THE constitution must encourage the representation and consultation of young people at all spheres of life in the political, social and economical front.
This was one of the submissions from the Youth Assembly of Fiji (YAF) on Saturday to the Constitution Commission at the Great Council of Chiefs complex in Nasese.
Lakalaka Saunikalou, Pene Nakaora, Matthew Galuvakadua, Laisani Rakula and Tura Lewai presented YAF's submissions to Professor Yash Ghai and his colleagues, emphasising the need for the State to be responsible for strengthening the existing platforms such as the National Youth Council of Fiji.
"As much as possible, the constitution must ensure that the government agency mandated to serve youth must do so in sincere collaborations with youth and all its stakeholders ensuring that it prioritises the provision of relevant periodical research for its stakeholders and effective policy formulation for youth development in the country as part of its services if not the only service," the YAF submitted.
The group said youths should be considered in future appointments to any commission or constitutional office as defined by the constitution.
In their other submissions, they called for temporary special measures to be included in the new constitution to create an enabling environment for women's representation in parliament, the constitution should adhere to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, access to clean water should be made free and not corporatised or privatised as this was a fundamental human right, the protection of media freedom, a much stronger law on bullying in schools and workplaces, and the decrease in the role and size of the Fiji Military Forces.