Global South Youth platform adopts key expansion, partnership plan in Baku

The first official meeting of the Global South Youth Platform was held in Baku on May 20. At the conclusion of the event, which “holds great significance within the context of the decolonization movement and global youth cooperation,” an official document was adopted setting out the platform’s future fields of activity.

According to decisions adopted at the meeting, four new countries and overseas territories have officially joined the platform. With these additions, the total membership of the Global South Youth Platform has increased to 20. The newly admitted entities are Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Senegal, and Egypt, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The adopted document expressed the platform’s intention to further expand its geographical reach in the future through broader international participation and active engagement mechanisms.

Within the framework of the inaugural meeting, participants outlined the body’s core priorities, emphasizing the importance of “taking functional, practical steps that will effectively protect the interests, priorities, and future aspirations of member countries and overseas territories.”

The meeting also identified concrete steps for the next phase aimed at strengthening cooperation mechanisms among youth representatives of member states and institutionalizing these relations.

In its upcoming action plan, the platform highlighted the establishment of close partnerships with international organizations, multilateral global institutions, and civil society actors as a primary objective. This strategic cooperation is expected to “directly contribute to increasing the platform’s international reputation and visibility, expanding the share of youth participation in global decision-making processes, as well as executing joint international projects.”

The concluding document of the Baku meeting lays the foundation for a new phase for the youth of the Global South in the decolonization process and the strengthening of international solidarity.

By Vafa Guliyeva