3 African states among winners of Oscar of best policies serving SDGs

13 / 10 / 2019

By Marwa Nassar - -

Three African states; Rwanda, South Africa and Senegal, are among the eight winners of the Future Policy Award 2019 or the “Oscar best policies” award which is meant to recognize and celebrate these extraordinary policies for their significant work to advance youth access to decent jobs, including green jobs, and enhance civic and political participation for sustainable development and peace.

Eight inspiring and impactful laws and policies aimed at empowering young people to build a fair and sustainable future are being awarded the Future Policy Award 2019. Selected from among 67 nominated policies from 36 countries, this year’s winners of the ‘Oscar for best policies’ come from Rwanda, Estonia, Scotland (United Kingdom), Nepal, South Africa, Europe, Los Angeles (USA) and Senegal. They are being awarded on October 16 during the 141st Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Belgrade, Serbia.

Parliamentarians from across the globe are expected to gather at the 2019 Future Policy Award Ceremony on October 16, organized by the World Future Council, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), to recognize and celebrate these extraordinary policies for their significant work to advance youth access to decent jobs, including green jobs, and enhance civic and political participation for sustainable development and peace.

Alexandra Wandel, Executive Director of the World Future Council, says: “By empowering youth, it is possible to tackle the multiple global challenges– the climate crisis, unemployment and conflicts – that threaten our future. This year’s Future Policy Award honors exceptional policies adopted by political leaders who have decided to act, no longer accepting widespread youth unemployment or the absence of youth in political participation. The 2019 Future Policy Award winners prove that it is feasible – and show how. Policymakers across the globe should follow their example and step up similar exemplary political action!’’

“The Future Policy Award showcases innovative ways to break down barriers in critical areas like youth unemployment and help set free the massive talents of young women and men,” says Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator and Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group. “Crucially, shining a light on these exceptional youth initiatives can allow them to be translated to other country contexts — thus helping to drive forward sustainable development.”

Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General, says: “Half the world’s population is under thirty, but only 2% of MPs are in that age group. One of the IPU’s key objectives is to empower youth by getting more young people into parliament to ensure stronger, more representative, and future-looking democratic institutions. These winning laws and policies show that there are many great initiatives all over the world that can serve as examples for other countries to harness the potential of youth.”

Among the distinguished speakers and personalities presenting the awards, are: Gabriela C. Barron, President of the IPU; Melvin Bouva, President of the IPU Forum of Young Parliamentarians and Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Suriname; Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the IPU; Vladimir Marinkovic, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia; Charles Chauvel, Global Lead, Inclusive Processes and Institutions of UNDP; and Alexandra Wandel, Executive Director, World Future Council. Kehkashan Basu, Youth Ambassador of the World Future Council, graces the occasion as the Master of the Ceremonies.

Since its inception, the Future Policy Award has recognized 51 policies from 37 countries that are tackling the world’s most pressing global challenges. Past awards have been given for policies protecting biodiversity, forests, oceans and food security, as well as for disarmament, children’s rights, ending violence against women and girls, combating desertification, and scaling up agroecology. The 2019 group of winners advance the economic empowerment of young women and men through decent and sustainable jobs, and youth civic engagement and political participation for sustainable development and peace.

This year’s Future Policy Award is organized by the World Future Council, IPU and UNDP, with the support of the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and Youth Policy Labs. It was made possible by the generous support of the Michael Otto Foundation and the Jua Foundation.