Apenisa Waqairadovu 
The newly launched Lomaiviti Urban Youth Council has been challenged to take an active role in addressing issues affecting young people, including drug abuse and HIV awareness.
Acting Attorney General and Minister for Justice Siromi Turaga says young people must not only prepare to become future leaders, but must take responsibility today.
He made the comments while launching the council and its five-year development plan.
“The question before us today is not whether young people will become leaders. The question is, what kind of leaders will they become? What kind of future will they create?”
Turaga says communities are facing serious challenges, particularly the impact of drugs on young people.
He says addressing these issues requires the involvement of everyone from government and families to churches, schools and young people themselves.
“Who is responsible for addressing this issue? The answer is simple. It is all of us.”
The Lomaiviti Urban Youth Council’s Integrated Strategic Development Plan 2027–2031 focuses on empowering young people through leadership, cultural preservation and sustainable development.
Turaga says young people must be given opportunities, guidance and support to turn their ideas into action.
The council says it will work with youth groups and communities to create more opportunities for young people across Lomaiviti.
