Commonwealth News and Information Service (London)
11 November 2009
Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, urged the world this week to recognise that emerging generations of young people are a "great resource" who can help contribute to finding solutions to problems such as climate change.
What is the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan?
Managed by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, the CSFP is an international programme under which member governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries.
Mr Sharma was speaking at a conference for recent Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) award holders in the UK, organised by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission at Westminster Central Hall in London on 9 November 2009.
Addressing a packed auditorium of more than 250 students from some 40 Commonwealth countries, the Secretary-General described the gathered young scholars as an "enormously diverse, talented and energetic group of people". He urged each of them to make the most of their scholarships and to play a full part in the Commonwealth.
"We are seeing the emergence of a whole new generation of people taking an active role in policy-making for the Commonwealth of the 21st century," Mr Sharma said. "You are the ones who are going to live through the majority of this century. You yourselves may have a great role in the challenges [that will be faced].
"It is of the utmost importance that we and others in the world start seeing and respecting the youth of the world for the resource it is, and engaging it in every form of activity that we can. Wouldn't it be wonderful if some of you joined our debates and became our intellectual resources in areas like climate change, health, education, human rights, elections, trade?"
During the conference, which helped mark the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of the CSFP, award holders discussed how to make the most of their scholarships. Group sessions focused on building effective networks, and the history and future direction of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan.
Introducing the scholars to the work of the Commonwealth, the Secretary-General described the association as a "coming together of countries" which, despite their different circumstances, shared similar beliefs and values in trying to address the problems of the world.
Mr Sharma called on the students to take part in activities organised by Commonwealth bodies, including the work of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. He also highlighted the association's long tradition of supporting education initiatives, including the distance learning programmes of the Commonwealth of Learning, and the CSFP itself.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Commonwealth News and Information Service. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
