Solomon Islands are seeking to host the Melanesian Youth Parliament in 2017.
The National Parliament and the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs made their intentions known during the recent National Youth Parliament in Honiara.
Speaker of Parliament, Ajilon Jasper Nasiu, told participants that 20 youth parliamentarians will be selected from the current Youth Parliament to represent Solomon Islands in the 2017 Melanesian Youth Parliament.
“And from this Youth Parliament, a separate selection panel will select 20 youth parliamentarians, 10 boys and 10 girls to represent the Solomon Islands in next year’s Melanesian Youth Parliament.”
The Speaker of Parliament appeals to all youth parliamentarians participating in the current youth parliament to perform to their best in order to represent the country in the Melanesian Youth Parliament next year.
The objective of a Youth Parliament is to teach young people about some of the core principles of democracy, its values and how it functions. It also gives young people an opportunity to raise issues of concern, and in so doing feed into mainstream policy discussions or debates.