Developing the Skills of South Pacific Youth

Helping young people in the South Pacific to develop their skills and gain meaningful employment is the goal of Tony Coghlan, the new Regional Director of the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) in the South Pacific region.

Mr Coghlan took up his new post with the CYP this month. He told the Commonwealth News and Information Service that he aims to help make a difference in the lives of the young people of the Pacific by working closely with youth representatives and senior government officials in the development of policies and programmes that benefit youth.

A former Scholarship Policy Officer in AusAid, Mr Coghlan has worked extensively with young people in Australia. He said the move to join the CYP will enable him to address youth issues region-wide.

Mr Coghlan has relocated from Canberra to Honiara in Solomon Islands, where the CYP South Pacific Centre is now based. His job is to oversee youth development projects in the Commonwealth Pacific countries.

"There are considerable numbers of young people in the South Pacific region who need help with issues that affect them. My task is to identify impediments to employment and to draw the attention of governments, NGOs and donor communities to look at ways in which we can improve the employment prospects of young people. This varies from country to country as the socio-economic situations differ, so country-specific programmes need to be tailored."

Fifty-five-year-old Mr Coghlan said he is gauging the effectiveness of current youth programmes in the South Pacific and is looking at new areas in which the CYP can pioneer to complement existing youth development projects. Improving access to micro-credit facilities is one area in which he believes young people can benefit in setting up their own businesses and developing their entrepreneurial skills.

Mr Coghlan stated that young people must be given opportunities for self-development and advancement. Development agencies and governments can play important roles in encouraging young people to thrive and to excel.

He stressed the importance of socio-economic empowerment of young people to enable them to be independent, responsible citizens who can play a contributing role in society.

Mr Coghlan has previously worked with women and children in Thailand who had been trafficked into the sex industry, while he was a diplomatic officer at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok. While human trafficking is not a major issue in the South Pacific at present, he said it is still "something we need to keep an eye on, particularly among young people, and also because trafficking has an impact on the spread of HIV/AIDS."

CNIS - Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 245, 27 July 2005

Secretariat Links:

• Commonwealth Youth Programme