Youth to UN: ‘Listen to us. Invest in us. Partner with us’

“Youth participation is not just about bringing young people to meetings,” General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said on Thursday.

“It’s about truly integrating their lived experience and their expertise to shape policy outcomes.”

Prioritizing rights and aspirations

Ms. Baerbock was speaking at an event to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth.

The framework covers 15 priority areas, including education, employment, hunger and poverty; health and the environment; globalisation, information and communication technologies; armed conflict, and intergenerational issues.

It shows that action for young people cuts across every issue and that they are drivers of change.

© UNDP

Members of the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, a youth-led non-profit in Tanzania.

Leading the way

At roughly 1.2 billion, today’s youth generation – people aged 15-24 – is arguably the largest in history.

Youth are at the forefront on climate action, digital innovation, building local solutions, and championing human rights, said Guy Ryder, UN Under-Secretary-General for Policy, who spoke on behalf of the Secretary-General.

“Yet too often, they are shut out of decisions, decisions that shape their lives and face barriers to education, to decent work, to health services, and political participation,” he said.

“At the same time, violence, instability, and shrinking civic space silence youth voices and place obstacles in the way of their meaningful contributions.”

Paying the price

The commemoration was held to mark progress since the landmark framework but also to address unfinished business.

As the head of the UN’s Youth Office stated, the international community “must confront the sobering reality that millions of young people continue to be left behind.”

Felipe Paullier said they are the ones “paying the highest price” when it comes to the climate crisis, digital disruptions, and growing threats to peace.

“The reality is that conflict-related deaths have soared to the highest level since the adoption of the World Programme of Action for Youth,” he said.

“This mean millions of young lives lost, displaced, or forever affected. From Gaza to Ukraine, from Haiti to the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo), to Sudan and so many other places in crisis, young people are being robbed of their education, their safety, and their future.”

Voices of a generation

Prior to the event, more than 75,000 young people in 182 countries shared their challenges and hopes through a “foresight activity” coordinated by his office.

The insights will help to guide action, but this generation’s impact is already being felt across the world.

“Young people are not waiting for tomorrow to become leaders; they are today’s leaders,” said Ms. Baerback, who recalled that the recent historic ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on States’ obligations to address climate change was sparked by a group of students in the Pacific.

‘Partner with us’

For Amini Alidi, a youth advocate with the UN in Malawi, the event was “more than a commemoration” but “a call to action.”

“Young people remain steadfast in our optimism and determination to build a better future,” she said.

“What we ask of the United Nations and its Member States is simple but urgent: Listen to us. Invest in us, and most important of all, partner with us.”

James Casserly from Ireland, an advocate for young people with disabilities, advised global leaders on what youth participation really means.

“It is where people who have the power listen to us and take action because actions speak louder than words,” he said.

“It is more than a box-ticking exercise. It is when we get to make our own decisions, and not just have other people make decisions on our behalf. As we always say, nothing about us without us.”