Sec. 9. Oceania Youth Engagement Coordinator
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Congress makes the following findings: The population of Oceania is young, with an estimated 23 percent of individuals living in the region under the age of 15 years old. In some of the countries of Oceania, the percentage of the population under the age of 15 years old is higher than the regional average, including in the Federated States of Micronesia (32 percent), Papua New Guinea (36 percent), and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (39 percent). Young people, especially young women and girls, in Oceania are disproportionately impacted by sustainable development challenges, including challenges with access to employment, education, health care, and housing, as well as food, water, and sanitation.
Enhancing United States engagement with young people in Oceania can strengthen democratic governance and civil society and increase civic engagement in support of achieving regional sustainable development goals. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy and Regional and Security of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Department of State shall serve as the Oceania Youth Engagement Coordinator (in this section referred to as the Coordinator ) to work with the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and the Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs regarding youth engagement matters in Oceania.
The Coordinator shall— ensure that youth engagement in Oceania and supporting activities are integrated in and coordinated between the foreign policy initiatives of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs and the Bureau of Global Public Affairs; ensure that youth engagement opportunities are developed in support of the programs, activities, and initiatives authorized under this Act; advocate for programs to expand Oceania youth engagement, including through educational and cultural exchange programs of the Department of State, as well as through country partnerships and civil society engagement coordinated through and with the support of the United States missions (including the chiefs of mission) in the countries of Oceania; and coordinate Oceania youth engagement with other bureaus and offices of the Department of State, including, as appropriate, the United States Agency for International Development and the United States Mission to the United Nations.