Having a say in the future

Just as she did ahead of the G7 Summit in 2015, Chancellor Merkel will meet young participants from the G20 countries Photo: Bundesregierung/Denzel

Some 70 young people from more than 30 nations will be meeting in Berlin from 2 June. They will spend the next five days discussing global challenges in a networked world and developing their own innovative solutions. Their discussions will focus on the G20's three priority topics: "ensuring stability", "improving viability for the future" and "accepting responsibility".

The Youth20 Dialogue Forum was organised by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, with the support of the IJAB, Germany's central specialist agency for international youth work. For more information go to: www.y20-germany.org.

Online dialogue to prepare the meeting

The Youth20 (Y20) Dialogue began long before the meeting in Berlin. Participants first identified and discussed, as part of an online dialogue, what they thought were the most important G20 topics for them to debate. Six priority areas were selected by means of an online vote:

• Global economy and global trade
• Employment and digitalisation
• Climate and energy, Agenda 2030
• Empowering women
• Tackling the root causes of displacement
• Fighting terrorism, anti-corruption

At the Y20 Dialogue Forum in Berlin the young people will together develop joint positions, solutions and recommendations for the G20 Summit. Experts from academia, business, politics and society will be on hand to provide support on all the above issues.

Youth20 is one of a total of seven threads of the G20 dialogue with civil society representatives (Civil20, Business20, Women20, Labour20, Science20 and Think20) which the Federal Government launched in the context of Germany's G20 Presidency. The young participants will meet Chancellor Merkel in the Federal Chancellery on 7 June. The event will be streamed live at www.g20germany.de.

Friday, 2 June 2017

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