Youth Delegates at the United Nations Dynamic of the presentation - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Youth Delegates at the United Nations

Dynamic of the presentation  What ? What is a youth delegate ? Why is youth representation at  Why ? the UN relevant ? How can we strengthen the  How ? programme ?

1) What is a youth delegate ?

The task of the youth delegate : bringing the UN closer to youth and the bringing youth closer to the UN What is a youth delegate ? (1/6)

The youth delegate at home... Example : Germany  We conduct a tour of schools, universities and youth-led organisations in order to engage with a large variety of young people  We discuss UN topics relevant to young people (e.g. globalisation, environment, participation opportunities)  We aim to capture the local and global concerns of young people in Germany objective: gain our mandate to represent our country’s youth What is a youth delegate ? (2/6)

The youth delegate at home... What is a youth delegate ? (3/6)

The youth delegate at the UN  Works with his/her delegation  Gives advice on youth-related issues  Participates in negotiations  Raises awareness What is a youth delegate ? (4/6)

Some examples of YD achievements...  Include SOGI in the debate on the youth resolution  Gain support for a permanent forum on youth What is a youth delegate ? (5/6)

Who sends youth delegates ? Roughly 20 to 30 states include youth delegates into their delegations : Europe : Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany, Israel, the  Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland Asia & Oceania : Australia, Thailand, South Korea, Sri Lanka  N. & S. America : (Brazil), Dominican Republic, Mexico, (United States)  Africa : (Ghana), Kenya, (Rwanda)   Global youth representation is yet to be achieved A/RES/64/130 (2009): ‘ Recognizes the need for a greater geographical balance of youth representation, and encourages Member States and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to contribute to the United Nations Youth Fund in order to facilitate the participation of youth representatives from developing countries.’ What is a youth delegate ? (6/6)

2) Why is youth participation at the UN relevant ?

 Demographics Largest young generation ever : over 50% of the world’s population is under 25 years old > youth needs to be represented at UN  Youth as agents of change Young people refuse to remain bystanders, they want their voice to be heard Why having youth delegates ? (1/2)

 Legitimacy and efficieny of youth related policies By ensuring political participation of young people, greater legitimacy is given to youth policies. Young people's expertise also helps policies to be designed efficiently, giving them greater chance of success  Modernization of the UN system Encouraging the UN to be more open towards the input of civil society in decision-making processes Why having youth delegates ? (2/2)

3) How can we strengthen youth participation at the UN ?

STEP 1 : Identify the most important actors  National Youth Council  Ministries Foreign Ministry − Youth Ministry − Permanent mission −  UNA

STEP 2 : draft a quality proposal You're not alone ! Ask assistance from : > Other youth delegates > UNDESA – Focal Point on Youth > European Youth Forum > WFUNA STEP 3 : convince your ministry, national youth council and your permanent mission to start a trial year

For more information : www.unyouth.org www.youthdelegates.de www.undesaspd.org/youth.aspx www.youthforum.org elise@jugenddelegierte.de denis.naets@gmail.com