Our Collective Voices: Hong Kong Declaration of Young Citizens on Social Accountability
We, the young people of East Asia and the Pacific, gathered in Hong Kong for "Open Doors 2009: Regional Forum on Procurement Monitoring as a Social Accountability Tool Advancing Citizens' Engagement with Government" convened by the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific (ANSA-EAP), recognize our role in helping improve governance in our respective countries and in the region.
Taking this opportunity to convene in the spirit of Social Accountability, we express our collective voices:
1. We, young people, comprising a significant percent of the population, have high stakes in the development concerns of our respective countries and the East Asia-Pacific region.
2. We reassert the significance of young citizens' participation, as:
a. Political participation at a young age cultivates political participation into adulthood;
b. Young people can bring in fresh and creative ideas, enthusiasm, and new perspectives in decision-making; and
c. The participation of young citizens improves the effectiveness and, most especially, sustainability of development programs.
3. Even though and more so because we are young citizens, we are concerned with inefficient and ineffective delivery of services, particularly in education, health, and employment, which can have grave repercussions in the future.
4. As young citizens, we are not always given opportunities to exercise our role in governance, and in determining and realizing our agenda for development.
5. As young citizens, we assert our stakeholdership and demand from our governments access to information, which will enable us to constructively engage with and exact accountability from them.
6. As young citizens, we call for greater opportunities for meaningful participation both in government and civil society processes.
7. As young citizens, we pledge to take lead in reaching out to our fellow youth to ensure a greater and more participatory voice.
8. As young citizens, we will work with one another and in partnership with CSOs and our governments in determining and monitoring how public resources are allocated and spent, with the goal of improving delivery of basic services and promoting and protecting citizens' rights and welfare in mind.
Signed in Hong Kong, 11th of November 2009.
Download the official young citizens forum statement (.pdf).
Read the official forum statement.
