2021 Y7 2021 Final Report
1. Achievements
This year the Canadian Y7 delegation continued the YDC tradition of leadership in multilateral spaces, with our delegation setting ambitious goals for engagement, and outreach. Each delegate was able to not only advocate on behalf of young Canadians, but represent Young Diplomats of Canada to numerous government officials, industry leaders, and high-level stakeholders from across the G7 and beyond. Our delegation particularly focused on how we could leverage our positions as delegates to share our ideas in other international gatherings, through media, and by actively engaging in several opportunities offered by the UK host organization.
Our domestic consultations took new heights with engagement groups from across Canada participating and taking part in our events. We established a great working relationship for the second year in a row with the Prime Ministers Youth Council, and included new and exciting partners like WEF Global Shapers, various Intercouncil of Canada Members, as well as global interlocutors such as the United Nations Major Group for Youth and Children (Global), Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (Toronto), and the Black Diplomats Academy (Canada). Overall our consultation brought together a number of motivated young change makers, which greatly influenced our negotiations, promoted opportunities at YDC to a greater audience, and allowed us to properly understand the concerns of young Canadians from across Canada. The team was able to reach out to over 130 organizations to promote our survey and consultation, more than 10 times the amount of organizations liaised with in 2020.
We engaged professionals from around the world through our joint attendance to global gatherings such as the World Bank and IMF Spring Meetings, the UN ECOSOC Youth Summit, The OECD Governance Forum, the UN High level Political Forum, and planned attendance to COP26, UNESCO’s World Heritage Forum, the Paris Peace Forum, and the C20. Throughout all of these engagements we were able to dive deeper into our policy tracks, talk about the Y7 and with new connections, and share more information on YDC to supporters of youth engagement across institutions and forums. This also allowed us to establish ourselves as young professionals in the field of international affairs, as we engaged as delegates not only of the Y7 but to the forums we attended too. We paved the way for other young people to register and learn more about just how accessible these seemingly inaccessible forums can be. We also saw this year as an opportunity to learn, to that end we established connections through our personal networks to learn from professionals across government and multilateral institutions. Our engagements included one-on-one conversations with OECD experts, advice and Q&A with the World Bank, informal conversations with Canadian foreign service officials, as well as engagement with civil society from across Canada on topics related to our policy tracks.
Our media outreach was extensive this year compared to last year, we actively looked for opportunities to share our story. Although a number of our engagements did not come through, we received interest from the CBC, CTV, and Calgary Herald. Most cited the unfolding pandemic as the reason our articles or contributions were not ultimately selected for publication. Mojann was able to secure two articles outlining our engagements building off of the renewed push for improved Indigenous relations across Canada. We were also able to cast a wide net amongst media contacts across Canada. Erika was able to reach out to dozens of publications to remind them of Young Diplomats of Canada and the Y7 delegation. This undoubtedly will pave the way for greater opportunities for future delegations. The World Food Program had reached out to Mojann for a collaboration, therefore the team took the initiative to work with the Italian delegation, and the World Food Program to draft an article on global hunger, ultimately published on a partner website.
Canadian delegates were motivated, and eager to participate every step of the way this year. As a result of our dedication to the Y7 process, we became one of the most active delegations with some of the most speaking engagements of any delegation this year. Mojann was selected as the Y7 representative in both the G7 wide meeting with representatives from all G7 working groups and a special meeting with UK Sherpa, Jonathan Black, and all the G7 Sous-Sherpas. Rahul was lead delegate in Y7 consultations with the Labour 7 (L7) and Business 7 (B7) in his track, Carla was selected to represent the Canadian Delegation at the Y7 summit as a panelist on “Driving Forward Change as a Young Person”. Erika presented the Y7 communique to the COVID-19 technical lead at the WHO. In conclusion, the Canadian delegation is proud to have participated in and led over 50 separate engagements and conversations with high level officials, engagement groups, and professionals related to each of our policy tracks.
