FINAL STATEMENT 

We, student leaders of the International Movement of Catholic Students, gathered together from 1-8 August 2010 in M'bour, Senegal for a training session on good governance. We worked to develop:

• Students participation in democratic processes in their own structures and in wider civil society
• To affirm he role of students in good governance
• To increase students understanding of the critical importance of all structures of governance
• To explore the structural links between violent conflicts, the arms trade and governance.

We have reflected that it is the role of government to protect and care for their society and to manage resources for the good of the whole. We believe that access to quality education is of key importance in promoting good governance. Transparency, good stewardship of resources and protecting human dignity are some of the defining characteristics of good governance. A government following these ideals will provide a nurturing environment for formation and social change.

We discussed the need for the active participation of youth movement in the different structures of governance. We looked at the situation of students in Nepal an Egypt and heard reports from many other parts of the world. We, the student participants deepened our understanding of the need to have to play our role in the many different structures of governance both locally, nationally and internationally.

We have seen that theology is the study which, through participation in and reflection upon a religious faith, seeks to express the content of this faith in the clearest, possible ‘language'. We examined a method of contextual or practical theology which reflects on concrete life in the light Scriptures and Christian tradition; a process which leads to taking action.

We saw the value of the principle of subsidiarity: ‘a community of higher order should not interfere with the life of a community of a lower order, taking over its function. In case of need it should, rather, support the smaller community and help to co-ordinate its activities with activities in the rest of society for the sake of the common good.'

Finally, we discussed the role of student communities in the disarmament process.  We saw the need for reducing spending on national defense reduces and control of the sale of arms.

We believe that:

• by our active participation in developing new ideas for reducing conflict,
• and empowering women's involvement,

...we can, as students, be a vital part of the processes of establishing good governance in our own countries and beyond.

Being a Catholic student movement, we are obliged to ensure the active participations of our members in advocacy and in lobbying for democratic development by using the media, developing campaigns, and networking with like-minded partner organizations. We commit ourselves to follow up this training session by taking action.

Adopted in M'Bour, Senegal, 07 August 2010 by the student leaders