The 2014 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration

The 2014 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration is a statement by the children and youth of South Africa providing recommendations for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The document outlines specific demands for the South African government, the African community, and the international community across economic, environmental, and social dimensions, focusing on youth empowerment, sustainability, and the eradication of inequality.

• The youth recommend restructuring the proposed Sustainable Development Goals for better cohesion, specifically suggesting that SDGs 1 and 2 (Poverty Eradication, Food Security and Health) be combined, and that SDGs 7, 9, 12, and 13 (Economic Infrastructure) be targeted in unison.
• To combat high youth unemployment, the declaration urges governments to develop entrepreneurial skills for young people, recognize the economic role of the informal sector, and implement an intersectional approach to address inequalities based on race, gender, disability, and sexual orientation.
• Regarding energy and climate, the youth call on the South African government to increase funding for alternative and renewable energy research to complement nuclear power, ensure safe nuclear waste disposal, and increase transparency from Eskom regarding the energy crisis.
• The declaration demands stricter environmental protections in South Africa, including expanding the scope of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) to all construction projects and amending the National Environmental Management Act to introduce harsher penalties for poaching, deforestation, water pollution, and over-fishing.
• The youth propose narrowing the gap between the government and young people by establishing local and national child and youth advisory boards, as well as a UN child and youth delegation to participate in global political institutions.
• The document calls for international and regional reforms, including a review of loan criteria by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to favor debt relief, and the transfer of technology and expertise between countries instead of ineffective development aid.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2014). The 2014 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/SAIIA-2014-Young-Leaders-Declaration.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. The 2014 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration. 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/SAIIA-2014-Young-Leaders-Declaration.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=The 2014 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration |date=2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/SAIIA-2014-Young-Leaders-Declaration.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs20142014, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{The 2014 SAIIA Young Leaders Declaration}}, publisher = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/SAIIA-2014-Young-Leaders-Declaration.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }