In the plan of action for people, planet and prosperity that the member countries of the United Nations United Nations have been raised in the Agenda 2030 it is necessary to listen to what the young people have a say and a contribution to make in order to achieve these transformational changes.
In the Our Common Agenda Policy Brief 3 "Meaningful participation of young people in decision-making and policy-making processes".The UN stresses that the world has the knowledge and resources to deliver on the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable DevelopmentBut this will only be possible with the participation and contribution of the 1.2 billion young people on the planet.
In this report, the agency argues that young people are the key to finding new solutions to achieve the breakthroughs the world urgently needs.
"As future guardians of the planet, they also have the most to lose if society becomes more insecure and unequal and if the triple planetary crisis is not mitigated," he argues.
A force for social change
The young people have become in recent years a driving force in the development of the social change through social mobilization, lobbying for climate action, claiming racial justice, promoting gender equality and demanding dignity for all.
"We have also seen countless examples of young people driving innovative change in a multitude of fields, such as business, technology and science," he stresses.
Despite the transformative force that young people have proven to be, their participation in policy making and decision making in the public sphere remains almost invisible.
"Despite the emergence of a mosaic of opportunities for youth participation, young people continue to exert little influence on decision-making around sustainable development, peacekeeping and security, and human rights," the report asserts.
Young population with sexagenarian political leaders
In its social networks, the UN has pointed out that it is time to recognize the importance of the participation of the young people in decision making and amplify their voices in the political arena.
The organization stresses that young people under the age of 25 represent a high percentage of the world's population, yet political leaders are on average 62 years old.
"We need to change this and ensure that the voices of young people are heard in shaping the future of our communities and our world," the UN reiterates.
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UN Recommendations
In the report, the UN issues the following recommendations to its member states to promote youth participation:
- Expand and strengthen the participation of young people in decision-making at all levels.
- Make meaningful youth participation a requirement in all UN decision-making processes.
- Support the creation of a permanent United Nations youth forum and an integrated program from within the United Nations system to facilitate greater diversity, representativeness and readiness for youth participation.
Source: UN
