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Finally, let us make this a fairer Commonwealth. A Commonwealth in which everyone – whoever they are and wherever they live – is free to live their life and fulfil their own potential.
Right now, that is not always the case. Across the Commonwealth, tens of millions of young people – usually but not always girls – are denied the education that would allow them to get on in life.
All our members have pledged to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. But all too often young people receive only the most basic education before being forced out of school through discrimination, poverty, or simply the expectations of society.
Evidence shows that young people need 12 years of quality education if they are to fulfil their potential. I want this to be the summit where the Commonwealth agrees to make that the goal for all our members – and begins to put in place the concrete measures that will allow it to become a reality.
To help make this happen, I can announce that that the UK will be committing more than £200 million to support our fellow members in delivering the 12 years commitment. This includes funding for a policy lab that will share best practice in education. And, working in tandem with the Australian government, we will be launching a Digital Identity Innovation Challenge that will help provide women and girls with the means to access fundamental services in our modern society.
Together, these measures will help unlock the benefits of education for millions of young people who are currently at a disadvantage.
But education alone will not remove all barriers to fairness and opportunity in our Commonwealth.
Across the world, discriminatory laws made many years ago continue to affect the lives of many people, criminalising same-sex relations and failing to protect women and girls.
I am all too aware that these laws were often put in place by my own country. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now. As the UK’s Prime Minister, I deeply regret both the fact that such laws were introduced, and the legacy of discrimination, violence and even death that persists today.
As a family of nations we must respect one another’s cultures and traditions. But we must do so in a manner consistent with our common value of equality, a value that is clearly stated in the Commonwealth charter.
Recent years have brought welcome progress. The three nations that have most recently decriminalised same-sex relationships are all Commonwealth members, and since the heads of government last met the Commonwealth has agreed to accredit its first organisation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Yet there remains much to do. Nobody should face persecution or discrimination because of who they are or who they love. And the UK stands ready to support any Commonwealth member wanting to reform outdated legislation that makes such discrimination possible.
Because the world has changed. When, in 1953, the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth set off on a tour of the Commonwealth, she travelled by air, sea and land on a journey that took more than five months. Today, many members of the Youth Forum have only ever known a time in which they can instantly converse with one another regardless of where in the world they live. Read more via Gov.UK