Youth and the United Nations

What changes are needed to make the UN more relevant to the needs of the future generation? How can young people be facilitated to engage with the processes of the U.N. that closely impact their communities and their future? Is it at all possible to create mechanisms within the U.N. system to accommodate and legitimize the opinions of youth through representative youth voices? Is it, in sum, possible to prioritize the considered opinions of youth so that policies of nations may become not just youth-oriented but also youth-led?

Wait! There’s more. The eDebate goes on to list several proposed “mechanisms” to ensure that the UN gets “representative youth voices” to chime in. Here they are:

Three different scenarios are presented, each demonstrating ways in which the U.N. can be more responsive to the youth. Scenario 1 outlines the possibility to upscale and enhance UNDESA’s Youth Unit. This scenario would enhance youth engagement, however, the youth would still be in a client role. Scenario 2 gives youth visibility and potential access to the Secretary-General and top level decision-making in UN, however much like the first scenario, it would mean that the youth would remain in the role of a client rather than a stakeholder. Further, a potential challenge with this scenario is that the Special Representative would not have any clear mechanism for youth to access policy discussions and decision-making processes. Scenario 3 outlines a menu of mechanisms to secure true and meaningfully youth engagement in the UN system. The combined and interdependent proposal of a Special Representative, a Permanent Youth Forum and Youth Platforms will give youth globally a seat at the table. A key strength with this scenario is its interdependence, yet reinforcing mechanism. All the proposed mechanisms don’t have to be established simultaneously, but one can foresee an incremental process. The appointment of a Special Representative can be the first step, and subsequently this person can work towards the establishment of a Permanent Forum. It is the opinion of the authors of this report that Scenario 3 is the most comprehensive model that truly gives youth access to decision-making processes and policy discussions at the UN level.