Commonwealth: Young People

(asked on 13th April 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to strengthen connections to the Commonwealth among young people.


Answered by
Nigel Adams Portrait
Nigel Adams
This question was answered on 21st April 2021

As Commonwealth Chair-in-Office, we have championed the voice of its young people and supported enhanced participation in decision-making, including through national youth networks. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2018, the UK announced a new £5m contribution to the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships endowment fund, supporting the creation by 2025 of 150 new scholarships which enable Commonwealth students to study in one another's countries.

The FCDO continues to fund the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission, in 2020/2021 contributing over £25m to support over 700 new awards for individuals from Commonwealth countries to study at UK universities. In addition, the UK's Chevening scholarship supported 450 scholars from the Commonwealth to study for a Master's degree at UK universities. The FCDO's £1,030,661 annual contribution to the Commonwealth Youth Programme supports a range of youth-centric pan-Commonwealth initiatives, showcasing and celebrating the achievements of young people in driving democracy and development. It also provides technical assistance for national and regional youth policies and programmes. The Government of Rwanda have identified Youth as one of its five policy pillars for the upcoming Kigali CHOGM. The UK is working to encourage Leaders to reaffirm their commitment to ensuring that all girls and boys get 12 years of quality education.

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