Young people are key to Pacific prosperity

Young people in the Pacific want to be active, positive partners contributing to their communities. If Australia is genuine about partnering with the region to see a thriving Blue Pacific, the perspectives of young people must be thoroughly understood and considered, and opportunities for youth to contribute to decision-making must be encouraged.

Pacific island youth are the leaders of tomorrow in government, civil society, and business. This next generation of Pacific leaders must be equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to actively lead their communities and countries and perform as effective drivers of social development and economic growth.

The region’s population is expected to grow dramatically in coming decades with projections suggesting an increase from around 12.3 million people in 2020 to 19.5 million by 2050. This growth will lead to a surge in the youth population in a region where the bulk of the populace is already under the age of 35. Given these demographics, it is crucial that Australia and other partners listen to and build on the strengths of the region’s young people.

Across the Pacific, there are considerable differences between groups of young people and the term “youth” represents an extremely diverse group. For example, there is no uniform definition of youth across the Pacific. The United Nations defines youth as between the ages of 15 to 24 years, while some Pacific governments have a broader definition that extends into the 30s. Development actors, including governments, often tend to consider “youth” as a homogeneous group, despite the reality that they are highly divergent, and it is impossible to talk about a distinct, undifferentiated category of youth. Class, gender, age, language, culture, educational, economic and national status are all factors that contribute to difference between groups of young people.

Some young people have greater social mobility, access to technology, training, and networking opportunities. These enable them to bring new knowledge, skills, experience, and insights to leadership roles. However, these opportunities are not always evenly distributed and there is a risk that the same small subset of youth will repeatedly take on leadership roles and opportunities. Strategies to include a broader range of young people and to encourage established youth leaders to make space for newcomers will be important going forward.

Any efforts to address the distribution of opportunities for young people will need to cast a wide net and be prepared to cater for different starting levels. For example, it might take more effort to realise and nurture the leadership potential in a young person from a rural village, as opposed to a young person from an urban setting who has had exposure to a different level of education and experience.

In many Pacific Island communities young people have very limited effective power. Strict social hierarchy within families and communities dictate that Pacific youth should listen to and obey their elders. Because of this young people’s participation in public life and politics remains constrained with few avenues for young Pacific islanders to voice their views on political issues. This is particularly the case for young Pacific women.

Increased use of mobile phones and improved access to the internet and social media provide some additional avenues for young people, particularly those in urban contexts, to engage outside their immediate communities. This is especially true in Melanesia where social media is empowering citizens to voice their opinion and engage with government in more interactive ways. Despite this, young people in the Pacific still do not have sufficient access to the networks and forums to engage in dialogue with policy makers, nor do those in power adequately consider youth issues when developing policies and programs.

Oftentimes, development partners treat youth concerns as stand-alone issues, unconnected to other matters, and often without addressing root causes. Australia’s International Development Policy has a minimal focus on children and young people. While the policy references some of the challenges facing the region’s youth, there are no specific commitments to support their rights and wellbeing.

Despite these challenges, many young people in the region are more engaged and informed than ever before and increasingly proactive in tackling the issues faced by their communities. Young people in the Pacific are willing to take on leadership roles, particularly on key social issues such as peace and security, inclusion, self-determination, and responding to the climate crises. And when given the opportunity young people have the capacity to contribute innovative and effective solutions to global problems.

Australia can do more to support these efforts. Support for entities such as National Youth Councils and youth-focused non-government organisations could create sustainable partnerships which would lay a foundation for long-term social development in areas such as leadership, education, and politics. Similarly, more targeted funding could be provided to youth-led organisations which promote democracy in the region.

Recognising the cross-cutting and multi-sectoral nature of youth issues, coordination is essential to ensure that all aspects of youth development are addressed and monitored across sectors and to bring a focus on youth and youth engagement to new sectors.

There are opportunities to do this through the Development Partnership Plans detailed in Australia’s International Development Policy, including youth as a cross-cutting issue for all development programs in the region with formalised structures in place to ensure consideration is given to how activities impact on youth would go some way to ensuring young people have a seat at the table and that their voices are recognised and valued.

Young people in the Pacific are vital to the continuing development of their nations’ environments, economies, society, and cultures. Providing opportunities for youth to develop individual and collective capacities is fundamental to the future prosperity of their countries and the resilience of the region.

This article was written by Olivia Baro and Heather Wrathall is Senior Policy Analyst at the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue (AP4D). The article draws on AP4D’s report on What does it look like for Australia to support youth, civil society and media in the Pacific. It was published by the Australian Institute for International Affairs.