2. Advice and Recommendations for Future Delegates
Research
This is the first step for a delegation as they plan to research their particular track. The best first step is to conduct your own personal research and learn from previous work being done in the field. In many cases, especially as something so ever changing such as technology, it is important to also do research on the most up to date work being done. Additionally, we made sure to do research specific to what Canada was doing in the field as well so that I knew what our government was already working towards.
Each delegate will take their own approach to the research step as it is primarily an individual delegate activity. Depending on your familiarity with the field of your track, you may choose to do more or less research to prepare for your first track meeting. You might even be working in the very field that is your track, therefore your research would be more involved with your actual job and less so purely online.
Consultation
This is a crucial and important step in the entire Y7 experience because it is the crux of information gathering and networking combined. Your consultations can start as early as being given the role of delegate and can go all the way up until during the summit. They can also be set up in a variety of ways, starting with consultations set up by YDC for the delegates. These are often with various government employees, ministers, senators or departments and they are usually during the earlier parts of your journey. We found these consultations really helpful as they helped us not only network with incredible people that we would otherwise not have access to, but also it allowed us to get a purely Canadian perspective on our respective tracks and get our specific questions answered before heading into negotiations.
Secondly, you can set up your own negotiations so that they are specific to your needs and track. For the digital and technology track, three different consultations with experts in the field working in different sectors and levels were set up to get a rounded overview. This was extremely beneficial for someone who doesn’t feel like an immediate expert and proved essential to be successful in the negotiation process. We would very much recommend this step to all future delegates.
Finally the last type of consultation is planned by the organizing youth organization, in this case it was Future Leaders Network (FLN) in the UK. This type is very year-dependent and therefore it can vary greatly in style, amount and expertise. This year, we found that there were plenty more opportunities organized by FLN which allowed delegates to present and be connected to amazing leaders across the UK. However, based on our own experience last year and conversations with other delegations, this is not always the case and cannot be depended upon as the sole method of consultations.
Communications
It is very important to organize your track’s communication plan so that you can make sure your team is optimizing the opportunity to be heard and seen by amazing G7 leaders and the greater YDC network. While each delegation will have a communications coordinator, we would recommend that communications work be a group effort so as to ensure that every delegate is taking an active role. We had planned many communications outputs this year round that were unique, fun and engaging across all our platforms.
One of our outputs was a series of four “get to know us” videos that went out on social media so our networks and the new networks we were engaging with could get to know the entire team representing Canada. This kind of engaging communication plan is especially important if you are attending an online summit because the engagement you get on social media is what will mimic the kind of interactions you’d be able to have during an in-person summit.
Another great initiative by our communications coordinator was a video on “A day in the life of a delegate” which was a great success and aimed to show our networks a highlighted reel of the kind of work that goes into being a delegate, especially for an online summit. We would greatly recommend that someone on the team, preferably the communications coordinator, be well versed in video editing and basic graphic design as those elements really helped our delegation to stand out amongst the many other delegations. Last year, we decided to do three Instagram live sessions during the summit but this year we only did one Instagram live with the Head Delegate and the communications coordinator right before the summit began. Both methods were successful in their own way and really depend on how you organize the rest of your communication plan.
Finally, the biggest advice we can give with regards to communication during the actual summit is to ensure that your delegation is posting as close to real time as possible. During the summit, all the delegations (and delegates) and their organizations will be posting fairly similar content and so it is imperative that your posts stand out. We made sure both years that our posts were going out live, across all platforms and with engaging content. This was made possible so that each person had specific days that they did takeovers, while the rest of the team helped to support by sending content to our group chat. Overall, we were the most active delegation two years in a row, with huge engagement and new followers across all platforms.
