A/HRC/34/46 participation in Member States’ delegations to the United Nations. Finally, Mr. Mukashev congratulated the members of the Human Rights Council on their decision to establish the Forum and stressed the importance of the recognition by the Council of the crucial role played by youth in widening the democratic space, protecting and promoting human rights and strengthening the rule of law. III. Creating an enabling environment for the effective participation of youth in public decision-making A. Discussion 11. The discussion on agenda item 2 was moderated by Romulo Dantas, Executive Secretary for Youth Empowerment of the World Young Men’s Christian Association. The panellists were Sara Oviedo, member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child; Chaeli Mycroft, ability activist, founding member of KidsRights Youngsters and founder of the Chaeli Campaign; Gulalai Ismail, peace activist and founder of Aware Girls; and Dejan Bojanic, member of the board of the European Youth Forum. The discussions focused on the legal and institutional framework required to enable youth to contribute to the formulation of public policies and to hold policymakers accountable, and on the realization of all human rights without discrimination as a prerequisite to an enabling environment for the participation of youth in decision-making. 12. Ms. Oviedo noted the importance of an adequate legal framework, including at the international level, that specifically recognized youth as rights holders and ensured the promotion and protection of all civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights as a precondition for the participation of youth in public decision-making. She recalled the invaluable role played by youth for the promotion and protection of human rights and the rule of law in many countries. While acknowledging positive legislative developments in some countries, which had provided for a lower voting age, Ms. Oviedo noted the generalized lack of political will for the creation of mechanisms for the sustainable, effective and meaningful participation of youth in all decisions in which they had a direct interest. She stressed that such mechanisms contributed to ensuring that States complied with their human rights obligations, and ultimately to strengthening democracy and the rule of law. Ms. Oviedo also regretted that existing consultative mechanisms did not ensure that the views of youth were systematically and effectively taken into account in law- and policymaking as well as in accountability processes. She also emphasized the generalized need for more accurate research and data on the violations of human rights of youth as a necessary tool for assessing existing gaps in the effective implementation of their right to participate. 13. Ms. Mycroft discussed the importance of tackling disability as a cross-cutting issue rather than in isolation, particularly in the light of the systemic discrimination suffered by young people with disabilities in all spheres of life. Acknowledging and understanding the impact of discrimination on many young people with disabilities and their families represented a first, necessary step towards addressing the issue. She recalled that discrimination often stemmed from stigma and was grounded in false assumptions about the capability of youth with disabilities to contribute to public life, thus ignoring their potential to contribute to the community. She regretted the use of such negative terminology as “economic burden”, “health hazards” and “social disempowerment”. Education on disability and human rights played a critical role in addressing discrimination and eradicating stigma. She underlined the importance of eliminating all forms of discrimination and ensuring that all members of the society were given the opportunity to contribute and realize their potential. Finally, she stressed the need to strive for full 5