Bangkok Declaration of Young People 14th International Anti Corruption Conference We, members of the Global Youth Anti-Corruption Network and young people participating in the 14th International Anti- Corruption Conference, collectively in one voice: Commend the recommendation of the 12th IACC Conference recognizing the importance of and encouraging greater participation of young people in anti-corruption and good governance initiatives; Commend the 13th IACC call for diversity in reaching out to various sectors and stakeholders and innovation in spreading the message against corruption; We recognize that: young people comprise a big number of the population in developing countries; young people in these countries are faced with developing challenges like access and quality of education, high unemployment and underemployment rate, poor access to reproductive and other health services, which are exacerbated by rampant corruption. young people have inherent right to participation, especially in issues directly affecting them. Furthermore, their participation develops their capability, increases effectiveness, sustainability and ownership of projects and programs. young people are either victims of corruption and are considered beneficiaries of anti-corruption initiatives but are not taken as a partner in the fight against corruption. Now, therefore, asserting our right to participation and expressing our commitment to the fight against corruption, we, young people, agree and commit to: 1. collectively engage at the local, national and global fight against corruption 2. capitalize on youth creativity, idealism, energy and ICT in to reach to greater numbers of young people and imbibe a culture against corruption 3. engage different stakeholders at different levels, i.e. government, anti-corruption institutions, and international organizations and movements like the TI and IACC 4. work for the promotion of ethics and integrity in our individual and collective projects as our contribution to the quest for restoring trust and the promotion of good governance Furthermore, we call for greater commitment from the international community towards involving young people at all levels in the fight against corruption. This will involve: 1. committing funding to global youth activities, 2. providing support to youth leadership and empowerment processes, and 3. creating spaces and opportunities for youth to affirm themselves as key partners in the global fight against corruption. Done in Bangkok, Thailand, 13th of November 2010. www.14iacc.org/ |