Engagement:
Canada needs diplomatic engagement which fits our time. As we are facing more complex and global issues, it is important that leaders, policy-makers and activists work with a wider range of people to move towards a more open, transparent a democratic style of decision-making. In 2011, when the French G8 and G20 Presidency initiated the G8 and G20 Youth Engagement Groups, the objective was to democratize multilateral diplomacy and encourage young people to share their expertise and advocate for their priorities. Today, ten years later, the Y7 Summit is a symbol of engagement, leadership and meaningful dialogue. However, the existence of the Y7 Summit alone cannot, in itself, consist of a sufficient tool to guarantee engagement. The role of a delegate is to open the door to youth across the country to make sure policy proposals do not only reflect the personal views of the Canadian delegation but the concerns and priorities of young Canadians from diverse backgrounds. Y7 delegates have a responsibility to engage genuinely with Canadian communities at all stages in the policy cycle, from research and analysis through policy formulation to policy implementation and final evaluation.
During this year’s summit, Y7 delegates went beyond YDC networks and mobilised their own personal networks to conduct consultations with a variety of actors and make sure tools like surveys were made readily available to youth across the country. Many discussions and interviews were conducted throughout the summit process to make sure the views expressed by delegates during negotiations were really reflective of the young people they represent. A strong communication strategy is also vital to keep partners and communities informed, educated and engaged in the Y7 Summit. To get there, the Y7 delegation was consistent and creative in the terms of the methods used to increase our reach. The communication coordinator was also given the support needed to innovate and experiment with various communication tools.
Track Negotiations
Negotiations are at the center of the Y7 Summit experience. A delegate’s ability to negotiate is vital to ensure that they are truly able to amplify the voice of Canadian youth.
This year, Y7 delegates had the chance to receive negotiation and mediation training from Mediators Without Borders. This training provided delegates with the tools to engage in cross-cultural discussions, address conflicts and defend their positions. Formal training is always a good opportunity for delegates to understand and equip themselves with the necessary tools to address different power dynamics and get the desired outcomes. Different personalities make different types of negotiators and a delegation needs to find a right balance between being assertive and flexible.
Negotiating during an online summit is a major challenge. Although online settings offer many opportunities for delegates, including more flexible schedules and tools for meetings, being online also makes it difficult for delegates to connect with their peers and to engage in organic and impactful dialogues. To overcome these hurdles, the Y7 delegation prioritized the creation of coalitions to advance the Canadian agenda. Y7 delegates must find multiple ways to initiate, feed and broaden a conversation, and sustain it until agreement is reached. It is therefore extremely important to reach out to delegates, particularly those who share common views, to create partnerships and push certain policies in more impactful ways during official negotiations. Particularly in an online setting, it is also important to reach out to those who have different views and look for ways to anticipate conflicts ahead of official meetings. Discussions can easily get hijacked when there is a lack of communication between delegates. Delegates must always be ready to provide relevant data and intelligence reflecting their consultation to support their position and legitimize their policy recommendations.
Diversity and Inclusion
Having diverse delegations to represent Canadian youth is important as a country, for young individuals and for YDC as an organization. In addition to diversity, inclusion means that everyone not only has a seat at the table but also feels comfortable to be their authentic self and to express their views.
As delegates, our role is to reach out to a wide variety of stakeholders to inform our negotiation positions through the lens of intersectionality, reconciliation and transparency. Many of the issues we discuss during the Y7 summit disproportionately harm marginalized communities, which underscores how inclusion is essential to our work as delegates. Our delegation was very proactive in reaching out to leaders and activists from marginalized communities, but we also created opportunities to provide feedback on our work and discussed ways to foster collaboration around diversity and inclusion. Those innovations included the possibility of creating a Y7 community repository with contacts of grassroot organizations that would be passed along to Y7 delegations every year; this repository would alleviate the burden on delegates who may not have the necessary contacts and networks to guarantee consistent engagement with marginalized communities.
3. Strategy for Post-Summit Advocacy
The Y7 Communiqué brought together several recommendations for G7 Leaders and Ministers, for youth, and by youth, which centre and highlight young peoples’ needs, wants, and requirements in order to engage in a just COVID-19 recovery for all.
