On the 1st of December, It was a great honour to be able to have an opportunity to take part in the House of Lords chamber event. I would like to sincerely thank the Royal Commonwealth Society for the invitation.
The debate involved young people from around the UK as well as members of civic organisations, coming together for an intergenerational debate on international relations in the 21st century. Participants could stand in favour of one of three motions, each taking a particular angle on the debate:
- The UK should aim to work closely with the Commonwealth, European countries, the EU and global partners to achieve common regional aims.
- The UK should aim to be a global leader.
- The UK should keep the affairs of other countries at a distance and focus on its own problems.
I was fortunate to receive an opportunity to be selected to speak by The Rt Hon. Lord Fowler. I spoke for the first motion and advocated for the UK working with other countries to achieve regional aims. The following is my speech within the House of Lords:
I chose to stand for the position of UK Young Ambassador to the Commonwealth and work to raise UK Youth Voice within the Commonwealth as I strongly feel that Britain should work with the Commonwealth and other global partners in order to create positive change through collaboration, this is why I am advocating for motion one.
The Commonwealth embodies almost a third of the world’s population and is predominantly made up of young people, where over 60% are aged under 30. With such a strong network, bursting with refreshing, rich and diverse thoughts, why shouldn’t we harness this opportunity to work together to achieve regional aims?
The UK will be hosting the Commonwealth Youth Forum for the first time in history this April 2018 and the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting will be held after. This provides the greatest opportunity for the UK to move forward, challenge ideas and be challenged, as well as working with a vibrant group of Commonwealth Nations to discuss prosperity, sustainability, fairness and security. Unity is the biggest strength, which is why I believe that the UK working closely with the Commonwealth, EU and other global partners will be the right choice. Thank you.
Overall the debate was great to be involved with and it was amazing to hear a diverse range of thoughts as well as inspiring and thought-provoking words from the participants. I had a fantastic experience and would like to thank the Royal Commonwealth Society, UK Young Ambassadors and the British Youth Council for this opportunity.
To watch the whole debate, please visit the link: https://www.facebook.com/UKHouseofLords/videos/1551446634941404/
Thank you for reading.
Thrinayani Ramakrishnan
UK Young Ambassador to the Commonwealth.
