2024 Y7 Final Report
Delegation Information
May 20-24, 2024
Cathy Hu (Head Delegate), Kathleena Henricus (Communications Coordinator), Bavan Pushpalingam (Engagement Coordinator), and Terence D’Souza (EDI Coordinator) attended the Y7 Summit on behalf of Young Diplomats of Canada.
Achievements
Among the most important wins for our delegation was the Y7’s adoption of a one-pager on peace and security for youth around the world. Youth in fragile and conflict-affected areas are currently facing enormous levels of violence and displacement due to varying political, socioeconomic and territorial disputes. These disputes are often addressed in ways that do not appreciate the realities of youth experiencing conflict on the ground. The international community needs to do better at including young people in peacebuilding processes. This was an effort spearheaded by the Canadian delegation, from working with the chairing organization to create space for this discussion in addition to other predetermined tracks to working with other delegations to find common ground and advocate for peace to leaders.
Key Accomplishments
Undertook meetings with institutional stakeholders including Canada’s Ambassador to Italy, Canada’s G7 Sherpa Office, Canada’s Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security, the Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, and more. In these meetings, the delegation advocated for the concerns of young Canadians and the wider Y7.
Held two public virtual consultations for youth between 15-30 years of age. In these consultations, a wide range of youth communities were represented from across the country.
Peace and Security: spearheaded the effort to include peace and security on the agenda, having advocated for the space and time to discuss the matter, offer initial drafts, and bring the issue to the forefront of the communique.
Sustainability: secured an overarching framework calling for the G7 to advance “reparative environmental justice for developing countries, and Indigenous and marginalized communities”.
Innovation: supported the expansion of the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism to combat foreign interference.
Future of Work: led recommendations on securing healthy and inclusive workplaces by enacting a G7 Future of Work Charter that would reflect the needs and expectations of the future generation of workers.
Inclusion: pushed for policies that reflect the diverse experiences of marginalized groups, developing tools to address systemic inequalities and power dynamics to foster more inclusive outcomes.