Youth-driven transformation is a must - Lekaba

At the recent P20 Youth-Oriented Institutions Forum, Dr Frank Lekaba, delivered a thought-provoking address under the theme: “Young parliamentarians as drivers of global solidarity, equality, and sustainability.”

Speaking against the backdrop of South Africa’s G20 presidency, Lekaba highlighted the urgent need for multilateralism and structural reform in shaping a fairer, more inclusive global order.

“We are witnessing the demise of the old Global North and South divide. Today, pandemics, migration, terrorism, and peace and security challenges affect us all. What we need is not division, but a rules-based multilateralism that democratises global institutions—especially the UN Security Council.”

Lekaba underscored the importance of young leaders in advancing global agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Agenda 2063, and the UN Youth 2030 Strategy. While the UN’s Youth2030 framework has gained traction, he warned that progress remains uneven and called for reforms to make global institutions more responsive to youth needs.

He proposed strengthening the UN Youth Office and replicating its model in regional and sub-regional institutions like the African Union (AU) and SADC. He further emphasized that participation models must move beyond party-political divides, racial polarization, and gender biases.

He challenged parliaments to institutionalize youth quotas, ensuring that young voices are meaningfully represented in decision-making. In South Africa, he suggested, this could be achieved by requiring political parties to include gender and youth quotas in their candidate lists as a condition for electoral eligibility.

He also called on universities, think tanks, and civil society to play a stronger role in shaping youth-oriented policies by:

• Convening national dialogues to resolve societal challenges.
• Building youth capacity through training and research.

On improving youth access to jobs, healthcare, education, and finance, Lekaba highlighted the need to reform internship programmes. Internships, he argued, should be directly linked to meaningful employment opportunities, rather than serving as short-term, low-impact experiences.

“Representation of youth in decision-making spaces and the workforce remains limited. This is a systemic barrier that must be addressed if we are to truly unlock the potential of the world’s young people.”

Lekaba urged young parliamentarians and leaders to seize the current moment of transformation:

“We are at a critical juncture for rethinking the multilateral system. The G20 can and must serve as a bridge between the Global North and the Global South. Youth have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to demand representation, advance solidarity, and ensure that global frameworks truly reflect the aspirations of future generations.”