so much about the negotiating processes at this high level, and that the discussions and negotiations were particularly refreshing amongst all the delegations.

Primarily we felt that as young people we had little to no conflicts regarding our stances on issues in the negotiations. This is because the tact and tenacity that we globally share as young people means we all had general consensus on putting forward common values and fresh forward thinking policies into the communiqué. Consequently we argued for the importance of youth participation in international decisions, meetings and events; that we are capable of achieving great things and deserve a serious influence on policy rather than being viewed as tokenistic.

To lead by example, we explained to Prime Minister Cameron about our consultation survey and that climate change was the top priority of the UK youth agenda. James Mummery in particular made a fantastic effort to fight for the importance of climate change in policy. We explained that target figures were vital when it comes to cutting carbon emissions, and Cameron fully acknowledged this argument.

Of course, the Prime Minister was soon swept away as he had a flight scheduled to return back to the UK. However we managed to pass him a copy of the G8 Youth Communique, with hope that he would take our views into careful consideration.

Although the meeting had been swift, and we were left wondering how great an impact we had left with the Prime Minister, we are truly grateful to David Cameron for providing us with this opportunity. To have even secured this meeting with our country’s leader at the G20 summit was a big victory for youth involvement in decision processes. We are pleased that Cameron has acknowledged our work, and that now he has provided us with a tangible platform to continue dialogue with the relevant ministers now that we are back in the UK. Also through this meeting, we believe Prime Minister Cameron has set a precedent for other leaders to also open a dialogue with the youth of their countries.

It became more apparent after this meeting that changing youth participation so that is more inclusive and influential will require more effort and dedication in the long term. Consequently we are securing appointments with our local MPs and relevant ministers to affect change,the confidence to take such action has only blossomed further from our meeting with the Prime Minister.

Maherunesa Khandaker

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