Jakarta. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan recently said that we should not underestimate the Y20’s soon-to-be-declared Communiqué —the youth forum’s policy recommendation document— as history has shown that youth declarations could make a great impact.

“Do not ever underestimate a communiqué. Remember back on Oct. 28, 1928, [Indonesian youths] announced a three-sentence pledge to acknowledge one motherland, one nation, and one language. People back then might wonder how a two-day conference only resulted in three sentences, but today, we have realized that it was a major decision to decide on those three sentences,” Anies told the press shortly after welcoming the Y20 delegates at Kempinski Hotel in Jakarta on Monday. 

The Jakarta Governor was referring to the historic Youth Pledge.

On Oct. 28, 1928, young Indonesian nationalists vowed to recognize only one motherland, one nation, and one language. The pledge was the result of the Second Youth Congress held on Oct. 27-28, 1928 in Batavia (now Jakarta).

Today, dozens of youth delegates from around the world have gathered in Indonesia to provide input into the final drafting of the Communiqué. This document will encompass all the youth’s collective views on pressing matters, particularly on the topics of youth employment, digital transformation, sustainable and livable planet, diversity, and inclusion.

“Perhaps today it might look like just another document. But they are making history. Let history tell because the resulting document would be a document that will change the future journey of mankind. Because people of different nationalities have gathered in this forum," Anies said.

The Y20 will present the Communiqué to President Jokowi “Jokowi” Widodo as the holder of this year’s G20 presidency.

According to Y20 Indonesia 2022 Co-Chair Michael Victor Sianipar, what’s important about the Communiqué is to make sure that the world leaders discuss and adopt these policy recommendations at the upcoming G20 Bali Summit.

“So when these world leaders gather, they are not only discussing the current global issues but also the youth’s perspective of the future,” Michael said.