Most notably, the Y7 Canadian Delegates championed and developed calls to action within each track, which include:
Develop an inclusive, efficient and transboundary system of carbon pricing through global coordination, avoiding energy poverty, and enhancing the redistribution of these revenues towards a globally affordable clean energy transition (Climate & Environment)
Establishing a youth council for the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) composed of youth delegate(s) representing each member country and acting as the youth voice on AI (Digital & Technology);
Committing to raise Official Development Assistance (ODA) to 0.7% of national income, focusing on achieving the SDGs through cross-sectoral action, including by closing funding gaps for the GPE and the WFP (Economy); and,
Including youth directly in designing, delivering, promoting and evaluating mental health services intended for them by valuing their expertise and lived experience through database processes, including disaggregated data analyses (Health).
Our strategy to promote the calls mentioned above to action, amongst other policy recommendations within the Y7 Communiqué, has been to engage young people and other stakeholders at the local, domestic, and global levels to ensure that the Y7s advocacy efforts are not only meaningful but also accessible. Thus far, the Canadian Y7 Delegation has had the opportunity to present its findings to Canadian youth through targeted outreach, national organizations, with Members of Parliament and the Senate, and at global conferences. Additionally, the Canadian Y7 Delegation has held discussions with their Y20 counterparts and the Canadian Youth Delegation to the World Health Assembly.
With various acute and chronic socio-political crises, it is of the utmost importance for the Y7 to continue organizing to hold G7, namely Canadian, leaders accountable for their commitments made at the 2021 Summit. Therefore, the Canadian Y7 Delegation commits to the following post-summit principles:
Continued analysis and monitoring of G7 commitments to address the ways in which they impact young people and utilize existing networks and Y7 delegations to bring young people into discussions on how to meaningfully re-centre them;
To develop a framework for future Y7 delegations outlining reflective processes to assess power imbalances present in global diplomacy work and develop practices towards transformational relationships. This includes, but is not limited to, individual processes of accountability, co-ownership, and intersectional praxis; and,
Continued utilization of Y7 platforms to create enabling environments through practices that consider the heterogeneous nature of young people, their intersectionality, and how they navigate the world. This includes the continued creation of calls to action for and by young people and meaningful youth engagement within respective Y7 countries.
Ultimately, the Canadian Y7 Delegation will continue to take action and advance the interests of young people through the promotion of the Y7 Communiqué, developing relevant communications material to update young people on the status and implementation of policy recommendations and to continue building and creating opportunities with other Y7 Delegations for youth voice and input to be centred. In addition, young Diplomats of Canada can continue to support the Y7 Delegation through the promotion of created materials, resources, and information through their respective networks and social media platforms.
4.Personal Reflections
Mojann Zibapour, Head Delegate
Due to COVID-19, I have perhaps a very unique experience of having been a part of the first two online Y7 summits that the YDC has ever taken part in, and they have been back-to-back experiences with two vastly different organizing parties. This years’ experience of the UK- led online summit was very different to last year because we found out very quickly in the process that the summit would be taking place fully online and not in person. This allowed all the delegates to be able to start planning knowing that the summit would be online, which allowed us to have a very comprehensive communications and consultation plan.
This year, not only did I serve as the Head Delegate of the Canadian team but also the Canadian delegate on the digital and tech track. As a group, we were lucky to have a variety of voices and engaged youth including being the only track that had an Australian delegate join during the entirety of the summit. Together, we found that youth are incredibly interested and concerned in the future of technology and want to be involved in learning about emerging tech. It was actually inspiring to see how similar all youth across the G7, EU and Australia felt about what areas youth were most concerned about and what action leaders should be taking. As we met virtually every week, we were cognizant that so much of our day to day life is dependant on digital tools and technology. Therefore, we wanted to ensure equity of access and digital literacy were engrained within the communique. Personally, I feel incredibly proud that my call to action about building a youth council for Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence and remain hopeful that G7 leaders will continue working alongside myself and FLN to make this call to action a reality in the future.
