Today鈥檚 flag-bearers for clean government
Students in Serbia set a global standard of integrity in demanding accountability and transparency from public authorities.
People attend a June 28 rally in Belgrade, Serbia, calling for transparency and accountability in government.
AP
Over the past nine months, a visitor to Serbia in southeastern Europe might have run into almost-daily protests by university students. The biggest demonstrations brought out at least 4% of Serbia鈥檚 6 million people, most of them Generation Z.
While the numbers and the persistence of the protests are impressive, what really matters is that 鈥渢he students have behaved with exemplary integrity,鈥� as one faculty member at the University of Novi Sad put it. That has brought them widespread public support.
Their integrity is rooted in a consistent demand: The students want transparency and accountability from government after the collapse of a renovated rail station canopy killed 16 people last November. They suspect corruption led to the tragedy and have yet to get clear answers from the increasingly authoritarian government of President Aleksandar Vu膷i膰.
In addition, they have organized themselves after the democracy they seek: The protesters operate by consensus and with equality, without leaders. Most avoid confrontation with police and will not align with any political party. They simply want rule of law and clean governance.
If some of this sounds familiar, it is because a wave of protests against corruption around the world in recent years 鈥� from Mongolia to Iraq 鈥� has become more youth-led. The world now has the largest youth generation in history, one that is digitally connected and, according to surveys, the most affected by bribery and other forms of corruption.
鈥淵oung people everywhere want a fairer future and are willing to play their part in ending corruption,鈥� states watchdog group Transparency International. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not just preparing to lead 鈥� they already are.鈥�
One study found the number of protests led by young people increased by more than sixfold between 2006 and 2020, with corruption as the second most common issue. As the United Nations declared last year, 鈥淵oung people are powerful forces for promoting integrity and combating corruption.鈥�
Both the U.N. and Transparency International have launched programs to bring young people together in 鈥渃lubs鈥� and 鈥渂oot camps鈥� to learn how to track accountability and transparency in public institutions. This has helped change the narrative from young people as victims of corruption to promoters of integrity.
Yet the grandest lesson for youth is happening almost daily in Serbia. Its young people are not only the center of a new politics, they are a model, too.