YOUNG DIPLOMATS OF GHANA International Youth Day 2020 Statement

Today, on International Youth Day, we celebrate the dynamic, resourceful, hardworking and aspirational young people of Ghana particularly those at the forefront of Ghana’s battle against COVID-19 across the country, YDG Delegates, Alumni Community, participants in YDG events, our incoming cohort and all those connected to YDG in one way or the other.

The International Youth Day celebration creates the opportunity to celebrate and mainstream young peoples’ voices, actions and initiatives, as well as their meaningful, universal and equitable engagement.

Over the past three years, YDG has been at the forefront of the youth day celebrations in Ghana through our groundbreaking Ghana Youth Meeting and International Youth Day Debate program held at the premises of the World Bank.

With inspiration from the 2020 youth day global theme; “Youth Engagement for Global Action”, our focus this year has been on mobilizing our Delegates and Alumni Community to join the fight against the global COVID-19 pandemic through the YDG COVID-19 Education Campaign.We are grateful to all those who have contributed to the success of the campaign so far.

The campaign takes two phases. The first phase involves short educative videos in various Ghanaian languages, English and French, to correct misconceptions and myths about the corona virus, and also to highlight Ghana Health Services’ approved preventive measures. Currently, we are working with some regional NGOs to ensure the videos are widely circulated reaching all 16 regions of the country.

The second phase involves an ambitious distribution of 5 million PPEs and bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitizers to the general public. Our focus and target beneficiaries include our dear mothers in markets, our sisters serving as head potters in central business districts, our fathers and brothers helping with our daily commute as drivers and bus conductors, and the many inhabitants of slums across the country.

This is to ensure that all Ghanaians abide by government’s directive and mandatory wearing of face mask in all public places.  The campaign thus embodies YDG’s “Youth Engagement for Global Action” against COVID-19.

On this occasion of International Youth Day 2020, we call on young people across the country to serve as resourceful agents to lead the fight against the pandemic in Ghana.

As young people, we are passionate about creating a better world; this passion should lead and guide our actions to forge a sense of purpose, vision and action to realize the Ghana and Africa we yearn for.

Happy International Youth Day!

Seth Owusu-Mante
President & Chief Coordinator
Young Diplomats of Ghana (YDG)