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YOUnited: An In-Depth Look at How Youth Can Affect Change Through Policy and Action

The United Nations Department of Public Information Nongovernmental Organizations (UN DPI NGO) organized a meeting about the role of the youth as change markers. The UN DPI NGO program started in 2009 at a UNDPI conference in Mexico City. Today, there are over 400 youth representatives in universities around the world and in NGOs. The goal of the event is for the youth community to bring their know-how and their ideas as opinion makers, not opinion takers.

The event functions as an in-depth look at how youth can affect change through policy and action. Younger people are more than the leaders of tomorrow: they can be today’s leaders as well.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 17 (SDG 17) focuses on strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development. Similar to SDG 17, the UN DPI NGO brings youth leaders together to inspire everyone to be change-makers.The UN inspires young leaders to engage and promote SDGs within and outside their communities.

Annie Weaver, who is a Program Support Consultant in the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, said that the SDGs do not pertain to the UN, but rather relate us all, because we are citizens of the world. She emphasized that it is up to us to achieve the SDGs by 2030. She encouraged young citizens to actively participate. She talked about the Young Leaders Sustainable Development Programme, which annually selects 17 young change-makers whose leadership is catalyzing the achievement of the Organization’s goals. She shared that just last year, the program received more than 18,000 applications. Another area that the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth is trying to change is the policy-making, and the age of government representatives in particular. They believe that anyone who is old enough to vote, is old enough to run for the office. It is essential to raise the awareness of young people that they can run for office and advocate for the rights of the youth. Annie Weaver encouraged young leaders to run for representative seats. She shared the following statistics: 50% of the world population is under 30, but only 2% of the world parliamentary representatives are under 30. In 2018, the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth will launch some toolkits to help young leaders start their campaigns. They encourage young people to actively seek ways to engage and start their own campaigns. She suggested to contact teachers, professors, deans, city councils, representatives for support and guidance. Annie emphasized that any young person interested in campaigning can start with his/her immediate surroundings and be the change. The UN is trying to make the process more inclusive by bringing youth to the table, through the UN Youth Delegate Programme. She gave an example that some countries, such as Sweden and Slovenia, brought their youth delegates to the General Assembly.

Omar Almutawa is the Youth Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the UN. The U.A.E. government sees great importance in the role of the youth and their empowerment. It wants to include their youth in sharing the responsibilities, participate in innovate processes and contribute to the welfare of the U.A.E.’s community. Some of the most recent initiatives to include the youth in decision-making are: appointment of the Minister of State for Youth Affairs, 5 women youth representatives in the new government, Emirates Youth Council, and many more. According to Omar, the U.A.E. government does a great job supporting the young and including them in the decision-making processes. There are more than 50 youth circles, where youth are able to brainstorm ideas and further actions. Entrepreneurship is also a crucial way to empower youth. It helps affect change through constructive actions. The U.A.E. wants youth to be both, job creators and job consumers.

Shakira McKnight is an Advisor to the Newark Youth Ambassadors under the Administration of Mayor Ras J. Baraka. She shares that there are many youth initiatives in Newark. The youth are helping implement plans to hold people accountable. Newark Youth Ambassador Program has 5 Youth Ambassadors divided in 5 wards (North, South, West, East and Central). Youth Ambassadors represent their wards and implement plans to force solutions. Also, they have a leadership academy every month with their mayor. The youth office in Newark is the first one in New Jersey. Once a week, Youth Ambassadors study the policies that are current now, which makes them feel a part of the political process. Newark Youth Ambassadors created a campaign: “Hear our city, hear our nation” with the hashtag #HCHN. This campaign aims to bring attention to issues in different neighborhoods, and to give voice to those who feel voiceless. Shakira believes that the youth must utilize their strengths, brainstorm together, be creative and take action. She stressed the fact that youth can use social media as a catalyst for change.

Lauren Horn is a Senior Program Manager for the Resolution Project, which focuses on developing socially-responsible young leaders and empowers them to make a positive impact on today’s world. The Resolution Project gives young leaders the tools and the support they need to be change-makers in their communities. There are more than 300 fellows around the world who impact in the world through the Resolution Project. Leadership is the core in helping leaders to take actions. If today they may be affecting relitevely few people, tomorrow they may be able to enage many more. They hold conferences around the world, propose social ventures, award resolution fellowships, raise funding for new projects, and support fellows through mentorship programs.

The meeting closed with a panel, that included Munira Khalif, the U.S. Youth Observer to the United Nations. She said her role is to allow American youth to have representatives at the UN, giving younger people the opportunity to see what happens behind the scenes, and also bringing the UN to young people. The UN USA works as an NGO to bridge the gap between the UN and the U.S., promoting the work of the UN across the country. She presented the program GenUN USA, a network program of youth leaders advocating for global progress. Some of their activities are hosting guest speakers, fundraising, and running digital rallies.

This meeting brought together most successful youth initiatives from various parts of the world. These projects and initiative can be replicated in our communities.

To watch full video of this meeting, please click here.  

Patricia Zanini Graca is a first-year graduate student at the Seton Hall School of Diplomacy and International Relations. Patricia holds an MBA in Business and Marketing. Patricia is a media associate at the Journal of Diplomacy, and an associate at the Graduate Diplomacy Council. She specializes in International Organizations and Global Negotiations & Conflict Management. 

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