The UN Secretary-General mandates youth engagement in intergovernmental decision-making processes.
Tired of being relegated to the proverbial back benches—and due to the ever-growing threat to our planet—over the past few years, young activists have rallied for greater influence over governmental decision-making. Simultaneously, numerous studies have unearthed the benefits of intergenerational political action. One body that has taken heed is the UN, which launched a policy brief mandating an increase in youth engagement on Monday.
Acknowledging that youth involvement is all too often an afterthought and “tokenistic,” the UN released a brief recommending that its 193 member states “expand and strengthen youth participation in decision-making at all levels; Make meaningful youth engagement a requirement in all United Nations decision-making processes; Support the establishment of a standing United Nations Youth Townhall and an integrated program from the United Nations system to facilitate greater diversity, representativeness, and pre-preparedness in youth participation.”
The brief comes as part of the wider rollout of the UN’s Our Common Agenda, “a new social contract anchored in human rights” outlining the Secretary-general’s goals for the future of global cooperation. The recent policy changes come in the lead-up to the Summit of the Future, which is set to take place in September 2024. The summit has been established to address some of society’s biggest challenges— from the war in Ukraine to climate change.
The brief was presented by the UN Secretary-general António Guterres, who has long advocated for increased political youth participation. Just last month, Guterres enlisted seven young climate leaders to serve on his Youth Advisory Group,offering counsel on how to best tackle the environmental crisis.
“Youth are key to identifying new solutions that will secure the breakthroughs that our world urgently needs. As future custodians of the planet, they also stand to lose the most if societies become more insecure and unequal and if the triple planetary crisis continues unabated,” read a segment of the policy agenda. While the UN’s Envoy on Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake, described the policy brief as “an opportunity for us to take historic strides forward in opening up more spaces for youth participation at all levels.”
Whether or not the UN’s promise to uplift young voices is followed through or merely an example of the lip service commonly afforded young people is yet to be determined. But there is reason to find hope in a highly influential organization promising to involve a generation primed to offer fresh solutions to the issues of the day.
Image courtesy of Unsplash/Ronan-Furuta
