Child & Youth Finance International (CYFI) held a meeting at UN Headquarters in New York to promote the social and financial inclusion of children and youth. His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Sareer, Permanent Representative of Maldives to the United Nations expressed support for this goal and emphasized the particular significance of youth issues to the Maldives, given its high youth population.
This meeting, entitled “A Chance for Change,” recognized the opportunity to incorporate the financial inclusion and education of youth in the upcoming UN Post-2015 Development Agenda. Embracing this forward-looking theme, Ambassador Sareer described the Maldives’ plans for new initiatives for youth, featuring “affordable housing, skill building, creating meaningful employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, recreational facilities, and space for participation in the development of the country.”
Ambassador Sareer also highlighted recent initiatives already implemented by the Maldives to address these issues, particularly the ‘No child is left behind’ policy in which “high-risk children are provided with necessary support and care in order to ensure that all children reach their full potential.” The Maldives has also worked to promote a “spirit of entrepreneurship,” such as through small and medium business loan programmes aimed at its youth.
During his statement, Ambassador Sareer also applauded CYFI’s inclusion of youth delegates in this meeting as a signal of a genuine commitment to including children and youth in the process of shaping their own futures.
