On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the Minister of Education, Dr. Hamad Al-Sheikh, was handed over the final communiqué of Youth (Y20) Summit, which was held virtually from Oct. 15-17, ending the group's activities for this year. Dr. Al-Sheikh delivered the speech of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, in which he affirmed the G20 Saudi Presidency's keenness to listen to the recommendations of Y20 through its working groups' various meetings to which they were invited, pointing out to the exceptional attention being paid by the G20 leaders to discuss policies relating to youth. The leaders pay attention to their education and their work as they are the true energy of the future and addressing the challenges facing them and protecting their jobs, especially in light of the current circumstances, remains at the forefront of the G20's priorities and at the top of its concerns. Dr. Al-Sheikh, at the beginning of his speech, expressed his gratitude to the Youth 20 Chair and Y20 representatives from all over the world for their remarkable work during the Saudi Presidency year despite the unprecedented challenges. "I would also like to also thank the Misk Foundation and King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) for their leadership of the group's work this year, which focused on engaging young people from all over the world, not just the G20 countries, in developing socio- economic policies that aim to promote the role of youths among societies," he said. "We had reviewed the Joint Statement that was released by the Engagement Groups upon the leaders' extraordinary summit last March, which discussed ways of collaboration in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. "Young people are the backbone of vibrant societies and an you are the future. As young leaders with a promising future, each and every one of you, from different parts of the world, brings important insights into shaping policies and recommendations for the G20 leaders. "Our cultural diversity is one of our essential possessions that we must employ to find solutions for the 21st Century. Hence, the diverse perspectives and rich discussions that you have tackled, have introduced new ways of looking at issues and proposing solutions. This year, the Saudi G20 Presidency made sure to have your recommendations heard through the various working group meetings to which you were invited. "Building upon what we agreed on as G20 Leaders during the extraordinary summit, we reaffirm that our primary and immediate priority is combating COVID-19 and its health, social, and economic impacts. "Protecting human's lives, dignities and livelihoods are top priorities for us as G20 leaders. Thus, we have given exceptional attention to discussing policies related to youth, their education and their work protection, as you are the real energy of the future. "Moving Forward, the G20 will focus on two key issues: the first is protecting lives and second is restoring growth by tackling and overcoming the pandemic. Addressing the challenges facing young people and protecting their jobs, especially in light of current circumstances, remains at the forefront of the G20's priorities and efforts. "Thus, we cannot plan for the future of youth without discussing the future of work, which, in light of the technological advancements and demographic changes taking place, requires creating new jobs, revaluating our understanding of the nature of work, and the need to keep up with these changes through up-skilling and re-skilling for all segments of society, especially women and youth. "These topics are of great importance to us in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as they are in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and the wide scope it encompasses to empower youth and develop their skills; while unleashing their potentials in the fields of community service to promote a culture of dialogue and achieve excellence in many fields regionally and internationally. "In light of the current pandemic that we are facing, we are reminded of the importance providing opportunities for youth to build a promising and strong economic future suitable for all businesses and endeavors, whether in the private or public sector, as well as the need to provide protection for youth in all business sectors. "Which is why we, in the Saudi G20 Presidency, are stepping up our efforts to strengthen social protection systems and make them more inclusive. We further give entrepreneurs special care and attention to facilitate their entry into the labor market, taking into account the importance of promoting financial access and inclusion. "Addressing this pandemic has revealed the need to foster long term resilience, with continuous support around the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the reduction of imbalances in equality and equal opportunities. "In the upcoming G20 Leaders' Riyadh Summit, we will strive to achieve consensus-based solutions and initiatives for this year's priorities, as well as advance the G20 role to create a unified international response to tackle the economic, social, and health impacts of COVID-19. "Finally, we hoped to conduct a physical Y20 summit in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this year, but we look forward to your visit after the pandemic recedes. We wish you a successful summit and we look forward to your final communiqué." The Y20 Summit was held under Othman Almoamar, the chair of the Youth 20 (Y20), the director of Initiatives at Misk Foundation and the member of the Young Arab Leaders Organization, with the participation of delegations representing the youth voice from more than 23 countries. The Y20 Summit's discussions focused on three main topics: Keeping up with the future, empowering youth and global citizenship. Topics were raised on inclusiveness, youth leadership, post-pandemic opportunities, future skills, employment and entrepreneurship, multiculturalism, globalization and sustainable recovery. The Saudi G20 Sherpa participated in the Y20 Summit, praising the role of the Youth Communication Group this year in enriching the work of the G20 by reviewing the views of the youth group. He said: "We are certain that young people from all over the world play an important role not only in shaping their future but also in shaping the future of the entire world, and for this reason we are keen to hear the recommendations of the Youth Communication Group 20 in this session." Young people represent a large proportion and an essential part of the world's population, so Y20 is an influential platform for young leaders to participate in the G20. — SPA