Overall, I found that this year’s delegates were much more engaged in having a fully immersive experience of a summit and this was furthered by the many opportunities that FLN had provided for us to present to leaders, Sherpas, platforms, etc. There seemed to be a lot more effort put into planning social elements for the summit which allowed us to get to know delegates in a more personal way compared to last year. The summit itself also had much better planning from FLN to allow delegates to actually be seen and heard online and have a voice in presenting their work after months of labour.
Finally, my experience being a part of a YDC delegation over the past two years has been truly life changing. I have had the opportunity to meet incredible people, make wonderful friends and connect with engaged youth across the world. Throughout the pandemic, it has allowed me to build a network with like-minded young leaders in a way that I never imagined possible. The 2021 Y7 summit had a closing award ceremony and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had been voted for two awards which just proved to me that the work we did together was recognized and appreciated. I am forever grateful to have taken part in these two delegations and that I was trusted to take on additional roles involving communications coordinator and Head Delegate. I hope that in future years, young Canadian leaders take as much interest and pride in representing Canadian youth on an international platform as our team did both years. As we move onto the last few months of our journey, I am profoundly proud of the work that I got to do with the various teams along the way and I hope to continue being a part of YDC in the future.
Erika Dupuis, Communications Coordinator
As both a former recipient of various social programs and a current frontline service provider, I have bore witness to the direct impacts of equitable, meaningful, and inclusive policies. As a result, my intention in applying to be a delegate with the Young Diplomats of Canada is to utilize my lived and living experiences to continue organizing and advocating for intentional routes to participation for youth in global and multilateral spaces.
In becoming a YDC Delegate and participating in the 2021 Y7 Summit, I have furthered and complemented my organizing efforts, fostered and cultivated innovative youth engagement practices, and enhanced my skills in youth engagement through strategic, meaningful, and accessible outreach. The connections and skills that I gained from participating in the Summit have also allowed me to further tangible outcomes in cross-sectoral and multilateral advocacy, including global cooperation efforts, and develop additional educational tools and resources. Additionally, the opportunity to participate in the Y7 Summit allowed for additional learning, unlearning, and relearning in youth-led policy development, monitoring efforts, and implementation and evaluation mechanisms that can facilitate accessible and meaningful youth engagement.
I am guided by inquiry and curious learning to expand opportunities for all young people. Having successfully coordinated dialogues, workshops, consultations, research, and focus groups to improve community and global-based initiatives, the Canadian Y7 Delegation has worked to prioritize young people in the development of new, novel, and equitable diplomacy considerations.
Ultimately, I hope to be a part of a future where all young people's voices are empowered to build a global community to co-create solutions to solve some of the most pressing concerns. While there is additional work to be done in ensuring that the Y7 Summit is an inclusive, disruptive, and accessible process for all young people, the 2021 Summit has provided me with a platform to build off of, a vast network of peers, and has empowered me to continue my efforts in global health equity work.
Carla Guillaume, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator
Climate change and the environment was not always an area of interest for me. However, as a black woman I was always very sensitive to inequalities and the different forms of discrimination that impact communities of color. Consequently, it was always clear to me that my career would be dedicated to advocating for greater opportunities and better conditions for vulnerable groups who are too often left behind when our government looks into the future of our country.
After a few years working in clean tech, it became obvious that the climate change issue has been hijacked (not mention whitewashed) by activists who have no consideration for the traditional knowledge of Indigenous communities, in Canada and the Global South, and the role that people of color will be called to play in the green transition that will save our planet. Environmental racism is a well-known issue and we know very well that marginalized communities will be the most impacted by environmental degradation and climate change due to poor infrastructure, lack of access to funding to protect their assets, loss of jobs and livelihoods, and many more factors. Despite what we know to be true, G7 leaders continue to see climate change as a channel of development and humanitarian colonialism and they have been unable to express how policies that tackle climate change will bring prosperity and security for future generations and those who are carrying the burden of G7 nations reckless consumerism. This is exactly why I wanted to become a Y7 delegate.
