Swiss president says politicians must heed concerns of young people

Swiss President Ruth Dreifuss called on international leaders attending a francophone summit in Canada to listen to the demands and concerns of young people, saying the youth of today was too often ignored.

Swiss President Ruth Dreifuss called on international leaders attending a francophone summit in Canada to listen to the demands and concerns of young people, saying the youth of today was too often ignored.

“I am convinced that we politicians, if we want to implement youth-friendly policies, must above all strive to integrate young people into the political process,” Dreifuss told the Sommet de la Francophonie in Moncton, New Brunswick.

The francophone weekend summit was attended by heads of states and representatives of over 50 countries where French is spoken as an official or secondary language, including France, Canada, Ivory Coast, Seychelles and Switzerland. The main focus of the summit is on youth and youth policies.

Dreifuss stressed that politicians should do more to integrate young people and to make them feel part of society.

“The marginalisation of young people is taking on worrying proportions. A growing number of young people no longer succeed in integrating themselves into their society,” the Swiss president said.

Dreifuss suggested that young people should be listened to carefully in areas which directly affect them, such as education and training.

The statement echoed Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien’s statement. “Young people are the future of La Francophonie. We must strive therefore to better identify their needs and understand their expectations if we are to address them effectively,” he stated.

The Moncton summit was also tackling such issues as how to boost the economies of member states and cultural issues.

Human rights issues, although not officially on the agenda, also found their way into the summit as Amnesty International accused organisers of inviting “dictators and despots” to the event.

Most of those attending are representatives of former French colonies in Africa and 32 of them have been listed by Amnesty International as human rights violators.

A noisy crowd of chanting human rights protesters on Friday disrupted the formal opening of a summit. Around 50 demonstrators, most of them holding up
hand-painted signs condemning President Pierre Buyoya of Burundi and Rwandan Vice President Paul Kagame, shouted loudly as leaders arrived for the start of the three-day summit.

Dreifuss told delegates later on Friday that Switzerland did everything in its power to help bring about peace in conflict areas, and to prevent peace by fighting the spread of small arms.

She particularly urged leaders to take urgent measures against the voluntary or forced use of child soldiers in conflicts throughout the world. The United Nations estimates that there are about 300,000 soldiers under 18 years actively involved in armed conflicts.

From staff and wire reports.