International Youth Day 2020

Under the theme “Youth Engagement for Global Action”, the 2020 International Youth Day focuses on the participation and representation of young people in public affairs at the local, national and global level. International Youth Day has been celebrated every year since 1999, when the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the  World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August be declared International Youth Day. International Youth Day gives an opportunity to celebrate and mainstream young peoples’ voices, actions and initiatives.

While budget transparency might not be the most appealing topic to everyone, it is becoming increasingly of interest in the Kingdom of Cambodia and around the world. Whether it’s talking with local officials, with friends or just staying informed about how the country spends its money, the budget spending of local administrations has a direct impact on our daily lives. Hence, this day is an opportunity to encourage youth to be aware and informed of the budget process as young Cambodians support more transparency, accountability and responsiveness in public budgets.

Cambodia has the largest youth population of any country in Southeast Asia. Unlike other Southeast Asian countries, where this percentage is expected to decline by 2030, the proportion of youth over the total population is expected to peak in 2035. Average annual growth is expected to go from 0.1% in 2005–2015 up to 1.0% in 2025–2035. The growing share of the youth demographics gives a central role to young people and highlights the importance of improving opportunities for them to be informed about and involved in the budget process.

Cambodia’s youth have a lot to contribute in the growth and development of their country. With the aim of helping improve the clarity and visibility of commune/sangkat budgets, Open Development Cambodia and its partner STAR Kampuchea will implement three actions. Community network groups and CSOs will:

• Look at district funds from the allocation of the national budget and locally-produced revenues. 
• Look at how investment and development plans respond to the real needs of the communities.
• Follow the budget spending of local administrations, supporting transparency and accountability standards, seeking to encourage good governance and effectiveness of public service delivery.

According to a UNDP survey, Cambodian youth are proud of being Cambodian and the direction the country is taking. They value their history, cultural heritage, democracy and leadership and a large majority (81% of respondents) feel that all Cambodians are ‘respected equally’.

However, recent evidence shows little youth active involvement in wider community and national affairs, with only one-fourth of youth respondents being familiar with the term ‘transparency’ and 10% with the term ‘accountability’. The understanding of these terms was even lower among the respondents. Despite low awareness of the term ‘transparency’, three quarters of the young people agreed with the principles underlying transparency. Although the term transparency is not widely used in practice, the concept and its implications are valued. The majority of respondents agreed that there should be transparency with respect to public expenditure and that appointments to public sector roles should be merit-based. So the question at this point is: How would budget figures change if more youth were to be informed about the budget process and contribute to it?

Online and digital tools need to be at the center of any strategy that seeks to reach younger generations, as their use of internet and social media is increasingly high. Public information and communication efforts which are tailored to the media habits of young people can result in an increasing uptake of opportunities to get involved and ultimately strengthen support for public sector decisions. With extensive experience in website development and Facebook page management, the ODC team will support district administrations to create and design their websites. This will help young people stay up to date about how money is allocated and budgeted and it will also provide them with a platform to share information with other community members.

A large young population can be an asset for any country, as they provide an active workforce that can drive economic growth and productivity and bring greater innovation to the economy. On the other hand, this ‘demographic dividend’ is strongly dependent on sufficient economic opportunity being available. The youth population also represents an important share of voters and can play an active part in supporting the growth and development of their country. Yet in many countries, youth populations also express frustration with the public sector. Ensuring the active support of young men and women in encouraging open government is, therefore, essential to mitigate the risks of marginalization, and to help them have a greater role and responsibility in shaping their lives, societies and economies. More opportunities to involve young Cambodians will enhance their representation and enable them to actively contribute to public debates, while their voices are considered and mainstreamed more effectively.