After two online summits and after representing Canada on energy, climate and the environment, I have come to this conclusion: environmental justice is one of the biggest challenges of our generation. For two years, I had the chance to engage with youth across the country to better understand what climate means for our generations and better understand how to formulate young people’s expectations when it comes to our green future. I also engaged with thought leaders from the Black Diplomats Academy, the David Suzuki Foundation or the Climate Network to discuss the shortcomings of our government. My engagement with a wide network of leaders and activists really equipped me to negotiate fiercely on behalf of young Canadians.
As G7 nations are pledging billions of dollars to transition their economies, my priority as a Canadian delegate this year was to fight for a more equitable and fair distribution of climate finance. I strongly advocated for the creation of an inclusive and efficient global carbon pricing system that does hinder the development or disadvantage less developed countries. I also fought for the reorientation of public and private financial investments away from fossil fuel, which is a priority that was consistently expressed by young people across the country. Finally, I pushed for more investment in R&D, with the intention to empower young innovators to build the solutions of tomorrow.
I have definitely had a rich and stimulating experience at the Y7 this year. FLN was committed to exposing delegates to an incredible network of experts who have had a profound impact on our experience. We were also provided with strong support and tools to guide us in our deliberation and our leadership work post-summit. I am proud of the communique we have drafted but most importantly, the experience I shared with so many young leaders across the G7.
I continue to believe that youth leadership in foreign policy matters and we must continue to reiterate why it is vital that young people from diverse backgrounds engage in forums like the Y7 to bring the change they wish to see in their communities.
Rahul Pallan, Engagement Coordinator
I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever have the opportunity to represent Canada to a leading gathering of nations like the G7, to have done this for a second time this year is an honour, and I hope my efforts as the Engagement and Outreach Coordinator convey just how honoured and thankful I am for the opportunity. Young Diplomats of Canada not only supported me in my development as a delegate, but they helped cultivate my leadership skills, and actively gave me encouragement to push the boundaries of what had been done before. I am a more well-rounded young leader because of the tools and resources made available to me during my time as a delegate.
This experience has been such an integral part of my life over the past two years. I have made lifelong friendships, expanded my network with countless connections of like-minded young people, and reaffirmed my choice in career every day I worked to represent young people to the G7. There are few opportunities that leave such a lasting and positive impact and I can say without a doubt my participation at the Y7 is one of those experiences.
It can be a scary thought trying to break out into the field of international relations, especially when the opportunities that are available are hard to come by, information is scarce, and opportunities that are accessible are very competitive. Even when you break through, it is so important that you find a group of young leaders that can help make you a better delegate, a better advocate, a better representative of your peers. I believe that the Y7 process did that for me. I learned about people's struggles, forced myself to think of things from multiple perspectives, stepped outside of my comfort zone talking about issues that affect us all, and challenged my assumptions and stances on everything that we debated. I would not have developed such a diverse and intersectional world view without this opportunity and the support of the Y7 and YDC.
I will look back on my time as a YDC delegate as the moment when I was able to launch my career, boost my self-confidence as a young professional in global relations, as well as the moment I knew I had chosen the right path and vocation for me. It is a powerful thing to be so sure of your career choice, and I owe a great deal of this confidence to YDC and the chance they gave me to participate in the Y7. My colleagues on the delegation will forever be friends, and the reason why I strive to reach new heights every day in my professional life. Meeting and engaging with so many inspiring young people was the motivation I needed to accomplish so much in my life, both within and outside of the summit.
My perspective on the overall experience remains unchanged from last year: “Young Canadians have a lot to offer to the discussion and debates surrounding global issues. First and foremost, being a delegate to the Y7 is a responsibility that you should take seriously and see as an opportunity for growth professionally, of course, and personally as well. During your time as a delegate representing Canada on the global stage, you will be given the opportunity to reflect on your policy positions, world view, and perspective on the issues being negotiated. Representing Canada at the highest level of youth diplomacy is an honour that can open a lot of doors if you put in the effort to engage in a meaningful way. Above all else, representing Canada must be seen as a privilege. You do not need to have extensive experience, but you do need passion, and dedication to the role, taking this seriously is the first significant step to success on a delegation.”